A Scary Treat That Your Kids Will Eat

About author / Amy Powell

World traveler; gourmet 30 minute meals; lover of exotic ingredients; winner on FoodTV's Chefs vs City; graduate French Culinary Institute. Her recipes will tantalize your taste buds.

I have to admit that writing holiday themed articles is not exactly my forte. In particular, writing about Halloween is especially frightening to me, and not for the reason you might think.

Halloween is really a holiday for children. And more than ghouls and goblins, kids really scare me. So for the task at hand I had to look beyond my fear of munchkins and hire a consultant. Enter my mother, former 15-year veteran preschool teacher and expert on all things involving turning food into fantasy (Exhibit A: her knack for using a cookie cutter to transform grilled cheese sandwiches into Christmas ornaments!).

Now while I might be scared of kids, kids are pretty scared of most food. This is a dilemma in creating a spooky-but-not-too-frightening Halloween meal. Kids are simply more interested in foods that are otherwise bland but high in fat, sugar, or salt. Hence it is not surprising that foods like Brussels sprouts, with their tendency toward bitterness, are aversions that few ever outgrow, even into adulthood.

With so many food fears inherent to children, is it really necessary to purposely try to make food even scarier at Halloween? Take me: I really dislike spiders. I used to not be able to be in the same room as one, even if I spotted it from a mile away. It bothered me so much that it nearly cost me my appetite one time at a sushi restaurant when my friends ordered a softshell crab roll. More commonly known as a spider roll, it reminded me too much of the real thing.

So whatever you make, at first glance anyway, it shouldn’t make the children turn and run away. That being said, it is still possible to be festive but not frightening. Take the quesadilla: it doesn’t get more kid-friendly than that. A food you can eat with your hands seems to be one treat no kid will turn down.

But now for the trick. Like any good fright, it will be the surprise behind the common exterior that will get them every time. Yes, there will be cheese in the middle. But when they bite down they will also find a new home for their favorite pumpkin and studs of black beans, a real banner filling of orange and black spooky fun. The pumpkin is subtly flavored a smoky-sweet as a backdrop to the hearty beans and some melty, salty queso fresco.

Enter the grilled cheese artist, otherwise known as my mom the preschool teacher. She said, "You know what would take those quesdillas to a new level? Take those circular treats hot off the griddle and cut out eyes and a mouth so each ‘lil pumpkin gets his or her very own edible jack ‘o’ lantern right there on the Halloween dinner plate."

The best part about this meal (aside from being utterly delicious)? Unlike that bucket of candy the kids are going to wolf down later that night, these quesadillas are actually--gasp!--good for you! That pumpkin is packed with vitamins, the beans are low fat protein, fiber, and good carbs, with just a touch of cheese to bring it all together. A Halloween dinner that will make the kids come to the table and is actually good for them? Now that’s a frightening thought indeed.

Serves/Makes: 6

• 2 cans (15 ounce size) black beans
• 1 can (15 ounce size) pumpkin puree
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 12 ounces crumbled queso fresco (can substitute another white, mild, melting cheese)
• 12 soft taco sized flour tortillas
• vegetable oil