MAKE a scary Halloween meal without freaking out your finances.
You can conjure up these three courses for little witches and wizards for just £2.62 per person.
And with ideas for leftover pumpkin as well as using up that pile of sweets after trick-or-treat fun, nothing will go to waste.
- Meal ideas from recipes.lidl.co.uk. Cost per serving based on proportion of ingredients used to make the dish.
- Prices correct at time of going to press.
Bonfire chilli graveyard
(Serves six)
Total cost: £8.10 Per person: £1.35
GRAB a tombstone tortilla to dig and discover what lies beneath this ghoulish graveyard.
We’ll give you a hint: There are layers of devilishly delicious Tex-Mex flavours.
YOU NEED:
- 2 red onions
- 2 red peppers
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 750g pack of 10% fat beef mince
- 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
- 250ml beef stock
- 2 tsp clear honey
- 2 tortillas
- 1 x 400g tin kidney beans
- 50g mature cheddar
- Handful of rocket spinach and watercress salad
METHOD: Finely slice the onions, peppers and garlic.
Heat the oil in a large casserole. Fry the onions and peppers for six to eight minutes, or until soft.
Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
Stir in the spices for a bit of kick and cook for one to two minutes, before adding the mince.
Use a wooden spoon to break up the mince, then cook on a medium heat for four to five minutes, or until the mince has browned all over.
Add the tinned tomatoes, stock and honey and bring to a simmer.
Simmer gently for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the grill to medium.
Cut out some Halloween shapes from the tortillas and place on a baking tray.
Grill for two to three minutes, until crispy, then set aside.
When the liquid of the chilli has reduced to a sauce-like consistency, add the kidney beans and cook for ten minutes.
Remove from the heat and sprinkle the cheese over the top.
Place under the grill for six to eight minutes, until the cheese is golden and bubbling.
To serve, stick the tortilla shapes in the top of the chilli and cover the top with some watercress and spinach leaves.
Warm Pumpkin Blondies
(Makes nine)
Total cost: £5.49 Per person: 61p
NOT sure what to do with leftover pumpkin after you’ve finished your Halloween carving?
Try this tasty spin on brownies, made with sweet white chocolate and pecan nuts. You can substitute the pumpkin for squash, if you prefer.
YOU NEED:
- 275g pumpkin flesh, cubed
- 175g butter softened, plus extra for greasing
- 2cm ginger, peeled and grated
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 200g light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 225g plain flour
- 125g white chocolate, roughly chopped
- 100g pecan nuts, roughly chopped
To serve:
- White chocolate, finely chopped
- Pecan nuts, finely chopped
- Vanilla ice cream
METHOD: Place the pumpkin flesh in a saucepan and cover with boiling water from the kettle.
Boil for 15 to 20 minutes until tender.
Drain, return to the pan and mash, then set aside and allow to cool.
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 5.
Grease and line a 20cm x 20cm square shallow cake tin.
In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, ginger, vanilla and sugar until creamy.
Add the egg and beat well. Stir through the mashed pumpkin.
Sift over the flour and fold into the mixture using a wooden spoon.
Fold in the white chocolate and pecans.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the surface.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until an inserted cocktail stick comes out clean.
Cool in the tin for ten minutes, then remove and cool on a wire rack for a further 15 minutes.
If using for dessert, cut into nine squares and decorate with the finely chopped white chocolate and pecans.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Scary veggies and guacamole
(Serves eight)
Total cost: £5.28 Per person: 66p
A DEAD-GOOD veggie platter with cucumber, peppers, broccoli and carrots.
Dip into some spooky guacamole for an extra hit of flavour.
YOU NEED:
- 1 large cucumber (300g)
- 200g baby peppers
- 160g long, thin carrots
- 2 black olives
- 100g low-fat Greek yoghurt
- 200g Tenderstem broccoli
For the guacamole:
- 2 ripe avocados
- 1-2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp minced red onion
- ½ tsp minced garlic (optional)
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
METHOD: First make the guacamole. Peel the avocados and carefully remove the stones from the inner flesh.
Mash the inner flesh with a fork then mix in the lime juice, minced red onion and garlic (if using).
Season to taste.
For the spooky veggies, slice the cucumber into 1cm pieces.
On each cucumber piece, slice 5mm off the left and right side at an angle, tapering towards the bottom to make a skull shape.
Use a metal straw to poke two eye holes and use a chopstick to poke out the nose and mouth.
Set aside one red pepper for the carrot fingernails. Half and deseed your remaining peppers.
Carefully carve out the eyes, nose and mouth with a paring knife.
Peel the carrots and cut three thin grooves into the middle of each using a paring knife – these will be your fingers.
Carve the fingernails from the red pepper you have set aside and place on the thinnest end of your carrots.
Now for your spider, which will sit on top of your guacamole.
Cut one black olive in half lengthwise and use as the body.
Slice the other half, together with your second olive, to make eight thin legs.
Spoon the guacamole into a shallow bowl and place the yoghurt into a squeeze bottle or piping bag and draw a web on top of it.
Carefully place the olive spider in the web.
Arrange your veggies, including the Tenderstem broccoli, around your spooky guacamole bowl and enjoy.
USE UP ANY LEFTOVER PUMPKIN
STIR up some magic with these tasty dishes made from leftover pumpkin flesh.
The full instructions can be found at recipes.lidl.co.uk.
ROASTED PUMPKIN AND PESTO SPOOKGETTI
Roast the chopped pumpkin flesh and serve with fried bacon lardons and pesto on pasta.
ROAST PUMPKIN RISOTTO
Drizzle the pumpkin with olive oil, roast and stir into a risotto.
PUMPKIN POTION SOUP
Whizz roasted pumpkin flesh into a warming soup with onion, garlic and spices.
NUTTY PUMPKIN HOUMOUS WITH SPICED TORTILLA DIP
Make a delicious pumpkin dip by mixing the roasted flesh with tinned chickpeas, garlic and peanut butter.
Serve with tortillas brushed with oil and sprinkled with smoked paprika.
USE UP ANY LEFTOVER SWEETIES
PROLONG the Halloween fun by using up Trick Or Treat sweets and chocolate.
CRUNCH TIME
USE up chocolate that has already been opened by melting it down and mixing with cereal for delicious chocolate or cornflake crispy cakes.
Decorate them with a sprinkling of mini marshmallows.
CHUNKS OF FUN
CHOP chocolate bars, such as Twix, Mars and KitKats, into smaller pieces and use in brownies and blondies.
DEVILISH DECORATION
USE spooky sweets to decorate fairy cakes, giving the sugary treats a darker side.
HOME SWEET HOME
SNAFFLE sweets away and use them to decorate a Christmas gingerbread house in a few weeks’ time.
ARIES
TAURUS
GEMINI
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
