Mini Pumpkin Pies

Perfect for your Halloween event or Thanksgiving table - adorable mini pumpkin pies that are delicious.

Ingredients:
12 small square wonton wrappers (often stocked with the tofu in the refrigerated section of the supermarket)
3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin
3/4 cup light/low-fat ricotta cheese
3 packets no-calorie sweetener
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Dash salt
Optional toppings: light whipped topping, additional cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray.

Place a wonton wrapper into each cup of the muffin pan. Press it into the bottom and up along the sides.

Lightly spray wrappers with nonstick spray. Bake until lightly browned, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, thoroughly mix remaining ingredients in a medium bowl.

Spoon pumpkin mixture into wonton cups, about 2 tbsp. each.
1/12th of recipe (1 mini pie): 41 calories, 0.5g total fat (0.5g sat fat), 67mg sodium, 6g carbs, 1g fiber, 1.5g sugars, 2g protein
MAKES 12 SERVINGS
Thanks to Hungry Girl for the recipe and stats.

Halloween Decor at AZ Heritage Center at Papago Park

Such a wonderful staff at AZ Heritage Center at Papago Park. Not only are they very helpful, easy to work with, and knowledgeable, they also found some great pumpkins for Halloween decorations. AND there are so many more displays upstairs!

Halloween Decor

Can you guess what is in these?

Anywhere you place them, these jars are fascinating for Halloween.
mason jars
cotton balls
plastic spiders (spider rings with the ring cut off works well)
water
glow stick

Silly Apple Bites with Googly Eyes

With Halloween coming, think about the fun making these as well as eating them! Healthy too.

Ingredients:
2 green apples, each quartered
sunflower butter
32 sunflower seeds
2-3 strawberries, sliced
1-2 homemade googly eyes per apple bite

Directions:
Cut the middles out of each quarter of the apple to create a mouth. Don't worry about perfection, you are filling this gap with sunbutter anyway so if you cut too deep, you can always just cover it up and no one will know.
Coat the inside of the cut gap with a filling of sunflower butter.
Place 4 sunflower seeds on the top of the "mouth" for the teeth.
Place 1 sliced strawberry inside the mouth for the tongue.
"Glue" each eye above the mouth with a dab of sunbutter to stick.


Homemade Googly Eyes

Ingredients:
1 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. corn syrup
2 tsp. nondairy milk
¼ tsp. almond extract (or vanilla extract)
mini chocolate chips

Directions:
Whisk together the powdered sugar and cornstarch. Add the remainder ingredients except for the chocolate chips and mix until combined. It should be a thick paste at this point.
Place into either a piping bag or Ziploc baggie and pipe dots into one row onto a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Gently top each dot with the mini chocolate chip--you don't want to wait too long to place the chocolate chip in the middle or it will set.
Repeat until all the paste is gone.
Allow the googly eyes to set for at least 24 hours on your counter.

Thanks to Forkandbeans.com for the recipe and ideas.

Halloween edible decor

Simple and healthy ways to entice the children  . . . and adults!

Spiders (black olives) on devil eggs

Skeleton from celery, cukes, carrots, jicama and parsley

Halloween Dip

Get festive with this easy layer dip. Anyone want to recreate it for Thanksgiving or Christmas? Think of the possible images you could design with black olives, green olives, pimento, chopped tomato, corn, red peppers . . .

Ingredients:

Refried beans
Sour cream
Salsa
Shredded Cheddar or Mexican cheese
Sliced black olives for eyes, nose & mouth

Directions: Layer these ingredients on the plate and surround with tortilla chips.

Tastes & Treasures cookbook has a warm Mexican Bean Dip recipe on page 181 that would work very well also. Get creative!