Healthy Halloween Recipe Ideas

Want to get the kids eating more vegetables? Halloween presents some fun ways to “trick and treat” them.

Here’s one – more below – together with a reminder of why you’ll be doing them a favor!

Frankenstein Fingers and Sheep’s Eyes

Frankenstein's fingers and sheeps' eyes

Fill a small bowl with ready-made guacamole, houmous or other favourite dip. Take 5 baby carrots and take a thin slice off the tip of each. Then use the knife to make a small incision at the base of this cut and push a flaked almond into the slot to look like finger nails! Arrange the carrots into the dip so they look like fingers. For the sheep’s eyes, peel 4 carrots and thickly slice. Slice a few green stuffed olives and red grapes. Top each carrot slice with a blob of sour cream and the sliced grapes or olives. Arrange the eyes in pairs on a serving plate.

Why are carrots so good to eat?

Guard yourself against “things that go bump in the night” with our spooky Halloween x-ray vision carrot party menu. Not only will carrots help you see in the dark, but they can be made into great party fare.

Why not get the kids to “give you a hand” creating Frankenstein Fingers from baby carrots, using flaked almonds as finger nails and assembling them into a pot of slimy green guacamole. Sheep’s eyes are a doddle too, simply top the sliced carrots with a blob of sour cream and then sliced grapes or olives and arrange the eyes in pairs on a serving plate. Kids will love decorating Spooky Carrot Muffins with iced spiders, pumpkins and ghosts and they’ll be great for any trick or treaters too. Jacket potatoes with chilli lamb and carrot topping are another delicious party option for children and adults alike.  And they’re all dead easy to prepare. Not to mention easy on the purse in these credit crunch days!

These devilish delights are packed with carrot goodness. They are brimming with the powerful antioxidant beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A in the body. In fact, of all fruit and vegetables, carrots are actually the best source of beta-carotene – an 80g serving contains more than twice the recommended daily amount (RDA) needed by adults. Vitamin A aids the growth of healthy bones and teeth and is essential for the proper functioning of the immune system. Carrots are also high in fibre, naturally low in fat and saturates and count as one of your five-a-day.

So what are you waiting for? Hop on your broomsticks, don your pointy hats and get carrot crunching this Halloween. Try out the spooky recipes below or visit www.britishcarrots.co.uk for more recipe inspiration.

For a bit of Halloween fun, here are some more spooky ideas! They are quick and easy and get the kids eating veg too!

Firey Jackets

Firey Jacket Potatoes

Preparation: 10mins
Cooking: 1hr 10mins
Serves 6
Per serving: 335 calories, 9.4 fat, 4.0g saturates, 10.3g sugars, 0.37g salt

Ingredients
6 baking potatoes, scrubbed
1 (400g) pack lean lamb mince
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 green pepper, deseeded and chopped
10ml/2tsp ground cumin,
10ml/2tsp coriander
10ml/2tspsmoked paprika
1/2-1tsp/2.5-5ml chilli flakes
450g/1lb carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
1 (400g) can tomatoes
15ml/1 tbsp tomato puree
salt and ground black pepper
45ml/3tbsp chopped fresh coriander
sour cream mixed with chopped coriander to serve, if liked

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 220C/ Fan 200C/450F/Gas Mark 7. Scrub the potatoes clean, then place on a baking tray. Bake for 35-40mins or until tender.
2.  Meanwhile, Heat a large pan or wok, add the lamb mince without any extra oil, and  sauté  over a medium heat for 6-8mins, stirring to break up the mince, until it is nicely browned. Add the onion, garlic and pepper and  sauté for 2mins.
3.  Add the spices and carrots, cook for 1 min. Then add the tomatoes, puree and plenty of salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 10mins. Stir well, then simmer uncovered for a further 5mins or until the juices have thickened slightly. Adjust the seasoning.
4.   Split the baked potatoes and spoon a little of the mince mixture into each. Serve topped with sour cream mixed with chopped coriander if liked.

Halloween Carrot Muffins

Carrot Muffins

Preparation: 20mins
Cooking: 25mins
Makes 12

Ingredients
200g/7oz soft light brown sugar
200ml/7floz sunflower oil
2 medium eggs
200g/7oz plain flour
2.5ml/1/2 tsp baking powder
2.5ml/1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
5ml/1 tsp ground cinnamon
200g/7oz carrots, peeled and grated
50g/2oz walnut pieces, chopped
5ml/1 tsp vanilla essence

For the icing:
225g/ icing sugar, sifted
25g/1oz unsalted butter
75g/3oz chilled full fat cream cheese
food colouring and writing icing

Method
1.   Preheat the oven to 170C/Fan 150C/325F/Gas Mark 3. Line a deep 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
2.  Place the sugar, oil and eggs in a large bowl, then beat together with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and thickened. Sift over the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cinnamon then fold in until well mixed. Fold in the carrots, walnuts and vanilla essence.
3.   Divide the mixture between the paper cake cases. Bake in the middle of the oven for 25mins or until golden, risen and the middle bounces back when lightly pressed. Leave to cool in the tin for 5mins before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
4.   For the icing: Use an electric whisk to beat the icing sugar and butter together in a large bowl until fluffy. Add the cream cheese and briefly beat together again until just combined. Don’t overbeat or it will become runny. Spread the icing over the muffins, then let the kids go mad icing the cakes with spooky characters.

Freezing instructions:
Un-iced these muffins freeze well. Once cold pack them into a freezer proof container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for about 1 hour, then ice as instructed.