Pumpkin-Carrot Risotto is already a pretty amazing dish, but what happens when you add a little bit of creativity? Pumpkin-Carrot Risotto Jack-o-Lanterns is the perfect main dish for a Halloween dinner.

Vegan | Gluten-free | Soy-free

Risotto is a traditional Italian dish that has many variations, but one thing that must always remain the same, is the creaminess. Today, we’re preparing it with pumpkin puree and carrot juice. 

Now, you may be surprised by the combination of rice, pumpkin & carrot; and you’re totally right! This combo is very unusual, but that doesn’t mean it’s not delicious. These ingredients perfectly balance each other while giving the risotto an intense flavor and the creaminess that we’re looking for.

This is truly one of the best risottos you can make if you want a tasty and hearty meal at the same time. 

How To:

This is made in a very similar way to normal risotto, but with the particularity that instead of using 6 cups of veggie broth, we’re going to use 4 cups of broth & 2 of carrot juice, and the pumpkin puree. Other than that, it’s just about the same than my original risotto recipe. You can use either homemade or store-bought juice, just make sure that it doesn’t have any sugar.

As for the pumpkin puree, you can use a homemade version (roasted or steamed pumpkin, and then blended), or canned (with no sugar or salt added). The trick to get an extra creamy risotto, is to add the puree when the rice is fully done, along with vegan butter and vegan grated parmesan. 

Jack-o-Lanterns:

To make the little pumpkins you’ll need black olives & broccoli stems. With a cookie scooper, form each ball, then slightly wet your hands and form pumpkin shape. Then slice the olives into the desired shapes (eyes, nose mouths) and stick to the pumpkins. Finish them off and top with small broccoli stems. 

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Pumpkin-Carrot Risotto Jack-o-Lanterns

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 40 minutes 40 minutes Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp  avocado oil or olive oil
• 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ½  cups medium-grain rice or arborio rice, rinsed
• 2 tbsp vegan butter
• ¾  cup lemon juice
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups carrot juice
• 2-3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• ¼ cup pumpkin puree
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional herbs: sage & oregano
• Optional: vegan grated parmesan cheese
• For garnish: black olives and broccoli stems

Procedure

1. In a large pot heat up the veggie broth and in a smaller pot warm the carrot juice; bring both to a boil. For about 3-5 minutes; when done, remove from heat, and set aside.
2. Heat up (on medium) oil in a large cooking pot, add chopped onion & minced garlic; cook until translucent (about 3-5minutes). This is also where, if desired, you add the herbs.
3. Stir in rice for brief toasting until it’s completely incorporated with the garlic & onion mix. Add butter, lemon juice, and cook until almost all of it has been absorbed.
4. Pouring process: For every two ½ cup of broth pour, pour one ½ cup of carrot juice. Stir between every pour, and add more liquid only when the previous por has been absorbed. Alternate between the 2, to make sure the flavors balance each other out, while having full control of the color. Do this until all (or most) of the broth and juice is used and rice is thick and al dente. This process can take up to 20-25 minutes. Don’t try to rush the process by adding a lot of liquid to the pot at once. If you do that, your risotto won’t cook evenly and the whole thing will turn into a soup. Remember to stir frequently.
5. When the rice is al dente, stop adding broth and mix in the pumpkin puree, nutritional yeast, butter and salt & pepper, until it’s well incorporated. If desired, also add vegan grated parmesan cheese. At this point, the rice should still have a little bit of firmness left in it and the texture of the dish is creamy.
6. Remove from heat, and allow to cool down. 
7. To make jack o’ lanterns, form small balls (about 2 tablespoons each) out of risotto, pressing firmly with hands. 
8. To form eyes and mouths, cut black olives into shapes and press into the rice balls. To make the “pumpkin stem”, cut a small & thin stem from broccoli and stick into the head of the risotto ball. 
9. Serve immediately & ENJOY!

Did You Make This Recipe?

