Contributed by Rachael, Ancesister @ Ancestreats.

Originally, I produced this vegan item for a potluck family picnic mezzah in the park. I doubled it to produce enough that a small amount could be kept in the house for later!  I give a nod to the Curried Carrot Dip recipe from Moskowitz and Romero’s Veganomicon; since it inspired me to prepare this as an oil-free, pressure cooker recipe.

This dish can fulfill several roles for you and the mouths you feed. At its core, this rocks for dunking in crudités, pita crisps, pretzels, or whatever crunchy crisp snacks need a punch of flavor.  You can swirl it into plain hummus dip for a spiral of twist of flavor and color. You can also treat it as a condiment spread to replace mayonnaise on sandwiches, which is great if you desire a lower-fat alternative to mashed avocado. Finally, you can thin it out with a few additional ingredients (see below) to transform it into a flavorful oil-free salad dressing.

If you double or triple it to feed a hungry crowd,  you needn’t increase the amount of water in the pressure cooker to process the carrots. If the dip doesn’t come together smoothly in the processor/blender, you can always add small amounts of water until the blades get moving again.

MAIN INGREDIENTS

1 pound organic carrots (washed, scrubbed, and cut into 1/2 inch evenly sized pieces)

1/4 cup roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds

1 T microplaned fresh garlic cloves (I’m heavy-handed with garlic, try as little as 1 tsp)

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 T fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup water (add more if your pressure cooker requires more minimum liquid to process)

 

BASIC RECIPE DIRECTIONS

Place the trivet inside your pressure cooker. Pour in the water. Add the carrots. Cover and seal. Run at high pressure for 2-3 minutes. Let pressure come down naturally. The carrots should be soft when pieced with a fork.  Drain out the cooking liquid into a heat-resistant measuring cup of at least 1 cup volume if not greater. Soak the sunflower seeds in that set aside hot water. The carrots should be cooling down off the heating element by now.  Also, wait a few minutes until the sunflower seeds have softened up. Try breaking a seed or two with a fingernail pinch test to tell if they are ready to get blended.

When the seeds are ready, add the contents of the measuring cup to your blender jar or food processor container. Run the blades until whole seeds are no longer recognizable. Then add the remaining ingredients and blend together until smooth. Taste. Adjust seasonings if needed. Pour out the puree into a bowl that can be sealed. Cover and cool it off. Refrigerate. An overnight chill lets the curry meld with the sweetness of the carrots and the nuttiness of the seeds. It also thickens up as it cools. Before serving you may need to stir back in any water that separated out from steam resting on the dip’s surface.

 

TO TRANSFORM DIP INTO AN OIL-FREE SALAD DRESSING ADD AN ACID AND UMAMI

**For the acid**

Use a vinegar of choice, such as rice wine vinegar, kombucha vinegar flavored with herbs, malt vinegar or white balsamic;

**For the umami**

Use Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, soy sauce or tamari.

DIRECTIONS

Once the basic recipe has refrigerated overnight, measure out a small ratio like  3: 1: 1  into a small glass bowl or stainless steel bowl.  For example, 1 T dip :  1 tsp vinegar : 1 tsp soy sauce. Whisk together until it the viscosity has thinned out to the consistency desired for being tossed among greens and cut up vegetables for a mixed salad. Add more acid or umami to your liking after tasting. You can always thin it out further with more water.