Vegan Halloween Treats that are Frighteningly Good

Halloween isn’t just for kids. And it isn’t all about candy. Ok, maybe it’s mostly about the candy. Thankfully, there’s no real trick to finding delicious animal-friendly sweets — they’re everywhere! From Airheads to Taffy to Peanut Chews to Twizzlers and everything in between, check out this handy “Offical Guide to Vegan Halloween Treats” from VegNews magazine.

Some of our favorites to top this list include Sjaak’s deliciously decadent peanut butter bites, Mahalo candy bars by Go Max Go and Dark Chocolate Bug Bites by Endangered Species Chocolate!

As an alternative (or in addition) to pre-packed goods, you can give Halloween a more personal touch by whipping up some quick and easy treats at home. Check out desserts on TryVeg.com for some ideas that will satsify the sweet tooth of any ghoul or goblin.

And, of course, it wouldn’t be Halloween without pumpkins. Don’t forget that if you’re carving a Jack-o-lantern, be sure to save those pumpkin seeds — they’re edible! All you need to do wash them, spread them on a cookie sheet with some salt and nutritional yeast, bake them for 20 miutes and you’ve got fresh roasted pumpkin seeds. Get more details.

You can even turn that entire pumpkin into an amazing stew that will have everyone, even the animals, screaming with joy. Here’s how:

Pumpkin Stew (serves 8 to 10)

• 1 10- to 12-pound pumpkin
• 2 16-ounce cans kidney, black, or pinto beans
• 1 bell pepper, cut into inch-thick slices
• 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 4 medium potatoes, cubed
• 3 carrots, peeled and cubed
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
• 2 celery sticks, sliced
• 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 2½ cups water or vegetable stock
• salt and pepper to taste
• vegetable oil (for coating)

1. Carve a hole in the top of the pumpkin, remove the seeds, and clean out the stringy insides. Then scoop out 2 cups of pumpkin and cube. Set the pumpkin aside.

2. In a large pot, simmer the cubed pumpkin chunks, beans, bell pepper, onion, potatoes, carrots, garlic, celery, tomatoes, and vegetable stock or water for 35 to 45 minutes. Stir occasionally and season to your taste.

3. Place the pumpkin in a shallow pan and pour the stew inside the pumpkin. Brush the outside of the pumpkin with a very light coating of vegetable oil.

4. Bake the pumpkin and stew at 350°F for 2 hours, or until the pumpkin is tender. Serve out of the carved pumpkin while hot.

For more animal-friendly recipe ideas, visit VegRecipes.org.