Next to carving our pumpkins each year and finding so many wonderful dishes to make with our fresh pumpkin is the joy of roasting the pumpkin seeds. I love the crunch of the seeds as they crack in my teeth and the delightful saltiness of them. This year I decided to be a bit adventurous as we had a lot of seeds from the many pumpkins we carved. They are easy to dry, season and roast...too easy not to give it a try if you never have before.
Two of our pumpkins : )
Pumpkin Seeds Salted and Roasted
Curried Pumpkin Seeds
Sweet and Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
The best way to remove the seeds from the pulp is to use your hands
Wash the seeds and remove any extra pulp, drain well in a colander
This is a mixture of Garam Masala, Medium Curry Powder and Kosher Salt for seasoning
Sprinkle the seasoning on the seeds layed out on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray or olive oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and roast for approx. 15 minutes, check them so when they are dry and have a nice crunch or snap to them, remove them from the oven to cool
Enjoy your snack!
For Sweet and Spicy, use butter instead of oil. This helps to prevent the seeds from sticking to your sheet and helps adhere your seasoning to the seeds. Sprinkle with White Sugar, a pinch of salt and your spice of choice...Cayenne is a nice spice or use a blend of what you have in the cupboard...Chili Powder, paprika, etc. Be sure to taste the seasoning before sprinkling on the seeds so you know how spicy it is and whether or not any adjustments need to be made. Keep a closer eye on the seeds with sugar as it will caramelize and burn faster than a regular seasoned seed will. I recommend drying the seeds before baking when using sugar.
When only salting the seeds, use olive oil or cooking spray
Your only limitation is your imagination when deciding how to season your pumpkin seeds. I sincerely hope you had a spooky, fun filled Halloween.
