Halloween food tends to conjure up images of gruesome-looking party food or treats so jam-packed full of sugar, your teeth are likely to shatter at the first bite. But here at About Time, we like to see the positives in everything. Halloween can be healthy, right? Sure it can. Pack your shopping baskets with pumpkins, sweet potato, butternut squash, beetroot and apple to have yourself a healthy and happy Halloween. Here’s 5 of our favourite halloween recipes:

1. The Halloween Soup: Sweet Potato, Carrot &  Turmeric Soup

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Serves 2

Ingredients:

1tbsp coconut oil/rapeseed oil
1 white onion
Dash of Himalayan or sea salt
1 clove of garlic
1 sweet potato
3 large carrots
1tsp turmeric
1tsp cumin seeds
1tsp Bouillion
2 cups of water
Black pepper, to taste
Linseed/olive oil
Sunflower seeds
Coriander

Method:

  1. Heat up the coconut oil on a medium heat in a pot.
  2. Peel and chop the onion and add to the pot, along with a dash of sea salt. Sautee until soft, but don’t allow them to brown. Once cooked, finely chop the garlic and add to the onion. Stir and sautee for a further 30 seconds.
  3. Chop and peel the sweet potato and carrots, then add to the pot with the turmeric and cumin seeds. Give it all a good stir to let the aromas and flavours come out.
  4. Add in the water (ensure it’s just enough to cover all the veg) with the Bouillin powder, turn the hob down to low, place the lid on the pot and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
  5. Once the veg are nice and tender, carefully transfer them in to a blender and whizz until smooth.
  6. Serve up in to bowls with a drizzle of linseed oil, sunflower seeds, black pepper and fresh coriander.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Sophie Bradshaw of Stop Snap Share. Follow Sophie on Twitter: @stopsnapshare 

2. The Halloween Main: Sage Roasted Pumpkin with Cavolo Nero + Cumin Roasted Squash Seeds

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halloween recipes, healthy recipes, health recipes, pumpkin recipes, healthy soup recipes, healthy soup ideas, how to get skinny

Ingredients:

3 tbsp olive oil
4 fresh sage leaves
1/2 a small pumpkin (or you can use any type of squash)
1 tsp cumin seeds, crushed in a pestle and mortar
2 stems of cavolo nero (or use kale or savoy cabbage)
30g soft goats cheese

 Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 180C. Start by preparing the pumpkin. Scoop out the seeds and lay onto a baking tray, separating them from as much of the flesh as possible, but don’t wash them. Season with lots of salt and pepper, sprinkle over the cumin and massage in 2 tsp of the olive oil. Spread them in a single layer on the baking sheet, and bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown.
  2. Next, peel and cut your pumpkin into chunks about 1 inch big. Lay on a baking tray and set aside.
  3. In a small frying pan, heat the rest of the olive oil. Drop in the sage leaves. After about 30 seconds, turn them over, and once they’ve stopped sizzling and have turned from a light green to a dark green, use a slotted spoon to remove from the oil and drain on a piece of kitchen paper to crisp up.
  4.  Pour the sage infused oil over the pumpkin, season and mix so that each piece is well covered (carefully though as the oil may still be hot). Place in the oven until tender, about 25 minutes.
  5. Cut your cavolo nero into strips and steam for 8 minutes. Place in a serving dish, then pile your pumpkin on top, reserving the oil from the bottom of the roasting tin. Sprinkle over your goats cheese, some of your pumpkin seeds, and crumble over some of the crispy sage leaves. Lastly, drizzle a little of the oil from the roasting tin over the top.

