Sunday, October 18, 2009

Pumpkin Seeds- YUM!



Fall is one of my favorite times of year!  I looooove pumpkin treats and hot chocolate... add a toasty fire place and you have a winning combination!  We don't have a toasty fire place, but I have found that a space heater and a woodsy type candle works nicely ;)

I'm hoping to pull some of my favorite pumpkin treat recipes together, but since everyone is in pumpkin carving mode, I thought I'd share some ideas for toasting pumpkin seeds.  These are not only super yummy, but also really good for you- they have zinc, phytosterols (shown to lower cholesterol) and magnesium!

When you are pulling the insides out of a pumpkin, start separating the seeds from the pulp/strings and rinse the seeds.  Some people like to not rinse and leave some of the pulp on for extra pumpkin flavor.

Dry the seeds off, place individually on a lightly oiled baking sheet and season. (I like olive oil for the salty recipes)  Here are a few ideas:

  • Salt
  • Garlic, Salt, Pepper
  • Chili Powder (I looooved this- I thought maybe a squeeze of lime might be good?)
  • Sugar, Nutmeg, Cinnamon

Cooking time depends on the size of the seeds.  We had HUGE seeds come out of our pumpkin and I didn't quite cook them long enough.  I'd start with 300 Degrees for 20 minutes and then adjust from there.

What kinds of pumpkin seeds are you going to try this year?  Do you have a favorite flavor??




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