Pumpkin seeds
make a tasty nutritious snack and require only a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt.
Pumpkin seeds are among the tastiest snacks to come out of the Halloween season. When carving your pumpkins, instead of tossing out the seeds along with the pumpkin pulp, throw them into a bowl and set them aside for roasting. Roasted pumpkin seeds can be eaten as a snack, sprinkled on soups or salads, or incorporated into dessert toppings. Roasting pumpkin seeds is simple and helps reduce waste.
Rinsing
After pulling all of the seeds out of the pumpkin, you must wash the seeds thoroughly so that they are free of the slimy pumpkin pulp. Rinsing the seeds in a colander is a great way to clean them without making a mess. Once rinsed, the seeds should be dried on a paper towel or clean dish towel. They must be completely dry or else the oil will not stick to them.
Oils
Olive oil is the most flavorful as well as the healthiest choice for roasting pumpkin seeds; however, you can use any type of vegetable oil. Place the seeds in a large bowl and toss them gently with a little oil until they are evenly coated. Fully coating the seeds in oil ensures that the seasoning will stick evenly to every seed.
Salt and Seasonings
Pumpkin seeds have a flavor of their own, and are usually seasoned simply with salt to bring out the natural flavor of the seeds. However, seasonings can be added to jazz up the seeds if desired. Sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, paprika, hot chili powder, dried oregano, basil or even honey can be added to the seeds to give them extra flavor. The salt and flavoring should be added to the seeds once they are already arranged on the baking tray or fry pan.
Oven Roasting
Oven roasting is the most common way to cook pumpkin seeds, though they can also be "roasted" in a skillet or pan. For oven roasting, the oiled seeds should be placed in a single even layer on a clean metal baking pan and then seasoned and salted. The seeds need to bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown on all of the edges.
Pan Roasting
Pumpkin seeds can also be pan roasted on top of the oven. As with oven roasting, they must be put in the pan in one single layer and then seasoned. The seeds need about 3 to 5 minutes of cooking time on each side over medium heat. The advantage of pan roasting is that you can stir and flip the seeds with a spatula to cook them evenly.
Tags: Pumpkin seeds, added seeds, also roasted, pumpkin pulp, pumpkin seeds, seeds need, seeds should
