Fall Color Vegetable Appetizers {Sriracha Pumpkin Hummus}

Pumpkin, carrots, beets, tomatoes, tomatoes, olives and artichokes form a fall color palette in this array of appetizers, including Pumpkin Sriracha Hummus.  Combine the dips for a layered autumn vegetable appetizer--another Awesome Veggie App and Snack (link to my Pinterest board).

If you're rolling your eyes at the thought of a pumpkin recipe already, I'd like to share with you a photo of me that my daughter took on August 6th.

This 42 pound pumpkin was the first volunteer (meaning, I didn't plant it--it came from the compost) I harvested this year. I've since harvested another large one and 5 little ones, including the one shown in the ingredients photo below. I've got 2 more large ones on the vine.  So even if you're not ready for pumpkins, the pumpkins are ready for you. Props to me for exhibiting the restraint to wait until after the autumnal equinox before posting.

Even though it is easy to whip up and awesome vegetable appetizer in the summertime, such as this fattoush dip with kale hummus or this layered summer vegetable appetizer, the slight extra work involved in the Fall (i.e., turning on the oven to roast autumn vegetables) is not unwelcome.  In fact, though I'm happy to warm the kitchen up on a cool fall day, some of these Fall recipes involve nothing more than a food processor or blender. We're now celebrating Fall (and looking forward to more Fall vegetables in the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share, so here's a suggestion (or 3) of how to enjoy your produce.

Since the beets in my farm share are prolific (yet I still cannot get enough beet greens) I wanted to keep rockin' the beets [get it?  Rockin' the beets?] but I also wanted some nice fall colors to pair with the beets.  I whipped up some Orange-spiked Beet and Walnut spread and thawed a jar of Fresh Tomato Pesto. When I saw this incredibly easy pumpkin hummus over at Naptime Chef I decided to whip that up, add a teaspoon (or more) sriracha to half of it for a bit of a kick, and have the assortment of dips shown above. That pumpkin hummus tasted so good that I grabbed one of my pie pumpkins and did it again from scratch (my Sriracha Pumpkin Hummus recipe is below).

Layer all of these flavors on a platter, add some preserved and fresh vegetables for different textures and flavors, and you've got yourself a feast for your eyes and your belly--and that of a male as well.

Now, this is not a comment on 'girl food' vs 'man food'. Far from it! More like an observation on changing perceptions or stereotypes of gender-related food choices. I participate in a photography group on base, and last week we were hanging our photos for display on the wall of the club. The theme was 'wild color' so I submitted the first photo of this post. An elderly veteran and his wife came in and were commenting about all our photos. They asked what was in that picture, and I told them. Then the gentleman commented "and your husband eats that"? "You bet", I told him. He loves a plate piled high with vegetables--though technically he was deployed when I fixed up the plate for me and snapped the photo. His plate would be more piled and less photogenic since 'it's all going to the same place'.

Sriracha Pumpkin Hummus topped with Fresh Tomato Pesto, Orange-spiked Beet and Walnut Spread, olives, and artichoke hearts--a veritable feast.

Now matter how your pumpkin arrives--in a can from the store, or rising like a Phoenix out of your compost, you can enjoy this dip--and layer it with other ones to enjoy Fall colors in your meal.

Orange Teriyaki Slaw Stir Fry with Orange Sriracha Turkey Meatballs

A colorful, flavorful, stir fry of red cabbage, carrot, celery and onion in a fresh orange and teriyaki sauce.  Served with orange-ginger-sriracha turkey meatballs and rice.

This is another Fast from the Farm Share meal, combining Band Fruit Fundraiser oranges and cool weather vegetables in an Asian-inspired stir fry.  Because I had it, I baked ground turkey meatballs flavored with orange, ginger, and sriracha separately and added them at the end, but this orange-sauced stir fry would be terrific as a side with a different protein source.

Working on the savory orange recipes section of my Fall and Winter Fruit Recipe Round Up gave me a hankering for Asian-influenced orange recipes.  Since I like to use what I've got, I opened the fridge and chose a red cabbage, a fat carrot, and the last of the celery for this stir fry.  It's pretty much slaw ingredients--seasoned differently and stir fried. I used ground turkey for the same reason--and because the idea of having my daughter mix, shape, and bake the meatballs appealed to me after a day of hauling fruit in and out of vehicles.

I don't have a juicer--but I have a blender, so I tossed the peeled orange and all of the sauce ingredients into the blender and made quick work of the sauce.  Getting the rice going first, and baking the meatballs while working on the stir fry, means that this meal comes together very quickly.

If you want a bright and colorful vegetable side, or a flavorful omnivore meal, try this dish.  It brightens a dreary day.