Healthy Halloween Appetizers: Skeleton Crudité Platter

This season is filled with endless ways to indulge in candies and chocolates. And while it is tempting, it's not ideal for people concerned with keeping up a clean or balanced diet. Believe it or not, having a healthy Halloween doesn't have to be filled with boo-ring, bland treats. This year, serve up fruit and vegetable apps that are just as festive and fun.

Say hello to our new friend, Bones! Ironic, right? Whether you're throwing a Halloween party or just feeding a hungry crowd of trick-or-treaters, this skeleton crudité platter is a wickedly delicious and nutritious snack. We promise, your little monsters will love dipping fresh veggies into our kid-approved Creamy Ranch-Style Dip. And you'll love it even more, because it takes no time.

 Ingredients:

For the dip:

• 4 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
• 3 tablespoons nonfat buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 4 broccoli florets
• 6 baby carrots
• 2 cherry tomatoes
• 1 celery stalk, sliced into 4 pieces
• 2 snap peas
• 6 cucumber slices
• the tops of 3 lettuce leaves
• 1 olive, sliced in half lengthwise

1. Combine cream cheese and buttermilk in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until blended. Stir in remaining ingredients and place the bowl at the top of your cutting board.

2. Build the body of the skeleton by using cucumbers as the spine, peppers as the ribs, celery as the shoulder blade and legs, mushrooms as the pelvis, broccoli florets as hands and feet, and so on. You can copy exactly what is seen in the picture below, or you can channel your imagination to create a totally different look—after all, nothing is set in stone. (To make this Halloween treat even faster, cut and store your vegetables in the fridge two days in advance.)

3. Add a finishing touch: Stick the tops of 3 lettuce leaves at the edge of the bowl for his hair, place two olive halves in the middle as eyes, and a sprig to create a mouth.

Keep Reading:

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• Halloween Appetizers
• Spooky, Sweet Halloween Treats