Roasted Baby Carrots and Beets with Carrot Hummus

steps

1. Prepare and roast the beets: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place beets, hot water, and thyme sprigs into a roasting pan. Cover with foil and roast for 35 minutes, or until beets are easily pierced with a knife.
2. While beets are roasting, prepare and roast the carrots: Toss baby carrots with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, rosemary, thyme, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and honey. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, or until tender.
3. Meanwhile, make the carrot hummus: In a pan over medium-low heat, heat ¼ cup of the olive oil. Add carrots, shallot, garlic, bell pepper, coriander, paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring often, until carrots are soft and very tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a food processor. Add tahini, lemon juice, salt, and 1 tablespoon water. Begin to puree while slowly pouring in the remaining olive oil. Process until smooth and adjust seasoning to taste.
4. When beets have finished roasting, rub away skin with a kitchen towel while they are still hot. Cut into bite-sized wedges. In a medium bowl, toss beets with the remaining ½ tablespoon olive oil, coriander, cumin, parsley, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Set aside.
5. Make the benne seed crumble: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a food processor, combine flour, benne seeds, and salt. Pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture is coarse and resembles small pebbles. Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
6. To serve, spread seasoned beets in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast 5 to 10 minutes more. Beets should be hot and lightly roasted. In a bowl, toss together roasted beets and carrots. On a serving platter, spread 1 cup of carrot hummus into a generous layer. Top with the roasted beets and carrots and a generous sprinkle of benne seed crumble.