Let's face it, Halloween is not the best time to try to reduce your processed sugar intake. Of course, everyone's allowed to splurge now and again, but, if you're trying to have spooky, creepy fun and stick to healthy food choices, there are a lot of disturbingly accurate vegetable emulations of body parts and bugs that you can serve to your friends and family this Halloween.

My absolute favorite all-time Halloween veggie spread is a Creepy Crudites spread from Fork and Beans. She serves a fine selection of brains, eyeballs, fingers and tombstones--all vegan and sugar-free--to her Halloween guests. The brains are really cauliflower, the eyeballs are actually cucumbers, the fingers are carrots and tombstones are cut out of totillas and then baked into chips.

Another favorite is the disgusting, yet healthy, Pumpkin Puking Guacamole from Laura Moncur. How cool, and nasty, is that? You can use your own guacamole recipe. Here's my favorite: Loaded Guacamole. You can also do a lot of other fun (and a few creepy) things with pumpkins.

I've collected a few other healthy Halloween recipes on Pinterest. There are so many, I could probably never make them all, but here are a few highlights: 

• Baby Carrot Jack-o-Lantern
• Deviled Eyeballs
• Tombstone Taco Dip (tombstone chips set in a taco dip graveyard)
• Veggie Skeleton
• Witch Brooms

Halloween isn't quite in full swing yet, and so far I've only made the Deviled Eyeballs--they really are creepy to pop in your mouth! I adapted the recipe a bit to suit our tastes. You could also use your favorite Deviled Eggs recipe, just with the eyeball toppings.

Deviled Eyeballs

image: Kristi Arnold

Ingredients

8 hard-boiled (or baked) eggs*

1 cup guacamole, pureed

2 Tablespoons lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Sliced olives

Paprika and mayonnaise (mixed in a squeeze bottle to create bloodshot eyes)

Method

Peel eggs; cut in half lengthwise. Remove yolks to a bowl. Arrange the whites on serving platter. Add guacamole and lime juice; mash until smooth, mixing well. Stir in seasoning. Fill egg white halves with a heaping tablespoon of mixture.

To make eyes: Create bloodshot on eyeballs by squirting squiggly lines on the irises with the paprika-colored mayo. Top with sliced black olives.

*I baked mine this time and oh my goodness it was so much easier than boiling. And the eggs were somehow creamier in texture.

If you're going green in other ways this Halloween, not just for your health, try these 13 Tips for a Green Halloween.

Keep in touch with Kristi on Twitter @VeggieConverter and Pinterest

Image: gamene