If you dare, come to the Spooky Forest. Not only will you be greeted by malicious black spiders, you will also see them dipping in a pool of deep red blood. You’ll witness pale white ghosts lurking near gloomy trees. You will also encounter a great magic pumpkin guarded by one of the evil spiders. After you’ve wandered around the forest, take a seat and relax – Halloween meal is served.
Rice is one of the most versatile foods I know, at least in terms of creative meal displays – I’ve done dozens of rice patterns ever since my son began eating solids. I’ve prepared various types, colors and flavors of rice balls, rice hearts, rice stars, rice clouds, even rice umbrellas (this is one of my favorite rice creations). Halloween meal in the Spooky Forest was by far the most entertaining rice project I’ve ever worked on.
I’m a big advocate for the “Play with your Food” movement. Not sure if it’s actually a movement (yet), but I hope it will be. I believe children learn to appreciate food more if they’re allowed to experience it with all their senses. Of course it gets messy, but I’ll take messy, fun meals any day over boring food, which doesn’t make anyone smile. I assumed this dinner would scare my children, but actually they thought my little black spiders were so adorable they wanted to keep two of them as pets. So my children did what any child would do – played with food, but they also ate it. With a huge smile on their face.
ps. This Halloween meal was eaten with a lovely warming lentil dahl, which I would’ve loved to fit in the photo, perhaps coming elegantly out of the magical pumpkin’s mouth. But I’ll leave that for next Halloween.
- Black rice spiders
- 1 cup cooked black rice
- ¼ tsp quality salt (I use Himalayan salt)
- 1 tsp dried herbs (I used thyme and basil)
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp black sesame seeds
- a few buckwheat groats
- black bean spaghetti
- Rice ghosts
- 1 cup cooked white rice
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- ¼ tsp quality salt
- Blood sauce
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp beetroot powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp salt (not necessary if tahini is salted)
- Spooky forest
- A few broccoli florets
- A few kale leaves
- Black rice spiders: Cook rice according to instructions. Add coconut oil, salt and herbs, and mix well. Let cool.
- Cook black bean spaghetti according to instructions.
- Rice ghosts: Cook rice according to instructions, add coconut oil, lemon juice and salt and mix well. Let cool.
- Blood sauce: mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth and blood red (add more beetroot powder if necessary).
- Creating the spooky forest: wash greens and put them first on the tray/plate.
- Roll black spiders into balls and roll the balls in black sesame seeds. Add two buckwheat groats as eyes. Place spiders on the tray by adding first two cooked black bean spaghetti strips as legs underneath the black spider ball.
- Shape white rice into small ghosts and add sesame seeds as eyes. Place ghosts on the tray.
- Put blood sauce in a little bowl and place in the middle of the forest. Add blood sauce drops here and there around the forest.
- Enjoy!
- And don't forget to play with your food:)
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