Halloween Munch Dark Chocolate Bark

Halloween munch dark chocolate bark is a fun and creative way of using healthier Halloween candy products! 

For October’s virtual cooking class, I wanted to create a fun, festive and kid friendly dessert using healthier candy products. It’s so easy to switch out sugar and overly processed-filled Halloween candy products with healthier brands like Yum Earth, That’s It, Hu Kitchen and so much more (product recommendations for this recipe at the bottom!)

Halloween bark recipe is as simple as they come! Using only 3-ingredients to make the bark, and topped with your favorite go-to halloween candy products or venturing out into the healthier but still spookier side!

FAQs and tips on making dark chocolate bark: 

• After the chocolate has cooled, it is hard to spread or for toppings to stick so work quickly while your chocolate is still warm! 

• Storage? If the chocolate bark is set out at room temperature for too long, it will start to melt so best to store in the fridge for about a week or the freezer for 2 months. Don’t expect it to last that long in your house, though! 

• A spatula or back of a spoon are the best tools to spread the chocolate across a parchment paper lined baking sheet. 

• You can obviously use a double broiler to melt your chocolate but the fastest and easiest method is simply using a microwave! Microwave in 30 second increments while stirring until melted. 

Other great Halloween recipes: spookylicious green smoothie

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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Halloween munch dark chocolate bark is a fun and creative way of using healthier Halloween candy products! 

SERVINGS: 6-8 | PREP TIME: 5 MIN | COOK TIME: N/A

Ingredients

• 2 cups dark chocolate chips (about 12 oz)

• 1/3 cup white chocolate chips

• 1 Tbsp+ 1 tsp coconut oil

• 1/4 cup candy corn

• 1/4 cup gummy worms

• 1/4 cup popcorn

• Halloween sprinkles

Directions

• Line a medium/large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil leaving overhang on at least two sides.

• Add the chocolate chips and 1 Tbsp coconut oil to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 30 sec. Stir with a spoon and continue to warm in 30 sec increments until melted.

• Spread the melted chocolate across the prepared baking sheet and use a rubber or offset spatula to smooth into an even layer.

• Melt the white chocolate and 1 tsp oil in a separate bowl for 30 sec increments until smooth.

• Drizzle the white chocolate in a “spiderweb or mummy style” across the baking sheet of melted dark chocolate.

• Place candies, popcorn, and sprinkles on top of the bark while melted then place the baking sheet in the fridge or freezer for 1 hr to harden. Once hard, use a knife to cut into pieces of bark and enjoy!

Notes

• Keep bark in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer until ready to eat!

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Lamb Stew Squash Bowl

Nourishing and hearty lamb stew squash bowl that can also be served with a side of rice. 

Lamb stew squash bowl has got to be the epitome of winter comfort. There is nothing like spending an hour or two in the kitchen creating a comfort dish and sharing it with your loved ones. Especially when you are using seasonal ingredients that are not only nourishing for the body, but for the soul. 

For this recipe, I used kabocha squash as they are the perfect “bowl” size for this dish but you can also use: pumpkin, acorn, butternut, delicata, or even zucchini. Random thought but if you have a large family or fun gathering, using a large pumpkin for this dish would definitely be the star on the table as well as a crowd pleaser! 

Squash not accessible or not keen on squash? Feel free to prepare a side of rice, quinoa or roasted sweet potatoes to go with the stew! 

Now that we are on the stew topic, I could literally drink this smooth, creamy flavor bomb of a stew just on its own! I’m telling you, there is nothing like roasting your veggies prior to blending into a cream sauce. Just saying! 

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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Nourishing and hearty lamb stew squash bowl that can also be served with a side of rice. 

