Vega Recipe: Happy (Healthy) Halloween Treats

Halloween may be synonymous with sugary sweets and treats, but our friends at Vega have once again come up with some guilt-free goodies you can whip up at home. These contain significantly less refined sugar and empty calories, without sacrificing taste (even kids won’t know the difference).

Mini Chocolate Cupcakes With Pumpkin Spice Frosting

Swap your regular, high-sugar recipe with these black-and-orange beauties.

Cupcakes:
1 tbsp ground chia plus 1/4 cup warm water (a great vegan egg replacement)
1 large, ripe banana
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 cup walnut or almond butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp non-aluminum baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Chopped walnuts

To prepare: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Place ground chia in a small bowl. Add water and mix with a fork. Set aside for gel to form. Mash banana in a large bowl; add oil, nut butter, vanilla, and milk and stir to mix. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well incorporated. Grease mini muffin tins with coconut oil. Drop in batter and bake 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting:
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 cups raw cashews
1/4 cup vanilla unsweetened coconut (or almond) milk
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/3 coconut sugar
2 tsps cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

To prepare: Add the cashews and coconut milk to a high-power blender (Vitamix or Blendtec, e.g.) and blend till smooth (you might need the plunger for this one!). The frosting should be thick. Add pumpkin puree, coconut sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and coconut oil and continue blending until smooth. The frosting should be really, really thick but, if it’s still chunky, add more coconut milk to smooth. Set frosting in fridge for about 20 minutes before transferring to piping bag and pipe onto cupcakes.

Caramel Candy Apples

Replace rotten teeth with happy smiles with this much, much healthier version of a Halloween favourite.

8 apples (I like gala or pink lady)
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 pinch sea salt
2 tsp fresh lemon juice

To prepare: Wash and completely dry apples, then insert popsicle stick into the stem end of each apple. In a small saucepan, combine coconut oil, coconut sugar, maple syrup and lemon juice over medium heat until reaches a light boil. Slowly stir in coconut milk, sea salt and vanilla. Bring to a boil and let cook about three minutes, then lower temperature slightly and let simmer until mixture becomes thick and dark. Stir occasionally to avoid burning. Remove from heat and let cool down completely to room temperature. Once cool, dip apple into caramel, then roll into coating of choice (chopped nuts, shredded coconut or mini chocolate chips). Arrange standing up on parchment-lined baking sheet. Cool in refrigerator at least two hours before serving. —Peggy Kotsopoulos

Visit Peggy at www.peggyk.com and follow her on Twitter and Google+.

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