Sriracha quinoa bites

What is it about appetizers that captures our hearts (and tummies) so? Is it their teeny, bite-sized nature? Or the fact that we consume them rarely, so they seem like decadent treats? Do we feel better about eating them because they’re small?

I don’t know for certain, but I do know that a holiday party isn’t a holiday party without them. (And sometimes, they’re the only redeeming value of certain holiday parties. You’ve been to those, I’m sure.)

But for the host, appetizers are a lot of work — often more work than preparing an entree: what an appetizer lacks in size has to be made up in quantity. And variety.

That’s what makes these sriracha quinoa bites extra wonderful: a party platter’s worth can be made in less than an hour — less than a half hour, if you keep cooked quinoa on hand — and with very little effort.

And of course, sriracha addicts will love the generous helping of this irresistible condiment that infuses every bite.

I’m a fairly recent convert to sriracha. For a long time, cayenne-type spices were extremely unappealing to me. All heat, discomfort, and burn; absolutely no flavor.

But, an obsession with kimchi (a story for another post), has — as best as I can tell — deadened my sensitivity to cayenne heat. Finally, I can sense the flavor of it, and know what others have been raving about all this time.

And quinoa, beautiful, healthy, protein-packed quinoa, is the perfect delivery vehicle for the wonderful flavors within. The quinoa will make these bites perhaps the healthiest appetizer on your holiday table (shh, it’ll be our little secret), while the sriracha guarantees they’ll be scarfed up in no time.

Better make a double batch.