This season, Dole’s Healthy Halloween Initiative is showing families that Halloween doesn’t have to be about empty calories but can be a healthy time of year. Through October 31, 2021, Dole is encouraging all of us to step out of our packaged candy comfort zone and reach for its produce with fun (and sometimes spooky) Halloween recipes. The step-by-step guide for one of my favorites, a Sparkling Ghouls Halloween drink recipe, is below. Happy healthy Halloween!
Disclosure: Dole provided me with compensation for my time. As always, all opinions expressed are mine. #DoleHealthyHalloween
I read some staggering stats on the Dole Healthy Halloween Initiative website this week: during the past year compliments of a more at-home lifestyle, obesity actually rose in kiddos between the ages of 5-11. Yeah, not good.
So, to give families more choices for Halloween treats and meals, Dole has given us all some fun, spooky, and downright kooky recipes and serving suggestions to choose from. For my family, we have an annual Halloween “boo-fay” filled with quirky spins on traditional recipes.
This year, I’m adding the Sparkling Ghouls Drink recipe to the mix. With pineapple and ginger, it’s a sweet and mildly spicy (not hot!) drink with a fizzy kick. Here’s the recipe:
Sparkling Ghouls Halloween Drink Recipe from Dole
What You’ll Need
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 pieces (2 x 1-inches each) fresh ginger, sliced
- 3 cups diced DOLE® Tropical Gold® Pineapple
- 6 cups ice cubes
- 1 liter plain seltzer
- Cranberry “Blood” (recipe below)
How to Make Sparkling Ghouls
- Stir together honey, water and ginger in small saucepan. Heat mixture until honey melts without bringing it to a boil. Remove from heat and cool completely. Remember to remove the ginger before using.
- Combine pineapple and the honey-ginger syrup you just made in a food processor or blender. Cover and blend until smooth.
- Fill six tall glasses with ice cubes. Divide pineapple mixture between glasses, about 2/3 cup in each. Pour in 2/3 cup seltzer and stir. Dot some Cranberry “Blood” in several spots along inner edge of the glasses, making sure “blood” touches glass. The “blood” will swirl as it falls to the bottom of the glass!
About the Cranberry “Blood”: Choose frozen cranberry concentrate without corn syrup. In a small saucepan, simmer 1/2 cup thawed cranberry concentrate until reduced by half, about 4 or 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature. If Cranberry “Blood” is made ahead, refrigerate and then bring to room temperature before adding it to the drinks.
For more information and photos for Sparkling Ghouls, head to the official Dole Halloween Initiative recipe site.
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