Servings: 4-6 | Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground lamb or meat of choice

• 2 small kabocha squash or squash / pumpkin of choice

• 1 8 oz container baby bella mushrooms, sliced

• 2 cups kale or collard greens, shredded

• 1 can coconut milk, unsweetened

• 1 onion

• 2 large tomatoes

• 6 cloves garlic

• 1 .5 oz organic fresh basil (small container)

• 1 Tbsp favorite go-to seasoning

• 1-2 Tbsp grass-fed butter

• Kosher salt and pepper

Directions 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

2. Clean out both squash and line the inside and lid with butter, set aside. 

3. Slice tomatoes and onion in half, and place on a cookie sheet with crushed cloves of garlic. Drizzle oil and kosher salt and cook in the oven for 25 minutes. 

4. While the tomato mixture is cooking, crumble ground meat in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the seasoning and saute until the lamb meat is fully cooked. Set aside but keep rendered fat in the skillet. 

5. After the roasted veggies have cooled down, remove the outer skin from the onion and transfer everything to a blender. Add in the coconut milk and basil and blend until smooth. Taste test and add additional salt if needed. 

6. Add mushrooms and kale to the skillet with reserved lamb fat and set over medium heat. Saute for about 5 minutes and pour in the blended cream mixture and cooked lamb meat. Remove from heat and transfer the mixture into your buttered squashes.

7. Place filled squash bowls on a cookie sheet with the lids on top and cook in the oven for 25 minutes. 

8. At this time, if you have leftover lamb stew, feel free to make a side of steamed rice. 

9. Remove from the oven and garnish with basil chiffonade and enjoy! Don’t forget to scrape the inside of your squash as you eat! 

Apple Butter

Get all the fall feels with this homemade Instant Pot Apple Butter Recipe! 

If you can’t already tell by the amount of apple recipes on the blog or through my social media, I am mildly obsessed with apples! There is nothing like biting into a honeycrisp after a workout or eating homemade chicken salad and getting a sweet apple crunch in every bite! 

So before the fall season comes to an end, it’s time to take all the apples from orchard picking or local farmer’s market visits to make a big batch of homemade apple butter! 

For this recipe, I visited Mercier Orchards in Blue Ridge, Georgia and chose a combination of Crimson Crisp and Pink Lady for this recipe. If you don’t have an orchard to visit or not sure what type of apple works well for apple butter, you want to look for something sweet, not tart like: gala, jonagold, Mcintosh, honeycrisp, fuji or evercrisp. 

If you are wanting naturally sweet apple butter, then your best option is to choose these apple options within season as they are pretty sweet on their own and pack a major flavor! But in this recipe, I have added a natural sweetener like pure maple syrup in case you would like a tad bit more sweetness. 

I love spreading my apple butter on homemade sourdough bread, cornbread muffins, waffles, pancakes, or even meats like pork chops. You can add it to your yogurt, kefir, smoothie, oatmeal - just about anything and everything! 

I’m all about efficiency so I made this recipe using an Instant Pot. But if you don’t have an Instant Pot, crockpot or stove top will do just fine! You just want to make sure that the apples cook down enough until most of the liquid has evaporated. The process of cooking past the apple sauce stage, creates the smooth jam or butter like consistency, rather than applesauce. 

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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Get all the fall feels with this homemade Instant Pot Apple Butter Recipe! 

Cook Time: 1.5-2 hrs | Prep Time: 10 min | Serving: 4 pints apple butter

Ingredients

• 4.5 - 5 lb apples, cored and diced (not peeled!)

• 1 Tbsp apple pie seasoning

• 1-2 tsp ground cinnamon

• ¼ cup pure maple syrup (depending on sweetness level)

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• ½ cup filtered water

Directions

1. In a large bowl, place sliced and cored apples, seasonings, sweetener, lemon juice, vanilla extract and water and stir until well combined. 

2. Transfer to your Instant Pot and secure the lid, seal the valve. Cook for 20 minutes on high pressure, then allow a full natural release. Remove the lid. 

3. Using an immersion blender (or transfer batches in a regular blender), blend the contents until smooth. Taste test for desired sweetness/tart level. (i.e. want more tartness, add 1 tsp increments lemon juice, sweetness - 1 Tbsp increments of sweetener, spice - 1 tsp increments seasonings). Add the contents back into Instant Pot and press Saute. Allow to cook for 30-60 minutes while stirring frequently until the apple butter has thickened and darkened to desired consistency. 

