Sriracha Butternut Squash Hummus

Spicy and creamy, this make ahead vegetable appetizer perks up any occasion.

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I was trying to describe to a friend what a shake of sriracha brings to a dish.

"Well, it's heat.  But with flavor . . .  It doesn't burn your mouth like a really hot pepper, it doesn't numb your mouth like Szechuan peppercorns . . . it's just . . . heat.  But with flavor . . ."

[Clearly I suck at the whole food writing thing. Let me feed you instead.]  When I add a shake of sriracha chili sauce to vegetables, like my Soy Sriracha Roasted Mushrooms, happy things happen.  When Laura adds sriracha to vegetable muffins, StrangeButGood things happen.  I was in an experimental mood when I whipped up this batch of Sriracha Butternut Hummus for #AppetizerWeek.  I'd roasted one of the butternut squash in my Strategic Winter Squash Reserve (link to a photo on my FB page) and used half in Buffalo Butternut Hummus . . . but I had the second half beckoning me to play.

I like playing with the vegetables from my Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share.  Getting a weekly box of fresh local vegetables means my family is more likely to eat vegetables.  It sounds silly, but just getting the produce into my kitchen is half the battle sometimes.  Figuring out what to do with them?  Well, that's why I created a Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient--so when I've got beets, kale, or peppers I can see several recipes for how to use them and pick which one suits my fancy.  Other folks who enjoy eating from a farm share agree, so I think I'm on the right track.
I've revamped my Visual Recipe Index! For more ideas on what to do with your butternut squash, click here.

If you are serving vegetarians or vegans I recommend checking your sriracha sauce to make sure it does not contain fish extract, or making Buffalo Butternut Hummus and creating a layered dip to suit your eaters.

Visit all the other Appetizer Week Blogs for more Snack Time Deliciousness:

• Meatball Bites by Cravings of a Lunatic
• Gluten Free Onion Butter Pretzels by Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker
• Crawfish Dip by Call Me PMc
• Low-Carb Shrimp Guacamole by Yours and Mine Are Ours
• Bourbon Pulled Pork Sliders by Cooking in Stilettos
• Sun-dried Tomato Dip by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Sriracha Butternut Hummus by Farm Fresh Feasts
• Margherita Pizza Sticks by Makobi Scribe
• Chicken Parmesan Meatballs by Flavor Mosaic
• Feta-Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes with Shrimp by Food Lust People Love
• Ham and Sauerkraut Balls by From Gate to Plate
• Cheddar Cayenne Crackers by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Baked Pickle Chips by Lemons for Lulu
• Cheddar Cheese Olive Puffs by Life Off the Clock
• Manchego and Roasted Pepper Stuffed Mushrooms by The Little Ferraro Kitchen
• Restaurant-Style Chipotle Salsa by Home Cooking Memories
• Mango Jalapeno Sausage Rolls by Food Done Light
• Ham & Cheese Mini Cracker Sandwiches by Mom's Test Kitchen
• Spicy Cheese Rounds by Try Anything Once Culinary
• Low Sodium Chicken Stuffed jalapeno Poppersby Cookerati

Missing:  Olive oil + dippers

NOTE:  I created this recipe to be gluten free through my choice of ingredients. Check labels to confirm that your products are also gluten free. Good sources for determining that your products are gluten free can be found here:

http://knowgluten.me/2012/03/31/other-names-for-gluten/

http://glutenfreedoctor.com/gluten-free/

http://www.celiac.com/categories/Safe-Gluten%252dFree-Food-List-%7B47%7D-Unsafe-Foods-%26amp%3B-Ingredients/

Sriracha Butternut Squash Hummus

Ingredients

• 1+½ cups chick peas, cooked and drained (try Dorothy's easy slow cooker chick pea method)
• 1 cup roasted butternut squash (cut in half, scoop out the guts, add ½ cup water to a rimmed baking sheet, bake face down for 20-40 minutes at 400 degrees)
• ¼ cup tahini
• ¼ cup orange juice (I didn't have lemon or lime--but I've got Band Fruit Fundraiser Oranges to use)
• 1 Tablespoon sriracha chili sauce (plus more for drizzling)
• ½ teaspoon salt to start (I use kosher) plus more to taste
• olive oil for drizzling
• optional dippers:  carrot slices, celery sticks, pita chips, pretzels, tortilla chips, mushrooms, melba toast, cocktail meatballs, zucchini sticks . . . or dump all of the above on a plate and call it dinner.

Instructions

1. In a food processor, combine chick peas and squash.  Pulse a few times until blended together.  
2. Add tahini, orange juice, sriracha and salt.  Process until thoroughly combined, stopping to scrape down sides occasionally. 
3. (If you don't have a food processor, a potato masher, potato ricer, blender or food mill would work to break down the chick peas until you could stir in the remaining ingredients.)  
4. Taste at this point and see if you'd prefer more salt or sriracha. 
5. Transfer to a serving container and drizzle with olive oil and more sriracha sauce (if desired).  
6. Serve with some of the suggestions above, or go off in your own direction.  Just enjoy the sriracha--and help me find the words to describe it.

Behind the scenes in my breakfast nook

I'm enjoying participating in #AppetizerWeek.  So far I've shared 2 kinds of Butternut Squash Hummus and a Harvest Sweet Potato Salsa recipe.  It's been a challenge to create 5 posts for one week--I usually post 3 days a week so I feel like it's Friday--time to break out the cocktails!  My family loves their Friday night pizzas and I love my family, though, so I'll press on. Coming up tomorrow is a Pickled Pepper and Pepperoni Puff Pastry Pizza Pinwheel (I just spit all over the screen saying that) and I'll round out the week with Very Veggie Puff Pastry Pizza Bites.

You can find my other #AppetizerWeek recipes here:
Buffalo Butternut Squash Hummus 
Harvest Sweet Potato Salsa 
Pickled Pepper & Pepperoni Puff Pastry Pinwheels 
Veggie Veggie Puff Pastry Pizza Bites 

This recipe is shared with the What's Cookin' Wednesdays, Fresh Foods Wednesday, and the From The Farm Blog Hop,Tasty Tuesdays. Food on Friday.