Living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) shouldn’t mean having to miss out on holiday fun. Here, renal dietitians from DaVita Kidney Care share some recipes for tasty Halloween treats that everyone can enjoy.*

Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake

Diabetes, Dialysis, Non-Dialysis, Vegetarian

Makes 8 servings 

Ingredients:

• 1 Nabisco® ‘Nilla® wafer crumb 9″ pie crust
• 1 egg white
• 16 oz. cream cheese
• 1/2 C granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 C liquid egg substitute
• 1/2 C pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 8 Tbsp frozen dessert topping

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 375º F.  
• Brush pie crust with egg white and bake for 5 minutes, then reduce oven heat to 350º F.
• Beat softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla together in a large bowl until smooth. 
• Stir in egg substitute. Add pumpkin purée and spice. Blend until smooth. 
• Pour pumpkin mixture into pie shell and bake for 40 to 50 minutes until center sets.  
• Allow pie to cool, then refrigerate. 
• Cut and serve with or without dessert topping.

Apple Bars

Dialysis, Lower Protein, Non-Dialysis, Vegetarian

Makes 18 bars of 3” x 3” 

Ingredients:

• 2 medium apples
• 3/4 C unsalted butter
• 1 C granulated sugar or sugar substitute
• 1 C sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 C all-purpose flour
• 1/2 C brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp milk or milk substitute
• 1 C powdered sugar or sugar substitute

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350° F.
• Peel and chop the apples.
• Cream together 1/2 cup of the butter and the granulated sugar or sugar substitute.
• Stir in the sour cream, vanilla, baking soda, salt, and flour, then mix in chopped apples.
• Pour the batter into a greased 9” x 13” baking pan.
• In a small bowl, crumble 2 Tbsp of softened butter, the brown sugar, and the cinnamon together. Sprinkle over top of the batter.
• Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool completely.
• To make optional icing, combine 2 Tbsp melted butter, milk or milk substitute, and powdered sugar. Drizzle over top and cut dessert into 18 bars. 

Sugar and Spice Popcorn

Diabetes, Dialysis, Gluten-Free, Lower Protein, Non-Dialysis 

Makes 4 servings of 2 cups each

Ingredients:

• 8 C air-popped popcorn or 1 bag no-salt microwave popcorn, popped (contains more fat)
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Instructions:

• Heat butter, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a pan on the stove until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Alternatively, microwave the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl. Be careful not to burn the butter.
• Drizzle spiced butter mixture over popped popcorn, and mix well.
• Serve immediately for best results.

See the full article for more recipes.

*DaVita Kidney Care. (n.d.) 16 Tasty Halloween Recipes for a Kidney-Friendly Diet. Retrieved from https://www.davita.com/diet-nutrition/recipe-collections/16-tasty-halloween-recipes-for-a-kidney-friendly-diet#:~

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