6 Recipes for your Halloween Party

Lentil Stuffed Jack-O-Lantern Peppers

Lentil Stuffed Jack-O-Lantern Peppers are a cute and fun Halloween recipe from Heather Crosby of YumUniverse.com and author of a brand new book, YumUniverse.

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry lentils
• 7-8 large bell peppers (you can choose any color you like)
• 1 tsp unrefined coconut oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium zucchini, diced small
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels (you can use frozen)
• 1 medium tomato, seeds removed and diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fennel seed, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped fine
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (feel free to add more to taste if you like more heat, or leave it out if the kiddos aren’t a fan)
• 2 tsp fine ground sea salt, or more to taste
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper, or more to taste
• 1/4 tsp liquid smoke (optional)

Instructions

• Soak dry lentils in a bowl filled with pure water overnight.
• Rinse lentils and prepare them according to the instructions in this post. While they cook, wash and dry your peppers. Set aside 1 pepper for dicing/filling—remove seeds and ribs from this pepper.
• Using an X-Acto blade, slice off the top of the first pepper. Twist and lift off the top.
• Using a blade, or paring knife, carefully remove the seeds and ribs (bottom left) from the top and bottom sections of pepper (bottom, right).
• Now you can carve some eyes and a mouth.
• Repeat these steps, with all of your peppers and set aside.
• Remove corn from the cob with Chef’s knife—for extra deliciousness, try to get the “milk” from the cob, too. Dice one pepper, onion, zucchini, and tomato. Prepare your herbs and garlic.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Place coconut oil in a skillet, and sauté onion and pepper for about 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and cook for another 4 minutes. Add tomato and corn and cook for 3 minutes.
• Stir in the remaining ingredients, including cooked lentils. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Spoon filling into peppers—to the top.
• Place the lids back on the peppers and place them into a glass baking dish lined with unbleached parchment paper.
• Bake for 25 minutes.

source: https://berryripe.com/

Vegan Mac and Cheese with Roasted Broccoli

This is easy, simple, incredibly satisfying, and — thanks to our dear old friend broccoli — contains vitamin B6 to combat inflammation and support progesterone production.

Makes 6–8 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 medium carrot, diced
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 4 cups broccoli florets (about 2 medium crowns)
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 1 pound pasta (any shape; gluten-free if desired)
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 3/4 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• For serving (optional but recommended): red chile flakes or hot sauce

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. Pour about 2 inches of water into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the carrot and sweet potato and boil until fork-tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of the water, then drain the carrots and potato and let cool.
3. Place the broccoli on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons of the oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Toss to coat. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the broccoli is easily pierced with a fork and golden on the edges. Set aside.
4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Strain and return to the large saucepan.
5. To make the “cheese” sauce, place the cooled carrots and sweet potatoes in a high-powered blender, then add the almond milk, nutritional yeast, vinegar, garlic powder, black pepper, 11/2 teaspoons salt, and the remaining 2 teaspoons oil. Blend on high until smooth. Taste and add more seasonings as needed.
6. Pour the sauce into the pan with the pasta and place over medium-low heat. Toss in the broccoli and stir well. Heat until everything has warmed, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately, with chile flakes or hot sauce, if desired. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.

Source: Excerpted from The Moon Cycle Cookbook © by Devon Loftus and Jenna Radomski. Used with permission from Storey Publishing.

Frankenstein Pasta Salad

A Halloween-themed vegan pasta salad is always a delicious and filling option.

This pasta salad is easy to make and fun for all.

Ingredients-

• 8 oz rotini pasta
• 3 tsp Olive Oil
• 1 tsp White Vinegar
• 1 tsp Dried Italian Seasoning
• 1 cup Spinach
• 1 cup Cucumber
• 2 slices vegan mozzarella
• 6 oz black olives

Instructions

• Cook rotini pasta according to the package, and let cool
• Blend the olive oil, white vinegar, and seasoning in a blender.
• Mix the dressing with the pasta.
• Assemble the face laying out the pasta in a rectangular shape, and adding the face with the vegan cheese, olives, and cucumber.

source: Sara Bachmann, owner of sarasveggiekitchen.com.

Vegan Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• One pie pumpkin
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• A finely diced thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• A tiny dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups (32 ounces) of vegetable broth or stock
• ½ cup soy milk or coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey (optional)
• ¼ cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Carefully halve the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds.
• Slice each half into quarters. Brush or rub 1 tablespoon olive oil over the flesh of the pumpkin and place the quarters, cut sides down, onto the paper. Roast for 35 minutes or longer, until the orange flesh is easily pierced with a fork. Allow cooling for a few minutes.
• Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add minced ginger and salt to the skillet. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, peel the pumpkin skin off the quarters and discard it.
• Add the pumpkin flesh, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne pepper (if using), and black pepper. Use your stirring spoon to break up the pumpkin. Pour in broth or stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, to melt the flavors.
• While the soup is cooking, toast the pepitas in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, golden, and making little popping noises. You want them to be nice and toasty, but not burnt. Transfer pepitas to a bowl to cool.
• Once the pumpkin mixture has simmered, stir in the milk and honey or syrup. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. You can use an immersion or stand blender to blend the soup. Once it is all puréed, transfer the soup to a serving bowl.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary (you might want to add more milk for extra creaminess/milder flavor, or maple syrup or honey to make it a little sweeter).
• Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle pepitas over it and serve. Let leftover soup cool completely before transferring it to a proper storage container and refrigerating it for up to 4 days.

source: https://artoflivingretreatcenter.org/

Happy Halloween!