Roasted Pumpkin Seeds – Two Ways

It’s that gorgeous time of year again! Crisp mornings have arrived and the trees are turning beautiful colors. The view in our backyard is gorgeous. The leaves are turning and some of them are just beginning to fall to the ground.

People are finding themselves in the mood to drink pumpkin lattes, bake pies, and decorate for the season. A couple of weeks ago we visited our favorite local farm, Carver Farms, and picked pumpkins, cornstalks, and all kinds of gourds and neat things to decorate the house with.

They also had half of a field full of blooming Gladiolas.

This last weekend, my son’s girlfriend and I carved seven pumpkins. Yep, seven, between the two of us. I love to decorate for the holidays and you certainly know I love to cook and bake for the holidays, but I have to admit, I have no need or desire left in me to carve another pumpkin…well, until next year. By then I’m sure we will have forgotten how sore our hands were and how my son’s girlfriend could barely move her arm the next day and how my weird ball throwing/dog injury elbow issue cropped up again. Now I guess I can call it pumpkin elbow.

Here’s our handy work after carving for a couple of hours on Friday night and several hours on Saturday.

If you also like to decorate for the season and end up carving a field of pumpkins, whatever you do, don’t throw away the seeds! I know, I know, after carving a bazillion pumpkins the last thing you want to do is dig through that pile of guts for all the seeds. This is when another family member or friend (or husband or son who doesn’t want to help carve pumpkins) comes in handy. Put someone else, besides yourself, in charge of digging out the seeds and rinsing them. It will all be worth it in the end, I promise.

In case you didn’t already know, pumpkin seeds are very good for you. Did you know that they are beneficial to prostate health? (Another good reason to make the men in your house fish out the seeds and rinse them for you…they do benefit from them too, after all.) According to TheWorldsHealthiestFoods. org, the carotenoids found in pumpkin seeds and the omega-3 fats found in the seeds are being studied for their potential prostate benefits. Men with higher amounts of carotenoids in their diet have less risk for benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). They are also high in Zinc which is great for bone mineral density. It was once thought that mainly post-menopausal women were at risk for Osteoporosis, but now they are finding that almost 30% of hip fractures occur in men.

Pumpkin seeds are also being tested for their anti-inflammatory benefits for arthritis. In animal studies, the addition of pumpkin seeds to the diet were comparable to the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs without the side effects that those types of drugs often cause. Who wouldn’t rather eat pumpkin seeds than take drugs with side effects? Pumpkin seeds are also a fantastic source of minerals, protein, and monounsaturated fat. They can also help lower cholesterol, enhance the immune system, and decrease the risk of certain cancers.

 

Now that you’ve boned up on all of the healthy reasons for someone other than yourself to dig through the pile of guts and retrieve the healthy, delicious, pumpkin seeds…you also need to know that they taste great. Quite addictive actually. And you can season them and spice them up any way you choose.

To make the very tasty and good for you pumpkin seeds, follow the directions below.

Rinse the pumpkin seeds well. Spread out on paper towels and allow to completely dry. I left mine to dry for two days, but only because I didn’t have time to get to them. I’m sure they would be plenty dry if you just left them overnight.

Once the seeds are completely dry, spread them in half.

For Sweet & Spicy Pumpkin Seeds:

1/2 of your seeds

about 1/2 Tablespoon of olive oil

a generous amount of cayenne pepper

a generous amount of  chili powder

a generous amount of chipotle chili powder

a generous amount of ground sea salt

about 1 1/2 Tablespoons of sugar

When I say generous amount, what I mean is, add as much as you think you might like and then multiply it by two. It sounds like a lot, but it’s not. Toss all of the ingredients together with a wooden spoon until they are completely combined and all of the seeds are coated. Spread the seeds out on the parchment lined baking sheet and roast for about 25 minutes or until the seeds are lightly browned and crisp, tossing a couple of times in between with a spatula.

For Garlic & Sea Salt Roasted Pumpkin Seeds:

1/2 of your seeds

about 1/2 Tablespoon of olive oil

about 1 heaping teaspoon of minced garlic, preferably the kind in the jar

a generous amount of ground sea salt

Again, when I say generous amount, what I mean is, add as much as you think you might like and then multiply it by two. It sounds like a lot, but it’s not. Toss all of the ingredients together with a wooden spoon until they are completely combined and all of the seeds are coated. Spread the seeds out on the parchment lined baking sheet and roast for about 25 minutes or until the seeds are lightly browned and crisp, tossing a couple of times in between with a spatula.