4. Press Cancel on the Instant Pot, then allow the apple butter to cool completely before transferring to large mason jars. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Freeze for up to 6 months. (Make sure you sharpie today’s date on the jar!)

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Apple Cider Churro Donuts

Apple Cider Churro Donuts - Apple cider meets churros - this healthier, baked not fried, donut is a delicious treat to bake during the fall season! Gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar free, nut-free, and paleo friendly.

Last week, we had a local event in the area where business fronts downtown Hartwell would open their doors for women to shop, receive discounts in store all while enjoying delicious fall treats! In my office building, the chiropractor made warm apple cider, chocolate hummus, and goat cheese stuffed dates with chopped pistachios. So good! 

Running on the apple cider train, I decided in my dreams that I should make some sort of apple cider donut! Haha, I swear, pressure to recipe development is where it’s at for me! As you can tell in the pictures, I have cute mini donuts sprinkled in and that is because my initial thought was to use them as a garnish for the apple cider!

Now, if you decide to use the apple cider churro donuts as a garnish for your apple cider or apple cider mimosas, then please take pictures and share - It would just be the cutest thing! 

Okay, I digress again. The reason why I added churro to the recipe name is not because these are made in the traditional sense as they are baked, not fried, but the cinnamon sugar topping! And bonus, if you decide to use a piping bag to fill in the donut pans then they create a natural churro design which is super fun and holds more cinnamon sugar topping. And who doesn’t want more of that!?

If you would like to see the kitchen equipment and ingredients I used to make this recipe, then scroll down below for the links! 

So while it is still fall season and you have apple cider and all of your fall spices, then make a batch of these apple cider churro donuts! 

I think I will make these for my niece and nephews for Thanksgiving breakfast this year :)

And hey, if you want to get super creative, here are some fun ways you can pair your donut with, if eating them on their own is not enough! Seasonal drinks like adrenal cream cider, coffee, hot cocoa, apple cider, turmeric latte, and chai tea, milk, ice cream (stop it!), dipped in nut butters, jams or the traditional churro style with chocolate sauce. 

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, pin it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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Apple Cider Churro Donuts - Apple cider meets churros - this healthier, baked not fried, donut is a delicious treat to bake during the fall season! Gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar free, nut-free, and paleo friendly.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Servings: 12 large donuts

Ingredients

Donut Batter

• 2 cups gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour

• ¾ cup arrowroot flour

• ½ cup organic applesauce

• ⅓ cup coconut sugar

• ⅓ cup avocado or coconut oil

• ⅓ cup organic apple cider or apple juice

• 2 large eggs (room temperature)

• 1 Tbsp apple pie spice seasoning

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

• ½ tsp baking soda

• ¼ tsp sea salt

• Avocado/coconut oil spray for donut pans

Churro Topping

• 3 Tbsp melted grass-fed butter, ghee, or coconut oil

• 3 Tbsp coconut sugar, maple sugar or date sugar

• 1 ½ tsp apple pie spice seasoning 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray silicone donut pans for easy removal. 

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (ie both flours, sugar, apple pie spice, baking powder and soda, and salt). Set aside. 

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, vanilla, applesauce, and apple cider/juice. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir well until fully combined. The batter should be scoopable, not pourable. 

4. You can either spoon the batter or transfer batter into a piping bag and fill into the wells of the lightly greased donut pan to make 11-12 donuts - you might need to do this in 2 batches depending on the size of your donut pan. 

5. Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until set and a toothpick, when inserted, comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cook for about 5 minutes. Once cooled, remove donuts from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely. 

6. While the donuts are cooling, make the churro topping. Melt fat of choice in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, stir the sugar and apple pie spice seasoning. Brush the cooled donuts with the fat and either sprinkle with or dip donuts in the sugar mixture. Serve right away or store at room temperature for up to 3 days. Refrigerate or freeze to keep them longer. 

