Creepy Crawlies

• 7-8 ounces dairy-free dark chocolate
  1 package plain fried noodles (fried in olive, canola or safflower oil)
  1 Tbsp crunchy peanut butter
  
  Melt the chocolate and peanut butter together. Stir in noodles until they are covered in chocolate. Drop teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto a cookie sheet. Let stand in refrigerator for about 15 minutes or until set up.
  
  

Zombie Cupcakes

• 1 1/2 cup flour
  1 cup sugar
  1/4 tsp salt
  1 tsp baking soda
  1 Tbsp vanilla
  1/4 cup shredded coconut
  1/3 cup vegetable oil
  1 Tbsp white vinegar
  1 cup water
  1/2 cup cherry pie filling
  
  Mix flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix oil, vanilla, water and vinegar. Combine them.
  
  Line a cupcake pan with paper liners. Pour batter into the liners until they are just under half full, then spoon 2 teaspoons of pie filling into each liner. Cover the filling with more batter, leaving about a 1/2 inch at the top.
  
  Bake for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow to cool for 30 minutes, then decorate with shredded coconut. When you bite into these zombies, their fruity "brains" spill out.
  
  

Spooky Halloween Soup

• 1 orange
  3 medium onions, peeled and sliced lengthwise
  4 medium carrots
  2 Tbsp olive oil
  1/4 tsp black pepper
  1/2 tsp salt
  28 ounces peeled tomatoes with juices
  1 Tbsp tomato paste
  1 tsp brown sugar
  6 cups vegetable broth
  1 cup dried red lentils
  Fresh parsley, chopped
  
  Cut the rind off the orange into one long strip. Scrape off all of the pith (the interior white flesh) and set aside. Squeeze the juice from the orange and set aside.
  
  Pour the olive oil into a heavy pot over low heat, adding in the onions and carrots. Stir occasionally for about 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper.
  
  Add the tomatoes, brown sugar, vegetable broth, tomato paste, orange peel, juice and lentils. Bring to a boil, then simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the orange peel before serving. Adjust salt and pepper to your taste and add parsley. This soup is a beautiful fall orange with just a hint of a citrus taste.