| Pumpkin seeds are one of the most nutritious, and | | | | (eliminate oil or egg white), brown sugar, honey, |
| delicious, snacks you can give your kids. Since the | | | | nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon sugar or raw |
| seeds are not nut products and are not foods that | | | | sugar |
| usually trigger allergies, they are safe to bring to | | | | Spicy: Add your favorite of the following: Cayenne |
| school. In fact, pumpkin seeds, also known as | | | | pepper, black pepper, hot sauce, ancho chili powder, |
| pepitas, have great health benefits: from helping with | | | | crushed red chilli peppers, hot chilli powder |
| digestion to preventing urinary tract infection to | | | | Savoury: Italian seasonings, garlic powder, onion |
| improving brain function and learning disabilities. So | | | | powder, Worcestershire sauce, cheese flavour (you |
| next time you carve a pumpkin for Halloween, or | | | | can use popcorn seasonings), sea salt, soy sauce, |
| make a pumpkin pie, do not throw out those seeds. | | | | cumin, herb blends |
| (If you eat them with shells on - use small to medium | | | | Blends: Shake on some of the seasoning blends from |
| pumpkins). Try some of these best pumpkin seed | | | | your cupboard, like Cajun, Bar-b-q, Mexican, Tex-Mex, |
| recipes for snacks that pack a powerful punch. | | | | curry or Greek. |
| First you need to prepare the seeds. Have a large | | | | Combinations: Why not go sweet and spicy? Add a |
| bowl full of water to put the seeds in as you take | | | | little raw sugar with some salt and crushed red |
| them out of the pumpkins. The pulp will sink to the | | | | pepper flakes or soy sauce, honey, garlic powder and |
| bottom of the water and your seeds will be clean. | | | | sea salt. A good asian savory combination is |
| Remove the seeds and lay them out on paper | | | | Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, sea salt and |
| towels or clean kitchen towels to dry (usually | | | | seasoning salt. The possibilities are endless. You will |
| overnight). | | | | need several teaspoons of spice mix for every 3 |
| You will want to roast the seeds at a low | | | | cups of seeds, but add more or less according to |
| temperature to preserve the essential oils. You can | | | | your taste. |
| pre-cook the seeds by boiling them in salted water | | | | Roasted seeds can be added to salads, soups, |
| before you roast. Seeds can be roasted at 160-170 | | | | cereals and veggie dishes. They can also be crushed |
| degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown, | | | | and added to meat mixtures (like hamburger), |
| stirring every 15 minutes. You can add 1 egg white or | | | | oatmeal, muffin mixes and rice pudding. If there are |
| 2 teaspoons of oil, like olive oil or canola oil, to your 3 | | | | any leftover seeds, store them in an airtight |
| cups of seeds, or just spray your baking sheet. Pick | | | | container in the fridge for up to a month. |
| out your favorite combination of the following | | | | You can buy pumpkin seeds online all year round. |
| seasonings: | | | | With so many fabulous taste combinations and health |
| Add a touch of sweet: Add in a bit of maple syrup | | | | benefits, why not eat them all four seasons? |