Collegiate Times

From top to bottom: Pumpkin Pasta Sauce with Fresh Red Pepper and Pasta, Moist Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread, Yogurt-covered Halloween Pretzels.

Pumpkin Pasta Sauce with Fresh Red Pepper and Pasta: Take the edge off that sugar buzz with a savory meal loaded with harvest staples and fewer calories than your typical Halloween fare.

You will need:

1/2 cups canned pumpkin

1/2 cup vegetable Broth

1/2 cup soy or cow milk

1 tbsp of minced garlic

2 tbsp of olive oil

1 1/2 tsp sage

1 or 2 red bell peppers, coarsely chopped

Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste

Pasta of your choice

Time: 30 minutes

Yields: Four heaping bowls of deliciousness

1. Saute garlic and red pepper in olive oil for three to four minutes. Reduce heat; add pumpkin, milk, broth and sage.

2. Simmer for ten minutes, remove from heat and serve on a bed of pasta.

3. Grate parmesan cheese over top, add salt and pepper as needed and enjoy.

Moist Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread: Compensate for a night you cannot remember with a breakfast you cannot forget. Rich and delicious, this pumpkin bread tastes better than candy and is packed with vitamin A, vitamin C and antioxidants. And it takes less time to make than it does to track down that other half of last night's pizza.

You will need:

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

2 eggs

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup water

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Several pinches of cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice or pumpkin pie spice

Yields: 12 small or six large muffins

Time: 30 minutes (10 minutes prep + 20 minutes baking time)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and coat muffin tins or cake pan with vegetable oil or cooking spray.

2. Mix wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients. Slowly fold in dry ingredients. Stir until smooth.

3. Fill muffin tins or cake pan 3/4 full and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Yogurt-covered Halloween Pretzels: Dentists and cynics alike conspire to dampen the sugarfest that defines Halloween with "healthy" alternatives. This somewhat healthy recipe probably won’t cease their tirade, but it won’t ruin your diet either.

Yields: Too many pretzels

Time: 2 1/2 hours (20 minutes prep time + 2 hours cooling time)

You will need:

2 cups vanilla yogurt

5 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 bag of miniature pretzels

Festive sprinkles

Food coloring optional

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Note: You will turn off oven before inserting pretzels — you just want some excess heat to help them harden.

2. Combine yogurt and sugar. Stir quickly until smooth. Add orange food coloring if desired.

3. Drop in a handful of pretzels at a time. Thoroughly coat.

4. Pull out with tongs or chopsticks. Set to dry on wire or metal cooling rack.

5. Cover in sprinkles.

6. Turn off the oven. Place cooling wracks of pretzels in the oven with a cookie sheet below them to collect drippings as they cool. The heat will harden the yogurt dip and prevent pretzels from becoming soggy. Leave the door ajar.

7. Remove when they are dry and enjoy.