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Pook's Pantry Recipe Blog

A Life in Food by real-life Chef Cheryl Bennett

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Halloween

Day of The Dead Cupcakes

September 14, 2019

Celebrate Halloween with these chocolate Day of the Dead cupcakes. The cupcake is supremely chocolaty, as you can see from the color. Perfect for a Día de los Muertos party, these mexican cupcakes are colorful and delicious. For a Mexican-themed Halloween party, add these easy pumpkin empanadas to your menu!
Day of the Dead Cupcakes on black background

With colorful sugar skull decorations and fun sprinkles, these cupcakes will be the hit of your día de los muertos fiesta! But, that’s not all. These delicious cupcakes have a unique ingredient, scroll down to find out what it is!

If you make a purchase through one of the affiliate links, I make a few pennies at no extra cost to you. Questions? Please see disclosure for info.

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Filed Under: Desserts Tagged With: buttercream, Chocolate, cupcake, Cupcakes, cupcakes de dia de los muertos, cupcakes de halloween, Day of the Dead, desserts, Día de los Muertos, dia de los muertos cupcakes, Halloween, Mexican, Mexican chocolate

Pumpkin Rum Balls Recipe

September 2, 2019

Pumpkin rum balls are the perfect treat for all of your fall celebrations. This version is made with graham crackers instead of the usual wafer cookies, making them reminiscent of pumpkin pie. For a traditional rum ball recipe, this one packs a punch.

pumpkin rum balls in white bowl with pumpkin decorations in background
Pumpkin rum balls make a delicious adults-only fall treat!

Rum balls are great for this time of the year. They are a quick and easy no-bake treat. Perfect for game day parties, Halloween and even for Thanksgiving gatherings.

If you make a purchase through one of the affiliate links, I make a few pennies at no extra cost to you. Questions? Please see disclosure for info.

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Filed Under: Desserts Tagged With: Dessert, desserts, fall, game day, Halloween, no bake cookie, no-bake dessert, pumpkin, pumpkin rum balls, pumpkin spice rum balls, rum, rum balls, rum desserts, Thanksgiving

Pumpkin Empanadas Shortcut Recipe

October 3, 2018

Pumpkin empanadas are only 30 minutes away with this quick and easy short cut recipe.  Seasoned with pumpkin pie spices and barely sweet, these treats make a great dessert or breakfast.

For another fun Halloween treat, try these Mexican Chocolate Day of the Dead Cupcakes. They are the perfect addition to a día de los muertos fiesta!

This post and recipe was created for #HalloweenTreatsWeek! I was sent samples by some of the sponsor companies but as always, photos, recipe & opinions are 100% mine.

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Filed Under: Desserts Tagged With: baking, easy recipe, empanadas, fall, Food, Halloween, holidays, how to, pumpkin, vegetarian

Swamp Monster Slow Cooker Jackfruit Gumbo

October 15, 2016

small affiliate
jackfrui-swamp-gumbo

Halloween is fast approaching and if you are a fan of this fun holiday, you’re in for a treat (not a trick).    My friend Kathy has written a new cookbook full of fun, vegan Halloween food.   Her blog Healthy Slow Cooking is full of healthy options and is my “go to” source for vegan recipes. Whether you follow a vegan diet or not, there is something that everyone can enjoy.

I wanted to share this recipe with you because jackfruit is probably a fairly unfamiliar ingredient to most people.   I find it at my local Asian market.  Sometimes they sell the whole fruit, but more often it’s cut into pieces.  

jackfruit
A whole fruit can weigh as much as a small child, so getting a piece at the market is a much better option!  The best option when you don’t need 40 pounds of jackfruit: canned for convenience.

I love Kathy’s unique spin on this classic recipe.  If you are trying to eat less animal protein or you are curious about a vegan diet or you just want to try something new,  I would wholeheartedly recommend this and any other recipe by Kathy.   

Yield: 4

Swamp Monster Slow Cooker Jackfruit Gumbo

Swamp Monster Slow Cooker Jackfruit Gumbo

Ingredients

For the main gumbo

  • 4 cups water
  • 4 cups sliced okra, fresh or frozen
  • 3 cups diced tomatoes or 2, 14.5 ounce cans
  • 1 cup minced bell pepper, any color
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 can, 20 ounce young green jackfruit in brine, rinsed with seeds removed *
  • 2 large vegan sausages, Italian, Chik’n Apple, or Andouille, cut into quarters lengthwise and sliced
  • 2 bouillon cubes, vegetable or vegan chicken flavor
  • 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning blend, see recipe at bottom
  • 3 bay leaves

For finishing

  • 1 cup chopped spinach, kale or other mild green
  • just enough water to puree, about 1/4 cup
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • more Cajun seasoning blend, to taste – optional

For serving

  • steamed rice, white, brown or forbidden
  • hot sauce

Make Your Own Cajun Seasoning Blend

  • If you’re looking for a salt-free version or just can’t find it in your area, this little recipe will keep you in spicy goodness for awhile. The best part is you can make it as spicy or mild as you like!
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 2 teaspoon thyme
  • 2 teaspoons oregano or marjoram
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/8 teaspoon cloves
  • Combine all the ingredients well and store in a lidded container. You can also use a spice grinder to make it look more like store-bought.

Instructions

  1. In the morning: Add all the main gumbo ingredients to your 4 quart slow cooker. Cook on low 7 to 9 hours.
  2. 15 minutes before serving: Add the greens to a blender with a little water and purée until smooth. Then add salt, pepper and more Cajun seasoning if needed.
  3. Remove bay leaves and serve gumbo topped with the green “swamp” purée and a scoop of rice.
  4. * shred the jackfruit with your hands – it will happen easily as you remove the large seeds.

Notes

This chunky stew is full of okra, tomatoes, vegan sausage and stringy jackfruit. One of my testers, Robin Fetter of The Real Vegan Housewife, says the soup had “an awesome foamy green effect on top” when she served it immediately, but that the green became less bright after twenty minutes. She highly recommends puréeing the greens into the soup.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

© Recipe by Kathy Hester from The Ghoulish Gourmet: A Bewitching Collection of Vegan Halloween Recipes copyright 2016 printed with permission
 

Below is a link to the Kindle edition of Kathy’s book!

Filed Under: Slow Cooker, vegan Tagged With: Crockpot, Gumbo, Halloween, Jackfruit, Slow Cooker, vegan

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Hi there and thanks for stopping by!  I'm Cheryl, Chef by day and Blogger by night!

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