Organix Halloween: No More Ghosting the Veggies!

Ingredients

Dough:
250g self raising or plain flour
4 tbsp olive oil
100ml warm water

Sauce:
1 onion
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp oregano or mixed herbs
½ tsp vanilla extract

For the toppings:
Large ball of mozzarella puree
Some black olives
Some green olives
Some fresh rosemary (optional)
A ghost shaped cutter

Method

1. Put the flour (with the baking powder mixed in) into a bowl, and make a well in the centre. Pour in the oil and most of the water, and mix together to form a dough. The dough shouldn't be too sticky – so don’t add all the water at once, just little by little.

2. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface, folding it over on itself and pressing down with the heel of your hand. Keep turning, folding and pressing until the dough is even, smooth and elastic in texture (at least 5-10 minutes).

3. Cut the dough in half with a sharp knife to create two even balls, then divide these to create four and a final time to create eight balls. Roll each ball out on a lightly floured work surface with a rolling pin into mini round pizza bases, around 5mm thick. You can roll them directly on to cut up sheets of baking paper if you like – to make the dough easier to transfer.

4. Pre-heat your oven to 230°C / 210°C fan / gas mark 8. Lightly grease and line two large baking trays. Start making the sauce - finely chop the onion and sauté with the oil in a frying pan over a low heat until soft. Crush the garlic and add to the pan for a couple more minutes. Add the tin of tomatoes, tomato puree and herbs and continue to sauté for another 10 minutes until the sauce thickens. You can use the sauce as is or blend smoother if preferred. Spread lots over your rolled out pizza bases.

5. Cut the mozzarella ball into 5mm slices across the ball. Gently press on the slice to make it as wide in diameter as possible, then use a ghost shaped cookie cutter to cut your shapes. If the slices aren’t big enough, you may need to cut the shape in two sections and place together on the pizza so they melt together. Depending on the size place one or two ghosts on each pizza base.

6. Cut tiny pieces of black olive and place on the ghost shapes for eyes and cut the green olives in half and place a couple on each pizza, using rosemary leaves to create spider legs. Pop the pizzas in the oven for around 10 minutes until the cheese has melted and the base is golden.

HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN MUFFINS

Ingredients

Muffins:
250ml butternut squash / pumpkin puree (around ½ butternut squash) - use a sweet variety
150g butter (or coconut oil)
4 eggs
6 tbsp / 90ml maple syrup
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp mixed spice
300g self-raising flour (choose a gluten free option if you prefer)

For decorating:
Greek yogurt / cream cheese
Butternut squash puree

Method

1. Start by making a butternut squash/pumpkin puree (unless you have some pre-made). Peel the squash, cut into chunks and steam for around 20 mins until soft. Use a steamer or place in a covered colander over a pan of simmering water. In a bowl, blend the squash to a smooth puree, adding a little water if required to get a smooth consistency. A hand blender will give the smoothest texture, but a food processor or blender will be fine.

2. Stir the butter, or coconut oil, into the warm puree to melt it, or if the puree is cold, gently warm together in a pan over a low heat until just melted, then allow to cool. If you are using a frozen puree, allow to defrost overnight, then gently warm through with the butter or oil. Pre-heat your oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / gas mark 4. Whisk the eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, mixed spice and cooled puree together in a large bowl with a hand whisk. Sieve in the flour and lightly stir using a metal spoon to avoid knocking out too much air.

3. Spoon the mixture into muffin cases in a muffin tin, fill the cases to ¾ full to allow them room to rise. Bake in the pre-heated oven for around 25 minutes until golden. To check they're cooked through, stick a knife in the centre and it should come out clean. Allow the muffins to cool completely before decorating.

4. Let's decorate! For a pumpkin face – mix Greek yogurt or cream cheese, a drizzle of maple syrup, a pinch of mixed spice and a dollop of squash puree together to create an orange frosting. Spread on a muffin and decorate with a little kiwi for the pumpkin stem, and raisins for eyes and teeth.

5. To make a spider – mix Greek yogurt or cream cheese with a drizzle of maple syrup. Spread this white frosting on a muffin and use a blackberry to create a spider's body, with sliced blueberries for legs. Or you can use some raisins and blueberries to create the body, and draw on the legs with a cocktail stick dipped in blackberry juice.

6. For Dracula – mix Greek yogurt or cream cheese, a drizzle of maple syrup and a dollop of blackberry puree to create a reddish / purple frosting. Spread onto a muffin, then sprinkle poppy seeds at the top to create a Dracula widows peak hairline, (use a cocktail stick to help guide the seeds). Use raisins and cut up goji berries as eyes, a goji berry mouth and white frosting for Dracula fangs!

7. To make a witches hat, use the white frosting from the spider muffins and use cut up dried prune to make a black hat.

Ingredients

2 open cap mushrooms
A drizzle of vegetable oil for cooking
2 slices of wholemeal bread (or gluten free)
½ a large ripe avocado
Squeeze of lemon
½ a large tomato
4 tsps sesame seeds
4 pumpkin seeds
½ a cucumber

Method

1. Finely chop the mushrooms, then sauté over a medium heat with a drizzle of oil.

2. Toast the bread, then mash a quarter of the avocado onto each slice, adding a tiny squeeze of lemon to stop the avocado going brown.

3. Cut the halved tomato in half again, then cut two zigzag mouths from each half, and a triangle nose. Add these onto the avocado toast. Place the sautéed mushrooms along the top of the toast to look like Frankenstein hair.

4. Then carefully add a teaspoon of sesame seeds for each round eye, adding one pumpkin seed into the centre of each eye as the pupil.

5. Finally, cut the cucumber into 8 pieces - make 4 of them approx. 3cm x 2cm, and the other 4 approx. 2cm x 1cm. Add these to the sides of the toast at the bottom to make Frankenstein bolts! The smaller batons on the inside, with the larger ones as screws on the outside. Serve immediately.

All recipes taken from Organix. You can find further spooky yet delicious recipe ideas on the Organix website! Happy Halloween!