A Vegan-Friendly Halloween Menu

In honor of my vegan friends (the spooky vegan and the creepy vegan, respectively) who have recently tried to get on my good side by sending me awards (fyi: it worked), I took a quick stabbity stab at an elegant vegan Halloween dinner menu.

It's time to break out the old-time homemaker manners and treat your friends to a vegan-friendly, excellently creepy meal!

These recipes are not my own and have been gathered from around the web, but I took a close look at the instructions and ingredients on all -- and I promise, there is nothing on this menu that meat eaters should scoff at and all of them are, or can easily be made, vegan.

The hardest sell for your non-vegan friends is perhaps the dessert (though you could always skip ahead to the Trick-or-Treats to satisfy your sweet-fang). Imitating a cheesecake when you can't use dairy is DANGEROUS BUSINESS, and advisable to only the bravest in-home cooks.

Click to enlarge:

the RECIPES...

APPETIZER
For the appetizer and salad eyes, I found the recipes here. Make sure to use a vegan-friendly fruit spread for the lychee eyes. The Radish eyes and New Potato eyeballs at this link can also be made vegan-friendly (potato eyes in your soup course would be good -- I just didn't want to have every food item STARING at you).

SOUP
Garlic tomato soup: http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2008/02/tomato-soup-with-roasted-garlic-and.html

For the crackers that go with the soup, try this recipe,and find a dog-bone-shaped cookie cutter. You can find them in the baking aisle at many craft stores or often in pet stores (the recommended use there being doggie treats): http://shmooedfood.blogspot.com/2007/01/vegan-goldfish-crackers.html

SALAD

Radish and Fennel salad: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2302

Make the salad as the recipe states, but keep at least two whole radishes per salad -- using the instructions from the eyeball treats site, make up radish eyes with olives to set atop the salad.

MAIN COURSE

Mmm... Pumpkin Pasta: http://testkitchenette.wordpress.com/2008/11/24/pumpkin-ravioli/; I like how bloodied it looks with the thick tomato sauce.

Side of Marinated Red pepper (preserved 'hearts' -- because, if you serve them out of a jar, they look like preserved hearts... consider labeling them as such and serving out of a glass jar?): http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/marinated_roasted_red_bell_peppers/

DESSERT

"Pustule" (i.e. Pomegranate Fake-Cheese Cake) Pie: http://www.diaryofavegan.com/2009/09/thou-shall-not-preach/; while it seems a shame to give such a beautiful dessert such a gross name, thinking about those little pomegranate seeds in relation to Halloween just made me think of blisters!

COCKTAILS
Obviously, you need to be sure you're using a vegan-friendly alcohol. I don't know if you can trust Barnivore, but I don't know why they would lie. Vegans, are their'vegan-friendly' alcohol references accurate?

ALTERNATIVE DRINK... for the little boos and ghouls
Slime Smoothie

TRICK OR TREATS (candy to hand out to the kiddies in costume)

Vegan Candy Corn: http://theurbanhousewife.blogspot.com/2007/09/homemade-vegan-candy-corn-happy.html

Poisoned (with sweetness) apples -- mmm... vegan caramel apples: http://veryveganholiday.wordpress.com/2009/10/18/vegan-caramel-apples/