Thursday, February 26, 2009

Make Homemade Roasted Salted Sunflower Seeds

Roasted sunflower seeds make a delicious snack.


A handful of sunflower seeds provides a nutritional snack packed with protein, vitamin E, selenium, fiber and unsaturated fats. A 1-oz. serving contains 6 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber, along with folate and B vitamins. Getting this healthy food into your diet is as simple as adding the seeds to a salad, mixing them with dried fruit and nuts to make a trail mix or grabbing a handful throughout the day. Roasting and salting sunflower seeds makes them extra tasty and can be done at home.


Instructions


1. Place 1 lb. of sunflower seeds in a 2-qt. bowl, The seeds can be shelled or not.


2. Fill the bowl with water to within 2 inches of the rim. Add approximately 1/2 cup of regular table salt and the 1 lb. of sunflower seeds. Let the seeds stand overnight on a kitchen counter.


3. Drain the sunflower seeds the next morning. Spread them on paper towels to absorb excess moisture.


4. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread the drained sunflower seeds evenly on a cookie sheet. Put the cookie sheet in the oven for approximately 30 minutes. Stir occasionally and check to make sure the seeds don't get too brown.


5. Remove the seeds from the oven when they're lightly brown. Let them cool completely, then store the roasted and salted sunflower seeds in an airtight container. Keep for up to one month.







Tags: sunflower seeds, sunflower seeds, cookie sheet