Pumpkin Seeds! Finally!

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, October 26th, 2011

All year long I wait until I can scoop out a pumpkin and roast the seeds! I started doing it about 5 years ago as an experiment and every year I think I get a little better… and a little more adventurous.

I absolutly love Halloween and greatly look forward to carving jack-o-lanterns every year. My boyfriend and I now have a tradition. We pick out pumpkins together and then sit at home and watch cheesy horror movies while we give our gourds faces. And my favorite part of the routine is roasting the seeds afterwards.

I’ll admit, I used to be a bit daunted by the task of roasting the seeds, but it turns out- it’s surprisingly easy! And not only are pumpkin seeds a tasty snack, they are also rich in healthful minerals, proteins and vitamins!  They contain a compound called Phytosterols which are believed to reduce blood levels of cholesterol, enhance the immune response and decrease risk of certain cancers.

So, the most difficult and time consumuing part is actually picking out all the seeds from the mess of pumpkin innards that you scoop out.  And after sifting through the guts, trying to pick out all the smaller pumpkin bits is even more annoying, but worth it, I promise. It’s ok if a few bits of pumpkin are left in there- it only gives them more flavor!

So, here’s what I like to do with my seeds:

After picking out the guts and preheating my oven to 350 degrees, I dump my seeds into a bowl with about a tablespoon of olive oil (depending on how many seeds you have.) Then it’s time to get creative. Every year I try to do something a little different. This year I sprinkled them with salt and pepper, garlic powder, a pinch of red pepper flakes and- something different- curry powder!

After combining everything in your bowl and mixing, dump your seeds onto a baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes. I usually take them out once about halfway through and stir so they don’t burn.

That’s all there is too it! My seeds came out crispy and flavorful and I can go through an entire batch in one sitting if I’m not careful. The curry powder was a nice touch- not too strong, it just gave the seeds a little extra boost of warm, spicy flavor!

I’ll admit, I did try another flavor that didn’t exactly pan out the way I wanted it to. This year I tried to make a sweet pumpkin seed with brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Sounds good, right?

Turns out working with sugar is a little different than working with savory ingredients. I combined my olive oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of salt in a bowl and then baked them using the same guidelines above; I did not, however, account for the sugar.

What could have been a really tasty, sweet snack, turned into a burned and sticky mess. Perhaps if I try this route again then low and slow might be the way to go. Lower oven temperatures for a longer amount of time? Oh well. I’ll probably eat them anyway because, aside from the burnt taste, they’re still pretty good.

What sort of flavors would you like to add to your pumpkins seeds?? After all, I need some ideas for next year!

– Jennie Whistler

 

 

 

Tags: carving pumpkins, curry, fall activities, fall favorites, food, Gut Check, healthy snacks, jack o lanterns, Jennie, Northern Virginia Magazine, NoVA, nova mag, nutrition, olive oil, pepper, pumpkin seeds, pumpkins, recipes, roasted pumpkin seeds, snacks