Guiltless Goodies for a Healthy Halloween

Happy Halloween! No matter how it’s celebrated, the holiday festivities include food. So we’d like to share with you some recipes for fun, delectable, guiltless goodies to make it a healthy Halloween! But first, do you know how this celebration of ghosts, goblins, ghouls and goodies came about?

Its origin dates back about 2,000 years to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who occupied areas that are now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This time of year was often associated with death, as the summer and harvest ended and the cold, dark months of winter lay just ahead. The Celts believed that on the eve of the entry into another year, boundaries were blurred between the realms of the living and dead and that ghosts of the departed returned to earth, damaging crops and making trouble. The Celts would wear costumes and light bonfires to ward off the mischief of the roving ghouls. It was also believed that the Celtic priests, or Druids, were enabled by the presence of these spirits to make predictions about the future—an important source of direction as the Celts entered the new year.

As the Celts were conquered by Rome, the holiday evolved. Pope Gregory III proclaimed November 1 All Saints’ Day to honor saints and martyrs, but some of the traditions of Samhain endured. The preceding evening was referred to as All Hallows’ Eve, later Halloween. Various customs associated with the hallowed eve came to America with early settlers and eventually evolved into the secular, community event we know today that includes trick-or-treating and activities for children. Winter is ushered in with similar rituals in many countries around the world.

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To help make your Halloween celebration both happy and healthy, try these fun recipes, which also include hemp ingredients. These recipes are adapted from recipes at pureformulas.com.

Vegan Worms-in-Dirt – Prep time 25 minutes, serves 6

Hemp Seed Pudding:

• 3/4 cup of hemp seeds
• 1 1/4 tbsp of maple syrup
• 3 cups of hemp milk
• 3 tbsp of cocoa powder

In a small bowl combine hemp milk, hemp seeds, maple syrup, and cocoa powder. Mix well; use a whisk for fluffier pudding. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Candy Worms:

• 1 tbsp of agar powder
• 2 cups of water
• 2 tbsp of strawberry powder (or fruit flavor of your choice)
• 10 strawberries, pureed
• 12 to 18 drinking straws cut in half horizontally (these serve as molds for the worms)

Combine 2 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of agar in a small pot. Cook on medium heat, stirring until the texture is the thickness of honey. Add the strawberry powder and pureed strawberries. Continue stirring and mix thoroughly. Place cut straws in a rectangular glass dish to create worm molds. Pour the thickened liquid over the straw molds. Place the glass dish in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes for worms to thicken. Once thickened, “worms” can be popped out of the straws and cut in half. 12 straws yield 24 worms, or 4 per serving; 18 straws yield 36 worms or 6 per serving.

Nut Layer:

• 2 cups nuts of your choice
• ½ cup dark chocolate chips or pieces of candy

Crush (by hand or in a food processor) so that you achieve a chunky texture.

To Assemble:

Pour 1/6^th (about 1/2 cup) of the chocolate hemp seed pudding in each of six glass dessert bowls to create the “muddy” base for worms. Add to each bowl 1/6^th (about 1/3 cup) of the crushed nuts and chocolate to create the “dirt” layer. Top off with worms.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Balls – Prep time 30 minutes, makes 15 no-bake balls

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 cup hemp or coconut flour
• 4 tbsp of coconut sugar or other granulated sweetener of your choice
• 1 tbsp pumpkin spice
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup cashew butter or nut butter of your choice
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tbsp of hemp milk
• 3 tbsp cinnamon

Directions:

Grind oats in a food processor or blender to the consistency of flour. Mix the oat flour, 2 tbsp granulated sweetener, and pumpkin spice together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the nut butter and maple syrup sweetener then heat in a microwave or on the stovetop. Add in the hemp milk and vanilla extract then stir. Combine wet and dry mixtures and mix well. From the mixture, form about 15 bite-size balls. Toss the balls in a mixture of 3 tbsp cinnamon and the remaining 2 tbsp of granulated sweetener. Place the balls in a single layer on a baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm, at least 15 minutes.

Ghosts and Pumpkins Easy Edible Center Piece

Ingredients:

Note:  Determine the quantity of ingredients based on how many people you want to serve.

• Bananas, cut in half (across the circumference, not lengthwise)
• Oranges or tangerines with peeling removed
• Celery sticks
• Chocolate or carob baking chips, your choice
• Nut butter of your choice
• Hemp seeds
• Other fruits or greens of your choice

Directions:

On a large plate, platter or tray, place halved bananas with tapered ends up. Push the pointed end of three baking chips into the bananas to make a face – two eyes and a nose. These are the ghosts. Cut one 2-inch piece of celery for each peeled orange and place into the top center of each orange. These are the pumpkins. Arrange the pumpkins around the ghosts. Cut remaining celery sticks to your desired length, spread nut butter into the groove and sprinkle with hemp seeds. Arrange around the ghosts and pumpkins. Cover the remainder of the platter with greens, berries, grapes, cheese chunks or whatever your creativity dictates.

We hope you’ll enjoy! Have a safe and healthy Halloween from all of us at Pure Hemp Botanicals![/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]