Fall Fuel: Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

I'm a little late to the pumpkin seed party this year. When you are a Halloween scrooge and don't carve pumpkins - you don't get seeds to roast!  As far as I'm concerned, pumpkin season goes full-on until Thanksgiving leftovers are gone, so we've got a good couple weeks to go. A few of my friends were getting rid of their pumpkin decorations so I snatched them up to collect the seeds! 

If you still have pumpkins out on your front porch (or your neighbors do and they are cool with you being a scavenger like me), you can still make these delicious pumpkin seed snacks! 

They are a perfect addition to trail mix, salads or ground up into a fall flavored pesto. Packed full of zinc, protein, vitamins B, E and K and other beneficial minerals, they are also known to help decrease inflammation. They are high in calories so enjoy in moderation. They are like nuts in that way. All good for you - but still important to watch your portions. 

The messiest part of this whole snack is harvesting the seeds. If you didn't carve a pumpkin, just slice one in half with a big knife and scoop out the pulp and seeds. I dump all of it into a colander and run it under cold water while pulling off all of the slimy strings. Lay out flat to dry. 

Lesson learned...don't put the wet seeds onto a paper towel to dry. You will be picking paper pieces off of all of your seeds! Not that I would know...

Once the seeds are dry, measure out 1 cup of the seeds into a bowl and toss with 1 tsp of olive oil and whatever spices you choose to use. 

You can get so creative with these - the sky is the limit on the spice combinations! 

Here is what I did...

Chile Lime Roasted Seeds
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne 
lime juice to taste - sprinkle this on after cooking

recipe inspired from www.austingastronomist.com

Peppered Garlic Roasted Seeds
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tsp garlic powder

Once you have tossed your seeds with the oil and spices, spread them evenly on an oil sprayed cookie sheet. 

Roast at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, tossing every 5-10 minutes. 

Let cool. 

Both of these turned out wonderfully - but I love the chile lime the best. I can't wait to top my salad with them - if they don't all disappear from my countertop this afternoon! Yum! 

what about you?

Did you carve a pumpkin this year?
What's your favorite way to enjoy pumpkin seeds?