Cultured Yellow Squash Hummus (vegan, paleo, keto)

Fermented Yellow Squash Hummus
I love hummus. I know that’s a strong word but it really is one of my favorite foods. Lately though I have been dealing with some inflammation issues and have gone a mostly plant based keto to help manage it. I’ve tried making keto hummus before but wasn’t particularly impressed with the recipes or results. For this, I chose yellow summer squash. I diced it and dry roasted it in a cast iron pan at 350°F for an hour.
I leave out the chili flakes when making this for kids, but it is awesome with. I used cultured onion juice for fermenting this hummus. The flavor is smooth, full of that mediterranean tahini taste and roasted notes and has a nice depth to it.
Enjoy!

Ingredients:
- 4-7 yellow squash, depending on size, dry roasted (about 4 cups cooked)
- 4 garlic cloves
- ½ cup cultured vegetable juice from a previous ferment, whey from a batch of live yogurt or milk kefir or water kefir (in theory you could try kombucha, but I’ve never done)
- 1/2 cup tahini, or 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds or toasted sunflower seeds
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tsp ancho chili flakes (optional)
- 1 tsp turmeric (optional)
- 1 tablespoon sea salt, celtic sea salt or pink salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ – ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil (poured over top to seal out bacteria)
- 1-3 teaspoons ground chia seed (optional, but blend in if it is too wet)
Method:
Wash, remove the tops and halve the yellow squash lengthwise and then cut into 1″ sections. Dry roast at 350°F for 1 hour. Put all ingredients in a food processor (hold out the olive oil) and process until smooth.
If serving immediately, leave out the fermenting liquid. Spoon into a bowl and stir in 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, then drizzle a bit more on the top. Serve with crudite platter or chips.
If fermenting, hold out the olive oil until the very end. Transfer hummus to a 2 litre clip top jar, cover with the olive oil and clamp closed. Slowly rotate the jar until the olive oil seals the entire empty surface. Leave to ferment for 2-3 days depending on your preference. It will be cultured after 24 hours but you will have a stronger bite and more gut healthy bacteria after 2 or 3 days. It is an acquired taste so if you’re new start with 1-2 days. Once finished, stir the olive oil in and store in a 1 liter glass jar in the fridge.
Pro Tip: Make sure your jar is at minimum 1 1/2 times the capacity of your culture. Double is best. If your jar is too small it will grow right out of the jar and all over your kitchen counter.

[lt_recipe name=”Cultured Yellow Squash Hummus (Keto, Paleo, Vegan)” servings=”16″ prep_time=”1H30M” cook_time=”1H” total_time=”2 DAYS” difficulty=”Intermediate” summary=”I love hummus. I know that’s a strong word but it really is one of my favorite foods. I used cultured onion juice for fermenting this hummus. The flavor is smooth, full of that mediterranean tahini taste and roasted notes and has a nice depth to it.” print=”yes” image=”https://www.brennamay.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/img_7162-300×300.jpeg” ingredients=”4-7 yellow squash, depending on size, dry roasted (about 4 cups cooked);4 garlic cloves;½ cup cultured vegetable juice from a previous ferment, whey from a batch of live yogurt or milk kefir or water kefir (in theory you could try kombucha, but I’ve never done);1/2 cup tahini, or 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds or toasted sunflower seeds ;juice of 1/2 lemon;1 teaspoon cumin;1 tablespoon sea salt, celtic sea salt or pink salt;½ teaspoon black pepper;¼ – ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil (poured over top to seal out bacteria);1-3 teaspoons ground chia seed (optional, but blend in if it is too wet)” ]Wash, remove the tops and halve the yellow squash lengthwise and then cut into 1″ sections. Dry roast at 350°F for 1 hour. Put all ingredients in a food processor (hold out the olive oil) and process until smooth.;If serving immediately, leave out the fermenting liquid. Spoon into a bowl and stir in 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, then drizzle a bit more on the top. Serve with crudite platter or chips.;If fermenting, hold out the olive oil until the very end. Transfer hummus to a 2 litre clip top jar, cover with the olive oil and clamp closed. Slowly rotate the jar until the olive oil seals the entire empty surface. Leave to ferment for 2-3 days depending on your preference. It will be cultured after 24 hours but you will have a stronger bite and more gut healthy bacteria after 2 or 3 days. It is an acquired taste so if you’re new start with 1-2 days. Once finished, stir the olive oil in and store in a 1 liter glass jar in the fridge.;Pro Tip: Make sure your jar is at minimum 1 1/2 times the capacity of your culture. Double is best. If your jar is too small it will grow right out of the jar and all over your kitchen counter.;[/lt_recipe]