Hallowe'en Recipes
Pumpkin, Parmesan & Rosemary Risotto
This takes just 30 minutes to make, so a super easy dinner for the whole family and a good way to use up the pumpkin's innards. It's also a good way to use homemade chicken stock or bone broth which is overflowing with nutrients. Bone broth boosts collagen needed for our joints as well as nails, skin & hair, is good for our gut and helps the liver eliminate toxins. Most people reserve it for soups but you can also allow rice to absorb it in a risotto or simply use it in your rice cooker instead of water.
What you need:
400g pumpkin
30 ml olive oil
salt
pepper
30g butter
1 clove of garlic
1 medium onion
2 cups arborio rice
3-4 cups of chicken stock (homemade preferably, if not two chicken oxo or knorr cubes)
200g Parmesan
1/2 cup single cream
1 dessertspoon of finely chopped rosemary (fresh or dried)
Method:
Heat the oven to 200C.
Cut 2 inch cubes of pumpkin flesh and put them on a roasting tray. Drizzle with a glug of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes or until slightly caramelised and tender.
While the pumpkin roasts, melt a large knob of butter in a very large saucepan or Le Creuset pot and gently fry 1 medium onion and 1 clove of garlic, all finely chopped. Add 2 cups of rice and fry for 1 min until see-through. Then add one cup of dry white wine and breath in as the flavours explode! Once absorbed, add 1 cup of chicken stock and stir until absorbed.
When this has been absorbed, add another cup of chicken stock along with the finely chopped rosemary, and keeping adding a little liquid at a time, keeping it on a medium heat, until it's absorbed and the rice is cooked. This takes around 15 mins and I used 3-4 cups of stock. You may need more or less, but just be patient and don't let the rice burn on the bottom.
Remove the pumpkin from the oven and chop it into smaller cubes.
When the rice is almost cooked with still a little bite to it, add 150g grated Parmesan and the pumpkin. Taste then season with salt (not too much as the cheese can be salty) and pepper.
Add 1/2 cup of cream right at the end for a richer effect but this is not compulsory.
Serve with the rest of the bottle of wine, more parmesan to sprinkle on top and possible a dash of cayenne pepper.
Serves 4
Pumpkin Popsicles
Once you’ve made your Jack-o’-Lantern, reserve the flesh to make a quick pumpkin puree, which you can ripple through yoghurt and freeze for pumpkin popsicles.
What you need:
100g pumpkin flesh, cut into 2 inch chunks
1 tablespoon maple syrup
½ teaspoon mixed spice powder
2 cups of unsweetened yoghurt
Peel your pumpkin and remove the seeds and cut into chunks, else use the flesh that you have removed to make your jack-o-lantern. Boil chunks in water for 5-10 minutes until tender then mash with the maple syrup and mixed spice powder. Then fold in the yoghurt and freeze for several hours, preferably overnight, for pumpkin lollies.
Pumpkin Spiced Chia Pudding with Papaya
Prepare your chia pudding the night before then add freshly diced papaya when you want to eat it. Chia seeds absorb 10 times their body weight in water so keep you feeling fuller longer!
What you need:
100g pumpkin
1 dessertspoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon of mixed spice.
1 cup of milk of your choice (cow's, soy, almond, rice etc.)
3 tablespoons of chia seeds
2 tablespoons of freshly chopped papaya
Method:
Make your chia pudding the night before you want to eat it for breakfast.
Combine your milk and chia seeds in a bowl with sweetener (maple syrup/agave/coconut sugar/stevia) as required and stir well.
Make a pumpkin purée by boiling then mashing 100g of pumpkin with 1 dessertspoon of maple syrup and 1/2 teaspoon of mixed spice.
Cover and refrigerate until the morning. If you remember, before you go to bed, give the mixture another good stir to stop it clumping.
Don't worry if it seems clumpy in the morning. A good stir will sort it out. Add freshly chopped papaya.
Serves 1 adult
Healthy Hallowe'en Treats
Check out the kiddy recipes we prepared for Geobaby including pumpkin seeds cooked in liquid aminos, sharp teeth cut out of pumpkin wedges and wholewheat pumpkin cake sweetened only with coconut sugar and maple syrup.
Mellowcreme Pumpkin Vodka
There are many articles written about how many E numbers and awful artificial substances can be found in store bought Hallowe'en candy, such as this useful one written by Laura Paul from Healthy Living Asia. So, rather than giving this terrible stuff to your precious little angels, far better to infuse vodka with it and take it to YOUR PARTY! Are directions really necessary? HAPPY ALL HALLOWS' EVE!
What you need:
Bottle of vodka
4 mellowcreme pumpkin candies per 200ml
Method:
Just throw in a few candies (chopped if they won't go through the bottleneck, which doesn't matter as they will dissolve in a few hours), shake the bottle and refrigerate. It will turn a horrifying orange colour that you can drink as sweet shooters else combine with something fizzy for a longer drink.
Ghosts!
I made this easy, healthy Halloween dessert for the kids last night. Frozen bananas dipped in yoghurt with liquorice allsorts for eyes, or you could be healthier and use raisins.
What you need:
1 banana
3 tbls Greek yoghurt
Liquorice allsorts or raisins for eyes
Method:
Cut a banana in half and insert a lolly stick up each part.
Roll it in thick yoghurt.
Make some eyes. I used liquorice allsorts as they looked most ghost-like but you could be healthier and use raisins!
Freeze until required.
Serves 2