Halloween hand pies a savory solution for your holiday party

Dressing up and dashing around the neighborhood takes a lot of energy, so why not start out on the right foot by putting something solid in your stomach?

"I'm helping Sunset Magazine to spread the word on how to create easy, yet delicious meals on the go for Halloween," Chef Dzung Lewis said.

Lewis whipped up spinach ricotta jack-o-lanterns and chicken curry moon pies for your fright-night festivities.

"The great thing is you make these two days in advance," Lewis said.

Using store-bought pie crust and a 4-to-5 inch pumpkin cutter, found at places like Target or Michael's, cut out your lanterns, then pop them in the freezer to make them easy to carve when the time comes.

Halloween is a day full of sugar for adults and kids, so these pies are filled with lots of protein and veggies with a nice savory spice for everyone to enjoy.

The filling is a quick assembly of spinach, ricotta and nutmeg. Place a dollop on one half, top with the face, crimp with a fork, then use a natural food coloring egg wash to provide that orange hue.

For the chicken curry moon pies, Lewis said the filling is rotisserie chicken, curry seasoning, sautéed onions and coconut milk.

She puts the curry on one side of a circle, folds in half, then crimps or folds the edges over.

"This helps to create a very nice seal, and also creates a nice texture," Lewis said.

Here are the recipes, listed as number 5 and number 16 for Sunset's Jack-O-Lanterns and Moon Pies.