Recipe and photos courtesy of Chloe Ride of The City Girl’s Kitchen. Follow her on Twitter: @KloEllaDeVille 

3. The Halloween Snack: Manomasa Smoky Roasted Pumpkin Topped Tortillas 

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Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

350 g (12 oz) peeled, deseeded pumpkin or butternut squash, (weighed after preparation), cut into 2.5 cm ( 1inch) cubes
300g (101/2 oz) or 1 large sweet potato, peeled, cut into 2.5 cm (1 inch) cubes
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons fennel seeds, roughly crushed
½ teaspoon smoked hot paprika
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

½ red onion, finely chopped
1 large tomato, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh finely chopped coriander
1 small avocado, halved, stoned, diced
1 lime, grated rind and juice
200 g (7 oz) 0% fat Greek yogurt
160 g pack Manomasa Tomatillo Tortilla Chips

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 200oC/180oC fan assisted/Gas Mark 6. Add the pumpkin or butternut squash and sweet potato to a roasting tin. Drizzle over the oil then sprinkle with the fennel, paprika, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Gently toss the vegetables with the spice mixture then roast for 30 minutes, turning once until softened and browned.
  2. While the vegetables roast, mix the onion, tomato, coriander, avocado, lime rind and juice together to make the salsa then spoon into a bowl. Spoon the yogurt into a separate bowl. Separate the tortillas and arrange on a large platter.
  3. Mash the roasted vegetables, still in the roasting tin with a handheld masher. Spoon the hot pumpkin mix over the tortillas, top with a small spoonful of yogurt then a spoonful of the salsa and serve immediately while the roasted veg are still hot.

Cook’s tip

Smoked paprika has the most wonderful flavour and can be bought as mild paprika or hot with the same kind of heat as chilli powder, if you don’t have any in the cupboard then use the same amount of chilli powder instead.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Manomasa tortilla chips.

4. The Halloween Side: Roasted Beetroot and Apple with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

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Sserves 4-6

Ingredients:

8 medium-large fresh beetroots, trimmed, peeled and quartered
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tbsp olive oil
2 apples, peeled, quartered and cored
Large handful of pumpkin seeds (about 25g)
1 tbsp cumin seeds
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Squidge of honey
Leaves from 1 bunch of fresh mint, finely sliced (to give 4 tbsp)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C, (fan 180°C), 400°F, Gas Mark 6. Toss the beetroot, garlic and oil together on a roasting tray and season well with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 45 minutes–1 hour (depending on their size) or until soft through when pierced with a sharp knife. Add the apple and pumpkin seeds after 25 minutes, tossing them through the beetroot.
  2. Meanwhile, put the cumin seeds in a frying pan with no oil over a medium heat. Cook for 2–3 minutes until they begin to toast and become fragrant.
  3. Remove from the heat, tip them into a pestle and mortar and crush them to a quite fine powder. Tip this into a mug and add the oil, balsamic vinegar, honey and salt and pepper. Whisk up really well and then set aside.
  4. Once the beetroot and apple are soft, remove them from the oven. Whisk up the cumin dressing again and pour this over the veg. Tip everything onto a large platter, scatter over the mint and serve.

Recipe and photos courtesy of Lorraine Pascale from Lorraine’s new cookbook How To Be A Better Cook (Harper Collins, £25) Follow Lorraine on Twitter: @lorrainepascale 

5. The Halloween Treat: Pumpkin & Kale Muffins

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Ingredients:

Dry

2 cups spelt flour
1 teaspoon Himalayan salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup kale, stalks removed, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

Wet

3 tablespoons chia seeds soaked in 6 tablespoons water (non-vegan option: 3 Eggs)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Co-yo (non-vegan option: Greek Yoghurt)
1 cup pumpkin puree

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C for at least 20 minutes before baking and line a 12-hole muffin tray with muffin liners and set aside.
2. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a separate smaller bowl, mix together the wet ingredients.
3. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour the wet mixture into the dry. With a wooden spoon, fold together until just combined (don’t over-mix).
4. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared tray. Reduce the temperature to 180°C and bake in the centre of the oven for 25 – 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the muffins comes out clean.
5. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin and then remove and continue cooling on a wire rack. Enjoy!

Recipe and photo courtesy of Ariana of Naturally Ariana. Follow Ariana on Twitter: @arianagernet