How you went with my recipes? Tag me on Instagram at @veggiejeva

Previous Previous Dip Recipes:

• Vegan Caramelized Onion Dip
• Garlic & Herb Bread Dip
• Vegan Chick’n Dip

Did you make this recipe? I would love to know how it turned out for you! Tag me in your Instagram creations for a chance to be featured in my insta stories! Use @veggiejeva and the hashtag #veggiejevaskitchen.

When you leave feedback it helps me improve and grow, leave me a comment below.

If you have Pinterest, you can find me here and Pin the following picture, if you like!

All images & content are protected. Please do not use my images or content prior to permission. If you want to republish this blog post, please link back to this post. Thank you for supporting VeggieJeva!

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may make a small commission if you decide to purchase something through one of my links. It’s important to mention that I will never recommend anything that I don’t use myself or strongly believe in. Don’t worry, you get the same price! This will help pay for web hosting, email delivery, domain registration, and other various fees that help keep VeggieJeva operational. I appreciate your support!

The post Pumpkin-Carrot Risotto Jack-o-Lanterns appeared first on VeggieJeva.

We cannot deny that magic world potions = muggle cocktails. Without the need for a magic wand from Ollivanders, here’s VeggieJeva’s take on the Harry Potter Felix Felicis Potion. 

Vegan | Gluten-free | Soy-free

Even though J.K. Rowling is not the worlds favorite author right now, I refuse to let her horrifying opinions & personality ruin Harry Potter for me. 

One of the most magical things about Harry Potter is how incredible the food and drinks sound. Without a doubt, the magic world is a gastronomic paradise, and it’s no secret that the closest thing us muggles will ever get to potions are cocktails. I guess that will have to do… for now. 

This year’s Harry Potter Cocktail is my favorite potion: Felix Felicis. Whoever drinks it will be lucky and very confident for some time. This was demonstrated by Ron Wesley when he ingested a small dose that increased his self-esteem for an upcoming Quiddich game. 

So, without the need for a magic wand from Ollivanders, here is my take on the Harry Potter Felix Felicis cocktail that will teleport you home to Hogshead Pub.

To enjoy these perks, you only need: simple syrup, lemon juice, ginger beer, and a little bit of prosecco.

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Recipe: Felix Felicis- Harry Potter Cocktail

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cooking Time: 10 Minutes 10 Minutes Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

Homemade Ginger Infused Simple Syrup:

• ½ cup water
• ½ cup brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
• A handful of ginger, peeled & crushed

Other:

• 4 lemons
• 200ml bottle of ginger beer
• 1 ½ cup Prosecco (or Champagne)
• Optional: edible gold glitter

Procedure

1. To make simple syrup, just heat equal parts sugar and water until fully dissolved, in a saucepan to med-low heat. Once the sugar has completely dissolved, add ginger pieces. Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes, then cool.
2. To assemble, for each glass mix 2 tbsp of simple syrup and juice of 1 lemon juice in the bottom of a prosecco flute. Add half ¼ of the ginger beer and fill the rest with prosecco.
3. Serve with your favorite Halloween appetizers and, ENJOY!

Notes

Make this recipe a Mocktail by skipping the Prosecco/Champagne, and add either more Ginger Beer or Sparkling Water.

Did You Make This Recipe?

How you went with my recipes? Tag me on Instagram at @veggiejeva

Previous Previous Dip Recipes:

• Vegan Caramelized Onion Dip
• Garlic & Herb Bread Dip
• Vegan Chick’n Dip

Did you make this recipe? I would love to know how it turned out for you! Tag me in your Instagram creations for a chance to be featured in my insta stories! Use @veggiejeva and the hashtag #veggiejevaskitchen.

When you leave feedback it helps me improve and grow, leave me a comment below.

If you have Pinterest, you can find me here and Pin the following picture, if you like!

All images & content are protected. Please do not use my images or content prior to permission. If you want to republish this blog post, please link back to this post. Thank you for supporting VeggieJeva!

