HALLOWEEN VEGETABLE TRAYS IDEAS RECIPES

Steps:

• Place a small, shallow bowl at the top of a large platter or rimmed baking sheet. Construct a skeleton with vegetables as follows: Use sugar snap peas to create arms, placing tomatoes at elbow and shoulder joints. Add broccoli florets to the ends for hands. Make ribs with yellow and red bell peppers and use celery for the spine. Construct a pelvis with cucumber slices, then fill in the rest of the tray with any extra vegetables. Stack the vegetables as needed to fit on the tray. Fill the bowl with ranch dressing. Arrange lettuce leaves around the outside of the dressing for hair and place olives on the dressing for eyes.

Steps:

• For the herb dip: Combine the spinach, parsley, scallions, dill, lemon juice and olive oil in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the sour cream, cream cheese, 1 teaspoon salt and a generous amount of black pepper. Process to make a smooth dip. Transfer to a serving bowl and refrigerate while you make the veggie witch, or refrigerate up to 1 day.
• For the vegetable witch: Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and prepare an ice bath. Add the asparagus to the boiling water and simmer until bright green, about 2 minutes. Transfer to the ice bath to cool. Remove with a slotted spoon and pat dry. Add the green beans to the boiling water and simmer until bright green, about 2 minutes. Transfer to the ice bath to cool. Remove with a slotted spoon and pat dry. 
• Set a large cutting board or platter on the counter with the short side closest to you. Arrange the broccoli florets in an inverted triangle on the lower half of the cutting board to make the witch’s face. Add the radish slices for eyes and top with the cherry tomato slices for eyeballs. Add a spinach leaf right above each eye for eyebrows. Cut a 2-inch length from the pointy end of the carrot for the nose then cut a thin slice from the remaining piece of carrot on the bias for the mouth and arrange both pieces on the face. 
• Arrange the green beans, pointy side down, on each side of the face for hair. Arrange the longest asparagus spears in a triangle shape at the top of the face for the witch’s hat. Trim the remaining spears and arrange on the top left of the hat to make a crooked point for the hat. 
• Gather the microgreens or arugula at the top of the face for bangs. Arrange the cucumber slices horizontally over top to make the brim of the hat so the bangs stick out. Cut a thin lengthwise slice from the carrot and trim to make a band for the hat. Set the baby bell pepper slice in the middle to make a buckle. 
• Arrange the rainbow baby carrots, celery and cauliflower around the witch to fill in the platter. Serve with the dip.