Making Halloween Healthier: Classic Recipes with a Twist

Halloween is only a couple of weeks away, but some of us are already feeling the spirit of the season (no pun intended)! Halloween is traditionally celebrated by dressing up in spooky costumes and children going trick or treating. Aside from these activities, families like to celebrate by indulging in baked goods prepared at home. The foods consumed on this holiday however are unhealthy – sugary, calorie-packed baked goods and dishes that generally lack adequate nutrition. But don’t sweat, a lot of your favorite Halloween treats can easily be made healthier by substituting some key ingredients for healthy ones, without changing the taste. Here are a few Halloween recipes we have compiled for you that put a healthy twist on some Halloween dishes:

Gluten-Free Buckwheat Brownies

Brownies are the classic dessert that is perfect for any occasion, especially Halloween. This recipe for brownies uses gluten-free Buckwheat Flour which is rich in fiber and nutrients. These brownies are easy to prepare, try them at home!

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Buckwheat Flour
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1½ cup low-fat chocolate chips 
• 1 cup melted butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup coconut sugar

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F and prepare a 8*8 pan by lining it with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, stir together the buckwheat flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, and salt.
• In a medium saucepan, add the melted butter and 1 cup of chocolate chips together and set aside to cool
• In a medium-size bowl, whisk the eggs and coconut sugar together and add in the melted butter and chocolate.
• Combine the dry ingredients with wet ingredients and stir until no dry clumps remain.  Stir in the remaining ½ cup of chocolate chips.
• Pour the brownie batter onto the prepared pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the middle is set and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes and serve fresh!

Spooky Veggie & Lentil-Stuffed Bell Peppers

These bell peppers are healthy, packed with protein and spooky enough to get your kids to have them! The lentils provide protein and fiber, and the bell peppers are crunchy, adding to the texture. These bell peppers are one of the easiest Halloween recipes you can make!

Ingredients:

• 4 bell peppers
• ⅓ cup chopped zucchini
• ¼ cup chopped broccoli
• ¼ cup chopped tomatoes
• ¼ cup Masoor Dal
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ diced onion
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp oregano
• ½ tsp basil

Instructions:

• Cut the tops off the bell peppers and save them for decoration.
• Carve Jack o’Lantern faces on the bell peppers.
• Pressure cook the masoor dal for 15-20 minutes and set aside to cool.
• In a pan, heat some oil and saute the chopped garlic, onions, tomatoes, zucchini, and broccoli for 5 minutes. Add the garlic powder, oregano, and basil for flavor.
• Add the lentils to the mixture and let the flavors get absorbed. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside to cool.
• Fill the cut bell peppers about 3/4th of the way with the veggie-lentil mixture. Cover with the top part of the pepper. Serve fresh!

Candy Corn Fruit Parfaits

Candy corn is a classic Halloween candy, however, it is filled with artificial sugar and flavoring and is unhealthy. This recipe replicates the look of the colorful candy with much more nutritious and delicious ingredients. Your kids will love it!

Ingredients:

• Pineapple chunks
• Orange slices, chopped
• Vegan whipped cream
• 1 candy corn (for garnish)
• Cinnamon powder (optional)

Instructions:

• In a mug or mason jar, layer the ingredients to replicate the colors of candy corn: pineapple chunks in the bottom, orange slices in the middle and topped with whipped cream.
• Sprinkle cinnamon powder on the whipped cream for some added flavor and top with candy corn. Serve it immediately!

Halloween Roasted Veggies

This recipe for colorful roasted veggies is the easiest way to get your kids to eat their veggies in the spirit of Halloween. All you have to do is cut them up in Halloween shapes such as spooky pumpkins, ghosts, and witches’ hats and your kids will gobble up these delicious treats!

Ingredients:

• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 2 large white potatoes
• 4 carrots, peeled
• 3 red beets, peeled
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp rosemary
• ½ tsp crushed Cumin
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Instructions:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut the sweet potatoes and white potatoes in half, width wise, then drop into the boiling water. Boil for 5 minutes, then remove them. Drop the whole beets and carrots into the boiling water and cook for 5 minutes.
• Cut the potatoes into ½ inch thick slabs. With a small pairing knife, cut jack-o-lantern shapes into the sweet potatoes. Do the same for the white potatoes, cutting them into ghost shapes. Cut beets into ½ inch thick slabs, then cut out witch hat shapes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 F. Set veggies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, crushed cumin, and rosemary leaves, and toss to evenly coat. Crush garlic cloves with the flat part of your knife and scatter around the pan. Bake for 1 hour, flipping the vegetables halfway through. When you have 10 minutes left, drizzle balsamic over the beets and honey over the carrots, then return to the oven. Serve fresh!

Halloween is an annually celebrated tradition in the United States that is enjoyed immensely by kids and adults alike. While the holiday is typically marked by sweets, candy and other sugary treats, these healthy recipes are an easy way to celebrate the spirit of the holiday without compromising on flavor. Your kids will enjoy these Halloween recipes while also getting nutrition. Try these Halloween snack ideas at home!