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may make a small commission if you decide to purchase something through one of my links. It’s important to mention that I will never recommend anything that I don’t use myself or strongly believe in. Don’t worry, you get the same price! This will help pay for web hosting, email delivery, domain registration, and other various fees that help keep VeggieJeva operational. I appreciate your support!

The post Felix Felicis- Harry Potter Cocktail appeared first on VeggieJeva.

Vegan | Gluten-free | Soy-free

Okay, so we need to talk about the elephant in the room: Halloween this year is far from ideal. That’s why my Halloween content this year my look & feel different from pasts years. I don’t want to encourage anyone to go to parties or gatherings, that’s why this year the recipes may seem a little bit more for home dinners or for a scary movie night.

On another note, is it me, or is it incredibly difficult to find savory Halloween recipes? It seems like most recipes are dips & sweets, which, don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love for a party, but not so much for a homecooked Halloween dinner. That’s why when I saw this idea on Pinterest, I flipped and thought that it was such a good recipe to recreate with a VeggieJeva twist. 

These home-baked veggies are quick, easy, and delicious! Plus you get to be extra creative in the kitchen when cutting & carving the sweet potato jack-o-lanterns, beetroot witch’s hats, and potato ghosts. The result is savory & beautiful Halloween Roasted Veggies that are the perfect side for you Halloween dinner!

Notes:

• Don’t be wasteful! Throw every piece that you cut and carve in an extra pan or save them for later. But please don’t throw them away. 
• No need to peel the veggies beforehand, but feel free to do so if you want.
• Disclaimer: This recipe is inspired by an image found on Pinterest; unfortunately I couldn’t find the original author since there were different blogs claiming to own the exact same blog post and images. But the recipe is all VeggieJeva. 

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Halloween Veggies

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Serves: 4 Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 2 large sweet potatoes (Jack-o-Lanterns)
• 2 large white potatoes (Ghosts)
• 2 red beets large, medium (Witch Hats)
• 2 Tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• ½ tbsp garlic powder
• ½ tbsp onion powder
• A handful of fresh rosemary, parsley & thyme
• 5-10 garlic cloves, with the skin still on

Procedure

1. Cut the sweet potatoes, beets & potatoes,  into ½ inch thick (1 cm) slabs. 
2. Preheat the oven to 400 F (204 C), and prepare baking sheet with parchment paper. 
3. With a small knife or with a cookie cutter, cut and carve the corresponding shapes. Pumpkin shape & jack-o-lanterns carvings on the sweet potatoes, witch hats for the beets, and ghosts for the potatoes. 
4. Set veggies on a parchment-lined baking sheet, along with the garlic (slightly crushed). I recommend keeping the beets separately, otherwise, they might stain your other veggies. 
5. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and herbs, and toss to evenly coat. 
6. Bake for 4o-60 minutes or until golden, and check them halfway through to make sure they don’t burn.
7. Serve with your favorite side, and ENJOY!

Did You Make This Recipe?

How you went with my recipes? Tag me on Instagram at @veggiejeva

Did you make this recipe? I would love to know how it turned out for you! Tag me in your Instagram creations for a chance to be featured in my insta stories! Use @veggiejeva and the hashtag #veggiejevaskitchen.

When you leave feedback it helps me improve and grow, leave me a comment below.

If you have Pinterest, you can find me here and Pin the following picture, if you like!

All images & content are protected. Please do not use my images or content prior to permission. If you want to republish this blog post, please link back to this post. Thank you for supporting VeggieJeva!

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may make a small commission if you decide to purchase something through one of my links. It’s important to mention that I will never recommend anything that I don’t use myself or strongly believe in. Don’t worry, you get the same price! This will help pay for web hosting, email delivery, domain registration, and other various fees that help keep VeggieJeva operational. I appreciate your support!

The post Halloween Veggies appeared first on VeggieJeva.