Hummus generally contains five basic ingredients; chickpeas, tahini, lemon, garlic and olive oil. Once you have these ingredients combined, it is easy to add other herbs, spices and even roasted carrots to flavor and season basic hummus.

In the spring, I love to roast fresh carrots until they are deeply caramelized and puree them to add to the base of chickpeas and tahini. To deepen the golden color, I add a touch of turmeric. The combined result is a deep golden yellow hummus that is the perfect color for daffodil season.Served with flatbread for breakfast in some Mediterranean countries, the protein-rich and fiber-filled chickpeas make hummus a good way to start the day. In the U.S., hummus has become a popular appetizer and snack. Although hummus is sold at virtually all supermarkets, it is so easy to prepare that you really should start making it yourself. Frankly, it also tastes much better than store bought.The secret to creating the creamiest and freshest hummus is making sure that the skins of the chickpeas are removed and discarded. Many brands of water-packed cooked and canned chickpeas come mostly skinless, so this is not as labor-intensive as it may sound and it's well worth the effort. I tested this recipe both ways and the skinless creamy texture made all the difference in the world. The skin-on version was rougher and chunkier and the texture took away from the delicate nature of the hummus.Serve the hummus with crudités for a springy colorful snack or appetizer and pita chips. I like to make my own pita chips baked with a light brush of olive oil and seasoned with a sprinkling of coarse salt and za'atar. Once they are seasoned, you can cut them into triangles - six per pita bread is a good size - and bake them in a 350 F. oven until they are crisp.Roasted Carrot HummusServings: 16 appetizer-sized portionsStart to finish: 50 minutes½cup well-roasted carrots, cut into small pieces (about 6 small carrots)Juice of 2 lemons, plus more as needed (about 2 ounces)Zest of 1 lemon½cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnishing hummus2 generous tablespoons tahini (sesame paste), with some of its oil2 15-ounce cans drained chickpeas, liquid reserved and skins removed2 cloves garlic, peeled, or to taste1 teaspoon sea salt, or more to taste¼teaspoon of white pepper or pinch of cayenne pepper½teaspoon ground cumin½teaspoon ground turmericPaprika, a sprinkling for garnishCurly parsley for garnishPita chips (homemade or store bought)Raw vegetablesPreheat oven to 350 F.Coat carrots with oil and season with salt. Place on a sheet pan and roast carrots. Remove from oven when soft and browned in places, about 30 minutes depending on the size of your carrots. Cut into small pieces and set aside.Place carrots in a food processor with the lemon juice, lemon zest, tahini and olive oil and process until smooth, about 1 minute.Put remaining ingredients except the paprika and the parsley in a food processor and begin to process; add a couple of tablespoons of the chickpea liquid and more olive oil as needed to allow the machine to produce a smooth puree. The amount will vary every time you make it based on how much liquid is in the chickpeas.Taste and adjust the seasoning (I often add more lemon juice).Serve immediately or chilled in a shallow bowl with pita chips and raw vegetables, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with a bit of paprika and some parsley.Will keep up to five days in refrigerator.Nutrition information per serving: 129 calories; 81 calories from fat; 9 g fat (1 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 220 mg sodium; 10 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 2 g sugar; 3 g protein.