If you have cookie cutters on hand, you can whip up any number of healthy Halloween treats to scare your guests. You can make witch cookies on brooms or pumpkin-shaped tortilla chips to dip in your favorite hummus or avocado dip. Using fresh vegetables, you can create skeleton, ghost, or goblin platter arrangements making even the pickiest of eaters want to eat their greens! Thanks to Christina Powel for these spook-Ahh-elicious recipes. And I have put together a few of my favorite healthy Halloween treats that have adorned my table on All Hallows-Eve you can add to the mix. Enjoy!
Peanut Butter Pumpkins
Ingredients:
½ cup peanut butter
1 Tbsp honey
½ cup rolled oats
1 Tbsp ground flax
Peanut butter chips, for melting
Dark chocolate squares
Directions:
Melt peanut butter and honey together and stir until well-blended.
In another bowl, combine oats and flax.
Combine both mixtures until well incorporated.
Roll into balls and chill in freezer overnight.
The next day, melt peanut butter chips in a small bowl. (I used a ramekin.)
Using a toothpick, dip the frozen peanut butter balls into the melted peanut butter chips, enough to evenly coat.
Repeat with each ball before returning them to the freezer to let the peanut butter coating harden.
Once hardened, cut chocolate pieces into rectangular chunks and place on top of balls to make pumpkins.
You may have to melt the bottom of the chocolate a bit to get it to stick on top of each peanut butter ball.
Return balls to freezer/refrigerator until serving time.
Enjoy (one of my favorite healthy Halloween treats)!
Chef Note: You can substitute the honey with agave nectar if you prefer.
Chef Note: You may also use another nut butter in place of peanut butter (or a nut butter alternative if there is an allergy concern).
Chef Note: If desired, you may thin the peanut butter chips mixture with a bit of milk (or milk substitute such as almond milk).
Jack-O-Lantern Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients:
4 orange bell peppers
1 pound lean ground beef
½ Tbsp oil
½ medium yellow onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp chili powder
½ tsp cumin
1 ½ cup cooked brown rice
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans tomato sauce
2/3 Tbsp shredded sharp cheddar
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Slice the stem off of each pepper, and remove the seeds and center from the peppers.
Cut a jack-o-lantern face out of the side. 😊
Season the inside of the peppers with salt and pepper, then place in a baking dish and set aside.
Add oil to a large skillet, followed by ground beef, and cook until browned.
Add onions, garlic, chili powder, and cumin. Cook for 3 minutes more.
Add black beans and tomato sauce to the ground beef. Cook for 3 minutes, then fold in the rice.
Gently stuff the peppers, being sure to add extra so the filling is coming out of the top.
Place the stem side of the pepper on top of the stuffing, and then arrange in the baking dish.
Add ¼ cup of water to the baking dish and cover with foil.
Bake the peppers roughly 15 minutes—until they become tender but still have a slight crunch.
Remove the stem side of the pepper, sprinkle each with an even amount of cheese.
Replace the top and serve.
Enjoy!
Chef Note: You may also use ground turkey or another protein of your choice if you prefer.
Chef Note: You can substitute the brown rice with quinoa or even riced cauliflower.
Devil Eggs
Ingredients:
12 large eggs
2 Tbsp diced pimientos (plus more for garnish)
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Dash of hot sauce (I am partial to Frank’s)
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
3 large pimiento-stuffed olives, each cut crosswise into 4 thin slices
Directions:
Hard boil one dozen eggs. I have found the most foolproof method is to place the eggs into a saucepan with just enough water to cover the eggs. Turn the burner on high. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat off and place a lid on the saucepan for approximately 7 minutes. Drain the water, rinse the eggs, and peel. There are certainly alternative methods, and I will add one to the chef notes. 😉
Remove top 1/3 of hard-boiled egg white from each egg (reserve caps).
Use a teaspoon to remove yolks while keeping whites intact.
Place half of yolks in a medium bowl, and add pimientos and next 6 ingredients (through cheese), stirring until well combined.
Place yolk mixture in a large Ziploc bag and snip one corner from bottom of bag to create a hole.
Pipe yolk mixture into egg white cups, filling to just above the rim of each cup.
Place one to two olive slices on exposed yolk mixture of each egg to create an eye or pair of eyes.
Add pimiento pieces to either side of eyes for horns, if desired.
Top eggs with reserved egg white caps.
Enjoy!
Chef Note: Alternate Method to Hard Boil Eggs: Fill a large saucepan with water to a depth of 1 inch; bring to a boil. Place steamer basket in pan; place eggs in basket. Cover and steam 15 minutes. Plunge eggs into a bowl filled with ice water. Let stand 5 minutes; drain. Peel eggs.
Everything Bagel Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients:
Pumpkin seeds (from one pumpkin)
Everything Bagel Seasoning
1 egg
Directions:
Clean and pat dry seeds from one pumpkin.
Roast in 300-degree F oven just slightly (until light golden brown).
Toss toasted seeds in a bowl with one beaten egg.
Lay seeds back on baking sheet and sprinkle Everything Bagel Seasoning on top.
Roast seeds again until medium golden brown.
Enjoy these tasty Halloween treats!
What a great solution for all those leftover pumpkin seeds! Can be stored sprinkled over soups, salads or breakfast granola! Hope you have a great spooky season. If you would like more advice on how to stay healthy during the holidays you can book a 30 minute consultation with me here. As always, here's to your best health! Dr. Linda
Fun Fact:
Immigrants helped popularize the holiday in the U.S.
When the Irish fled the potato famine in their country in the 1840s, they brought their Halloween traditions with them. The tradition spread, until the mischievous Halloween pranksters reached an all-time high in the 1920s. Some believe community-based trick-or-treating became popular in the 1930s as a way to control the excessive pranksters.