Carrot Dill Rolls

3/4 cup grated carrot
1 cup hot water
2 Tbls brown sugar
2 Tbls olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp dry yeast or .6 oz fresh yeast
1 Tbls dried dill weed
3-3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Stir together the carrot, water, brown sugar, olive oil, and salt until the  sugar is dissolved. If the water gets cold (from using cold carrots), pour some out and reheat it.

Stir in the yeast, dill, and one cup of flour. Stir completely before adding another cup of flour, then stir that in completely before adding the third. At this point you will have to knead the dough, adding more flour if necessary. Knead until the dough is smooth around the bits of carrot. Then coat the inside of a large bowl and the dough in a small amount of oil. Place dough in bowl, cover the top, and let rise until it is doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Knead the dough lightly, then divide it into 12 even balls. Place them on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Brush olive oil and sprinkle coarse salt onto the tops of each roll. Cover them and let them rise until doubled again, about 40 minutes.

Place the pan in the oven along with a small dish of water. Set the oven to 375 F and bake, including preheat time, for 25-30 minutes, until they are golden brown on top and bottom.

Salsa Verde

1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
3 cups diced green tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup diced onion
2 Tbls. lime juice or lemon juice
2 Tbls. olive oil
2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. thyme
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. cumin
4 garlic cloves, minced (2 tsp.)
1/2 tsp. - 1 tsp. red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, hot sauce, minced peppers, or whatever source of heat you want.

Blend all ingredients together until liquefied. Makes 1 quart.

White Bean Tomato Hummus

1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes in oil (include some oil in this measurement)
2 tsp minced garlic [roasted garlic]
1/4 cup cold water
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp chili powder [chipotle powder]
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt [smoked salt]
1 Tbls tomato powder
3 cups cooked white beans (2 15 oz cans, rinsed and drained)

I like to mix it up and use various types of white beans, including white/navy beans, cannellini beans, butter beans, broad/fava beans, etc. And extra-flavor versions of ingredients are in brackets.

Combine all ingredients in a food processor, and puree until smooth.