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Healthy Spooky Halloween Veggie Tray with Ranch Dip

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A quick and easy Halloween veggie tray with a creamy homemade ranch dip, arranged to look spooky with ghost-shaped bell peppers, broccoli trees, and monster-eyed cucumbers. Perfect for parties, it’s a healthy crowd-pleaser that comes together in under 20 minutes.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 bag (about 2 cups) baby carrots
  • 2 cups broccoli crowns, cut into small florets
  • 1 cup cauliflower florets
  • 2 medium bell peppers (1 orange, 1 yellow), cut into ghost shapes
  • 1 large cucumber, sliced into rounds
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes
  • 4–5 celery stalks, cut into 3-inch pieces
  • ½ cup black olives, sliced
  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (full-fat or 2%)
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Make the Ranch Dip: In a medium mixing bowl, combine 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, ¼ cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Whisk until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning. Cover and refrigerate while you prep the veggies.
  2. Wash and Prep All Veggies: Wash all vegetables thoroughly under cold water. Pat them dry with paper towels. Cut the broccoli and cauliflower into small florets. Slice the cucumber into rounds about ¼-inch thick. Cut the celery into 3-inch sticks. Leave the baby carrots whole. Slice the black olives into rounds.
  3. Create the Ghost Peppers: Slice the bell peppers horizontally into ¼-inch thick rings. Use a ghost-shaped cookie cutter to press out ghost shapes from each ring. You’ll get about 3-4 ghosts per pepper. If freehanding, draw a ghost shape with a toothpick first, then cut along the line.
  4. Assemble the Spooky Scene: Place the small bowl of ranch dip in the center of a large serving platter. Arrange the broccoli and cauliflower florets around the dip bowl to look like a haunted forest. Place them close together with florets pointing upward. Arrange the baby carrots like little bones or fingers sticking out from the forest. Place the cucumber rounds in a circle around the edge of the platter, and put two olive slices on each round to look like monster eyes. Arrange the ghost bell pe…
  5. Add Final Spooky Touches: For extra fun, use a toothpick to draw a little ghost face on a few cucumber rounds with a tiny dot of ranch dip. Sprinkle a few black sesame seeds around the tray to look like ‘dirt’ or ‘spider eggs.’ If you have edible googly eyes, stick a few on the cherry tomatoes for a silly monster look.

Notes

Dry veggies thoroughly to prevent dip from becoming watery. Make the dip a day ahead for best flavor. Keep the tray cold until serving. For a vegan version, use dairy-free yogurt and vegan mayo. For keto, skip carrots and add more cucumber, bell peppers, and celery. Leftover veggies keep for up to 3 days in the fridge; dip keeps for up to 5 days. Do not freeze the dip.

Nutrition

Keywords: Halloween veggie tray, spooky veggie tray, healthy Halloween snack, ranch dip, vegetable platter, party appetizer, kid-friendly Halloween

Find it online: https://freshforkful.com/healthy-spooky-halloween-veggie-tray-with-ranch-dip/