Healthy Halloween Recipes

Here we take the elements of a vegetarian lasagna filling--ricotta, spinach and Parmesan cheese--and nestle them into roasted portobello mushroom caps. The recipe works best with very large portobello caps; if you can only find smaller ones, buy one or two extra and divide the filling among all the caps. Serve with a tossed salad and a whole-wheat dinner roll or spaghetti tossed with marinara sauce.

Everything bagel spices give these roasted pumpkin seeds an extra hit of flavor that's delicious any time of day.

Very finely chopping onion, mushrooms and carrots in the food processor is not only fast--it makes the vegetables hard to detect for picky eaters. They also form the base for the sauce of this ground beef skillet supper. Make it a meal: Serve with a green salad.

Traditional pulled pork is barbecued, which gives it a smoky flavor. But the slow cooker happens to be the absolute easiest way to cook pulled pork--and you can get a hint of smoke by adding chipotle chile. Serve the pulled pork with potato salad, collard greens and grits. Or make it into a sandwich and serve it on a bun with coleslaw.

In this vibrant, healthy carrot-orange juice recipe, we jazz up plain orange juice by adding a yellow tomato, apple and carrots to pack in immune-boosting vitamins A and C. No juicer? No problem. See the juicing variation below to make this carrot-orange juice recipe in a blender.

This creamy sweet potato pie recipe is seasoned like a pumpkin pie with plenty of cinnamon and nutmeg and gets nice ginger flavor from the gingersnap crust. For the best results, roast sweet potatoes in the oven; in a pinch, microwave them instead.

Salt-and-vinegar seasoning isn't just for chips. These roasted pumpkin seeds tossed with salt and vinegar are a briny, crunchy treat. Soaking the seeds in vinegar ensures that the deep vinegary flavor remains after baking.

Shredded apple replaces some of the oil and keeps the cake moist in these cinnamon-spiked cupcakes. There is a generous amount of fluffy marshmallow frosting to mound or pipe on top for a festive look. Be sure to frost them right after you make the frosting--it stiffens as it stands and becomes more difficult to spread.

With all that delicious fruit an apple pie should be healthy, but the truth is a slice can have as much as 750 calories and 30 grams of fat. For the most part, the culprit is the crust. We use whole-wheat pastry flour to add fiber and lower the saturated fat by replacing some of the butter with canola oil. The brown sugar-sweetened filling in this pie is made with two kinds of apples for the perfect balance. A slice has half the calories of a typical version and only 10 grams of fat--sweet!

Here's a simple recipe for low-fat vanilla ice cream. Our version has all the richness you'll need but about 90 fewer calories than store-bought premium ice cream and a whopping 15 grams less total fat and 10 grams less saturated fat per serving.

This silky-smooth butternut soup gets a hit of spice from chipotle, cloves and cumin. Adapted from Chef Jesús González, Chef of La Cocina Que Canta at Rancho La Puerta.

You'll have no problem getting your kids to eat their veggies when you present them in this fun way! Crudités make up the body of a skeleton for an easy Halloween party snack everyone will love.

Canned pumpkin puree and whole-wheat flour come together in this healthy homemade pumpkin bread. The canned pumpkin helps keep the bread moist and tender. If you like the flavor of pumpkin pie spice, feel free to add a pinch or two to season the bread.

Currants add a surprising touch of sweetness to this simple sauté of chickpeas, spinach, squash and gnocchi. We prefer the texture of shelf-stable gnocchi, but if sodium is an issue for you, opt for frozen instead. Serve with a glass of chardonnay.

This striking red and black margarita is the perfect Halloween party cocktail. Hibiscus tea and pomegranate juice give the citrusy cocktail its red color, and rimming the glass with black lava salt makes it just a little creepy. Use regular kosher salt in place of the black lava salt (or skip the salt altogether) for a cocktail that works any time of year. We love the tartness of this margarita, but feel free to add a little agave nectar if you prefer a sweeter cocktail.

If you're ready for a change from standard pumpkin pie, try this pumpkin torte recipe with a deep chocolate flavor. Pureed pumpkin helps make the dessert incredibly moist and dense. The topping is whipped cream with a touch of vanilla and sugar and a bit of pureed pumpkin folded in.

Brew up a batch of warm apple cider with ease in this no-sugar-added drink recipe. The hot toddy stays warm and party-ready in your crock pot all night long.

Apples add just a hint of sweetness to this velvety pumpkin soup. Try it as a delightful first course for a special meal.

A natural, cloudy apple cider is delicious for this exotically spicy and aromatic winter warmer, but if you desire a sparkling-clear drink, apple juice can be substituted. Calvados, which is a French apple brandy, adds richness. If you wish to omit it, just add more cider or juice.

This cake was inspired by the one of the most popular Jamaican desserts, sweet potato pudding. Traditionally, raw shredded sweet potatoes are used, but we found that sweet potatoes sold in the U.S. don't provide the same texture as those in Jamaica. Instead, we mix mashed sweet potato with eggs and flour to get a slightly different, but equally delicious, cheesecake-like result.

These doughnut-shaped cakes are flavored with apple cider and glazed with maple syrup. If you do not have a mini Bundt pan, you can use a regular Bundt pan and make a coffee cake; bake it in a 375°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

This gorgeous sparkling grapefruit cocktail recipe combines gin, Campari, fresh grapefruit juice and seltzer. The touch of Campari enhances its beautiful red color, but if you prefer a less bitter drink, omit it.

These crispy chicken “wings,” made with boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders, stay crispy with only a light coating of oil--no deep-frying needed. Serve as an appetizer or try them for dinner with crunchy vegetables and dip on the side.

Our stuffed shells are filled with spinach, sautéed onions and part-skim ricotta and topped with prepared marinara sauce and Parmesan cheese. The shells hold and reheat well, which makes them great for entertaining.