Healthy Halloween Treats

Halloween time brings the opportunity for lots of festive family fun. When you need a break from candy, try out some of these healthy Halloween recipes from This Healthy Table’s blogs!

Pumpkin Hummus

Ingredients:

• 2 cans drained chickpeas
• 15 ounces pumpkin, canned
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon cumin, ground
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon paprika

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add more olive oil if it is too thick.
2. To make it look like a pumpkin, make a green stem using snap peas, cucumbers, lettuce or any other green vegetable. Serve with crackers and vegetables!

Frankenstein Halloween Sandwich Wraps

Ingredients for the Wraps:

• 3 spinach wraps
• 12 slices deli oven roasted turkey
• 6 leaves romaine lettuce
• 4 tablespoons vegetable cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 cup coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper

Ingredients for the Monster Faces:

• 6 ounces Monterey jack cheese
• 6 slices of cucumber
• 6 slices of carrot
• 6 slices of black olives
• 3 slices of red bell pepper
• 6 tortilla chips
• 6 toothpicks

Instructions:

1. Combine vegetable cream cheese with mayonnaise, cheddar cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Use an electric hand mixer to whip the ingredients together or blend well with a fork.
2. Spread mixture onto spinach wraps and top with turkey and lettuce.
3. Fold into a rectangle. (Secure with toothpicks if needed.) Flip over and decorate with cheese and vegetable eyeballs, bell pepper mouth and tortilla chip hair.
4. Use a small cookie cutter or knife to make circles in the sliced cheese for the whites of the eyes. For the Frankenstein bolts, cut cheese into cubes, place on toothpicks and push one onto each side of the wrap.

Halloween Banana Popsicles

Ingredients:

• 4 large fresh bananas
• 1 cup nonfat Greek vanilla yogurt
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• Mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup creamy natural peanut butter
• 16 popsicle sticks

Instructions:

1. To make banana popsicle ghosts, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Peel two bananas and slice each in half, crosswise. Slice each half in half again the “long” way so that you have four long, narrow pieces total. Carefully insert a popsicle stick into the bottom of each, then place on the baking sheet.
2. To make banana popsicle mummies, cut the pointy tips off of the two remaining bananas, then slice the bananas crosswise into three equal round “logs.” Insert a popsicle stick into one end of each, then place on the baking sheet.
3. Freeze all banana pops for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
4. In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt and powdered sugar. Once the bananas are frozen, dip them into the yogurt mixture, then return them to the lined baking sheet. Place two mini chocolate chips on each of the ghost popsicles for eyes. Do not place the eyes on the mummies yet. Return to the freezer for at least one hour to allow the yogurt to set.
5. For the mummies, place the peanut butter in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Heat until smooth and creamy, about 30 to 45 seconds, stirring as needed. With a small spoon, drizzle on top of the banana mummies to make “bandages.” Place mini chocolate chips for eyes. Return to the freezer until the peanut butter is firm, about an additional 30 minutes.
6. When ready to serve, let the banana popsicles soften at room temperate for a few minutes.

Click here to find more healthy Halloween recipes from This Healthy Table.