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Mexican Harvest Turkey Chili

Mexican Harvest Turkey Chili - A simple to make healthy and hearty recipe that is packed with flavorful and seasonal ingredients. (gluten and dairy-free)

Okay, I know I just posted a cozy stew recipe last week but as I get older, the need for comfort fall foods (soups, stews, chili’s) has increased so sorry, not sorry! I have needs too, haha!

Just like the veggie beef stew, this chili recipe is a simple and easy way to load up on things healthy while being super affordable. 

Harvest vegetables like butternut squash, yams, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, pumpkin while adding a Mexican twist that also includes harvest ingredients like green chilies, poblano peppers, fire roasted tomatoes, beans, and corn - you are truly getting the best of both worlds!

When it comes down to flavor,  this chili recipe is a perfect balance of sweet, savory, and spicy. But if you lean more towards spicy, you can refer to the notes section at the bottom. 

Now, let’s talk about garnishes and sides! For this recipe, I used chopped cilantro, extra roasted poblano slices, pickled jalapeno slices, and avocado. Feel free to follow the same vibe or add plain greek yogurt, green onions, tortilla chips or sliced corn tortilla strips, cotija, lime juice or roasted pepitas!

Pumpkin cornbread muffins are the star side dish for this chili recipe (recipe coming this week!). In the meantime, you can most definitely use the best gluten-free skillet cornbread recipe (*cough*) add sliced jalapenos to the batter!

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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Mexican Harvest Turkey Chili - A simple to make healthy and hearty recipe that is packed with flavorful and seasonal ingredients. (gluten and dairy-free)

Prep Time: 15 min Cook Time: 45 min Total servings: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1lb ground turkey

• 3 cups total (butternut squash, yams, and/sweet potatoes) 

• peeled, seeded, cut into ½ inch cubes

• 2 cups low sodium chicken bone broth

• 1 can (4 oz) green chilies

• 1 can fire roasted tomatoes, with liquid

• 1 can northern beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 medium white onion, diced

• 1 poblano pepper

• 1 cup corn (fresh or frozen)

• 3-5 cloves garlic, minced

• ¼ cup pumpkin puree

• 1-3 Tbsp taco seasoning of choice

• 1 Tbsp tomato paste

• S+P 

Garnish: jalapeno slices, avocado, cilantro

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat.

2. Depending on if you are using butternut squash, yams and/or sweet potatoes (I did 1 ½ cup each butternut squash and yam cubes) arrange in a single layer on a prepared baking sheet. Drizzle or spray cooking oil (I like using avocado or coconut oil) over cubes, season with salt, pepper, and cinnamon (optional but so worth it!) and toss to coat. Make room on the baking sheet for the poblano pepper and bake for 20-25 minutes until veggie cubes are tender. 

3. While the veggies are roasting in the oven, heat cooking oil in a large pot over medium high heat. 

4. Add onion and garlic and cook for about 2-4 minutes until fragrant. 

5. Add in the ground turkey, salt and pepper and stir to break it up into small pieces, mixing with the sauteed onion and garlic. 

6. Once turkey is cooked through, add the fire roasted tomatoes, green chilies, tomato paste, broth, pumpkin puree, and spices and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cover the pot for 20 minutes. 

7. At this point, the roasted veggies and pepper should be done. Transfer roasted vegetables to the chili pot along with the beans and allow the poblano pepper to cool before handling. 

8. Once roasted poblano pepper is cooled (the skin should appear blackened and blistered) carefully peel away or rub off and discard the charred skins. Cut the stem off, de-seed, chop and add to the chili pot. 

9. Add the frozen corn to the pot and continue to simmer until liquid has reduced to desired “chili” consistency. At this point you will want to adjust salt and pepper to taste. 

10. Serve warm with favorite garnishes and serve with cornbread!

Notes

1| You can really play with the produce in this chili recipe! For example, choose butternut squash, yams, sweet potatoes or a combo - I just use whatever is leftover from batch cooking! Not a northern beans fan? Try pinto, garbanzo, black beans or tri-beans instead. 

2| Need more spice? Play around with pepper of choice or add a spicy taco seasoning blend, hot sauce or add jalapenos to your cornbread if adding on the side.