HOUSTON – Bring the fun spirit of the Halloween season into your kitchen in a healthier way.
There are freakishly better-for-you recipes you’ll feel good about serving to your family.
From a homemade alternative of sour patch kids that uses fruit to a tasty seasonal salad, Registered Dietitian Mia Syn shares with Houston Life 3 healthy Halloween recipes that will be hard to resist.
Syn is a nationally recognized nutrition expert and founder of Nutrition By Mia, a popular online wellness destination.
Her first cookbook “Mostly Plant-Based” will be out December 13 and is now available now for pre-order on Amazon, BarnesandNoble.com, and wherever books are sold.
The book is a guide to stocking a plant-forward kitchen with easy-to-prepare recipes that call for no more than 10 accessible ingredients and will help turn even the pickiest eaters into veggie lovers.
To grab your copy and to connect with Syn, click here.
To see Syn’s complete interview, watch the vide above.
For the complete Halloween recipes, keep reading below.
3-INGREDIENT “SOUR PATCH” GRAPES
Serves: 3-4
Prep time: 5 minutes (plus 2-3 hours to freeze grapes)
Ingredients:
• 3 cups grapes
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 cup freeze-dried fruit such as apples, strawberries, or oranges, crushed up
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, toss the grapes and lime juice.
2. Place the freeze-dried fruit in separate small bowls and roll grapes to coat.
3. Place grapes on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and freeze for 2-3 hours.
LOW-CALORIE GHOST MERINGUES
Serves: 6
Prep time: 10 minutes (plus 2 hours to set)
Cook time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
• 3 egg whites
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
Chocolate icing:
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 200 F.
2. Place the egg whites and maple syrup in a bowl and beat using a hand mixer at medium speed until stiff peaks form.
3. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag and pipe onto a lined baking sheet, about 1 tablespoon each.
4. Bake for 2 hours and allow them to cool and set for another 2 hours before adding the mini dark chocolate chip eyeballs.
5. Place icing ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag and use to draw on eyes and a mouth on meringues.
HALLOWEEN HARVEST SALAD
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
• 5 cups of butter lettuce, chopped
• 1 medium orange bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
• ½ cup black grapes
• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• ¼ cup pepitas
Applesauce Vinaigrette
• ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450 F.
2. Cut sweet potatoes into long thin strips and place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, flip and bake for another 10 minutes or until cooked through. Allow cooling before cutting into pumpkin shapes with a cookie cutter.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients
4. Place salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss with the dressing to coat.
Recipes provided by Mia Syn.