You can’t read the Harry Potter book, without wanting to try a taste of pumpkin juice. I had my first taste of it when I visited The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. It is so much more than just the juice of a pumpkin, so open your mind and prepare yourself for a treat!
Photo by Kathy Hester
My version simmers whole spices, fresh ginger and vanilla bean with apple juice to infuse all those delicious fall flavors into it. Then it’s blended with soaked dried apricots, pumpkin purée, and a little nutmeg. The apricots and apple juice sweeten it so there are no added refined sugars.
You can find even more healthy recipes in my Halloween e-cookbook, The Ghoulish Gourmet: A Bewitching Collection of Vegan Halloween Recipes.
It’s perfect for a Halloween party where some guests may have some food allergies because it’s gluten-free, soy-free, egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and refined sugar-free!
Healthy Halloween Sweet: Pumpkin Juice
Recipe by Kathy Hester from The Ghoulish Gourmet: A Bewitching Collection of Vegan Halloween Recipes copyright 2016 printed with permission.
There’s more to pumpkin juice than just breaking into a haunted pumpkin patch, fending off the zombies, and juicing a pumpkin. My version simmers spices, fresh ginger, and vanilla bean – with apple juice to infuse it. Then it’s blended with soaked dried apricots, pumpkin purée, and a little nutmeg. It’s sweetened only with dried apricots.
Ingredients
- 10 dried apricots
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 cups apple juice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 7 whole allspice berries
- 2 (2-inch) pieces of thinly sliced ginger
- 1/2 vanilla bean, split (or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract)
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
Soak the apricots in the water for at least 4 hours or overnight in the fridge. Add the apple juice, cinnamon stick, allspice, ginger and vanilla bean to a saucepan. Bring almost to boil, then turn heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Take off heat and let it cool a bit.
Add the apricots and the soaking water to a blender and blend until smooth. Add the pumpkin purée and nutmeg and blend again. Strain the apple juice mixture into the blender to make sure only the liquid comes through. Blend until smooth.
Put a fine mesh strainer over a pitcher and strain the pulp so that only the thick juice drips into the pitcher. Sprinkle with ground nutmeg before serving.
