Do you carve pumpkins this time of year? Use those awesome seeds to make a quick delicious and healthy snack.
Love to Carve Pumpkins?
My kids love to carve pumpkins every year and with seven kids there are lots of leftover innards and seeds. Our backyard chickens eat all the gloppy stuff and we eat all the seeds!
I have gathered a few different recipes over the years and we like each one of them in their own way. Try a new one this year and see if you like it.
Health Benefits
These pumpkin seeds that are straight out of a pumpkin are considered pumpkin seeds with the shell on. The little green pumpkin seeds are inside that white shell. Both are great but eating these ones with the shell, increases the fiber by over double the amount!
Pumpkin seeds are also full of good healthy protein with 10-15 grams in a 1/3 cup of seeds. The goodness doesn’t stop there. They are also full of magnesium and potassium.
Let them dry
Some people boil their seeds first. I haven’t found that the extra effort makes a huge difference for us, so I just rinse mine off as best I can and then lay them out to dry. I like to lay them out in a mostly single layer on a tray or on a towel and leave them to dry overnight.
Once the seeds are completely dry, then I move forward with the recipe. If they aren’t completely dry first, the oil and seasonings don’t stick as well.
Pumpkin Seed Recipes
I have listed here three different recipes – two salty and one sweet! I hope you find a new one you love in the bunch!
Seasoned Salt Seeds
2 cups pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon seasoned salt (or plain salt is great too)
Sweet Spiced Seeds
2 cups pumpkin seeds
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
Garlic Paprika Seeds
2 cups pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¾ teaspoon garlic powder
¾ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon pepper
Remove seeds from inside of a pumpkin. Rinse the seeds well. It is easiest in a colander or bowl filled with water. You may still have little strands of the pumpkin innards here and there – that’s ok!
Lay out the rinsed seeds in a single layer and let dry completely. (If they are a little moist, its ok.) Once dry, place the seeds in a bowl. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Following desired recipe – add the other ingredients into the bowl and stir to coat the seeds well. Place the covered seeds onto a large baking sheet. Place the sheet in the oven.
Bake for 10-15 minutes. Stir every five minutes and watch closely towards the end. Once they are crisped to your desired level, remove from the oven and let cool. Enjoy!
Recipe Source: Feastingathome.com and JessicaGavin.com