Halloween Dinner: Carrots and Black Bean Dip, Black and Orange Pasta

Happy Halloween!! 

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I love pumpkin carving, I love candy, I love dressing up...it's got everything. Jamie and I had some friends over this weekend for pumpkin carving and I wanted to make a Halloweeny dinner. The black and orange pasta recipe came from Epicurious, and then I made a roasted garlic black bean dip with carrots as an hors d'oeuvres. It was yummy - the bean dip was silky and had a great depth of flavor from all of the roasted garlic, and the pasta had a great mix of flavors with the spiciness of the red pepper flakes and the sweetness of the roasted peppers and butternut squash. And, of course, it looks very cool and Halloweentastic. If you have no plans tonight (and need some fuel before braving the crowds for the village Halloween parade), whip this up and celebrate All Hallows Eve in style.

Roasted Garlic Black Bean Dip
Ingredients:
1 whole head of garlic
1 can black beans, drained
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp water (maybe more)

Rustic Hearty Fall Pasta

Jamie and I had some sausage from Faicco's for breakfast on Sunday which inspired me to make a pasta with sausage. I love using sausage with Swiss Chard or kale, so I decided to make a fall pasta with Swiss Chard, sausage, butternut squash for sweetness, and some white beans (because I had them). It was a good Sunday night dinner and we had plenty leftover. I used orecchiette because Jamie loves little pastas and it goes well with sausage.

Ingredients:
1 hot and 1 sweet sausage link (can use more if you want)
1 shallot, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch Swiss Chard, rinsed and chopped, separated into leaves and stems
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup chicken broth/stock
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper
orecchiette (or your choice of pasta)

Directions:
Line a baking sheet with foil and preheat the oven to 450. Toss butternut squash with 2 tbsp olive oil, the red peppers flakes, and plenty of salt and pepper and roast until tender (about 30-45 minutes).