Fall Foods and Halloween Decorating Ideas

Spiced Roasted Sweet Potato Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries

Cook's notes: Pomegranate arils can be substituted for cranberries. Do not roast but add in salad at the end. Salad serves 3. 

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato, skinned, diced 2 inch cubes 
• 1 TB. olive oil or Blood orange Olive Oil
• 1 TB. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice mix
• 1 tsp. regular cinnamon or 1/2 tsp. Saigon Cinnamon
• sea salt to taste 
• 2 cups cooked wild rice
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries or pomegranate arils
• 3/4 cup red onion rings
• optional 1/3 cup toasted pecans
• chopped romaine lettuce

Maple Balsamic Dressing Ingredients:

Cook's note: Double ingredients if serving 4 for salad.

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil or Blood Orange Olive Oil
• 2 TB.pure maple syrup
• 2 TB. balsamic vinegar, Cranberry Pear Balsamic or Red Apple
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• scant 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 TB. chopped fresh rosemary or 1/4 tsp. dried Rosemary 
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. 
• In a bowl mix cubed sweet potatoes, olive oil, brown sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice mix. 
• Spread mixture evenly on parchment paper. Roast 20 minutes until fork tender. Add cranberries and pecans the last 5 minutes of cooking time. 
• In a large bowl add roasted sweet potatoes, cranberries, pecans, cooked wild rice, onion rings and chopped romaine lettuce. 
• Add all dressing ingredients in a blender and mix well.
• Drizzle salad with dressing. 

Alternative Dressing Red Wine Vinaigrette

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup olive oil or Lemon Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 3 TB. minced shallot
• 2- 1/2 TB. honey
• 1- TB. Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a blender.

A gift from the diet gods-spaghetti squash. When cooked, it miraculously transforms into low carb, golden, spaghetti-like strands. Yummy recipe site has several ways to creatively use spaghetti squash. Check out their link below for ideas.

Spaghetti Squash Gratin

http://www.yummly.com/recipes?q=spaghetti%20squash&prm-
Need some last minute Halloween party food ideas? Check out the link below.

http://www.reasonstoskipthehousework.com/halloween-party-food/
Shabby Chic Cottage has rounded up 20 easy last minute pumpkin decorating ideas. Check out the link below.

http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/2013/09/pretty-pumpkin-ideas.html/nggallery/image/glittered-pumpkinshttp://

Check out Bella's latest posting 
"I'm In" https://bellasworldblog.wordpress.com/2015/10/24/im-in/