Thursday, October 9, 2008

Autumn Pumpkin Seeds with Spices


pumpkinseed waterfall













As the leaves turn fiery in October, pumpkins start appearing in stores, farmers markets, CSAs and finally front porches--that's when my children start asking for homemade roasted pumpkin seeds.
Picking the seeds out of the gooey mess inside the pumpkin is an interesting experience. It requires good music in the background and lots of patience. Kids enjoy helping with the sorting. If you've never tasted homemade roasted pumpkin seeds, let me reassure you that their superior taste is well worth your effort.
My recipe for the spice mixture evolves a little bit every year. This particular combination is wonderful, not overly spicy for the kids, but very flavorful.













Seasoned Pumpkin Seeds

1 1/4 cup fresh pumpkin seeds, picked clean and rinsed
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried orange peel
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground chili powder

Preheat oven 350F.
Oil a cookie-sheet.

pumpkin seeds raw

Towel dry the rinsed seeds and set aside.
In a bowl, mix all the remaining ingredients until well combined. Add the seeds to the bowl and coat the pumpkin seeds evenly with the mixture. Spread the seasoned seeds onto the cookie-sheet.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. With a spatula give the seeds a stir. And continue roasting for 15 additional minutes or until the seeds are dry and slightly golden. Let cool and serve. Once cooled, these can be stored in an airtight container for a few days (but they won't last that long).



12 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Oh my, that sounds delightful.

RecipeGirl said...

What a great idea. We do save the seeds, but usually just salt them up and roast them. I like the spice idea.

Jeanine - The Baking Beauties said...

LOVE pumpkin seeds! That's the best part of opening up a pumpkin. :)

BUT, I did make your pumpkin chocolate scones the other day with the pumpkin (after the seeds were gone, lol), and YUM! Great use of pumpkin, if you ask me!

Usha said...

Love this idea, have never tried adding spices to them...loved your flaxseed bread below as well :-)

Robin said...

I think these are worth picking through the goo to get those wonderful seeds. My little boy did this in school once, the students squealed in delight with touching the insides of the pumpkin.

Mary Ann said...

So glad to see this! My mom always, always did this when we were growing up with the leftover pumpkin seeds from the jack-o-lanterns we carved. I never realized how easy it was. Your spice combination looks fabulous!

Mike of Mike's Table said...

That does like a great spice mix! I tend to be partial to a hotter mix (much to my wife's dismay, lol), but they're definitely addictive. I also use the seeds from other winter squash that I cook with so I can have a steady-ish supply of these snacks during the fall/winter months.

Mansi said...

that would make a wonderful snack! lovely:)

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

I have never had home-roasted pumpking seed before, what a fabulous idea. I will be keeping this in mind to try, next time I made pumpkin soup.

I absolutely adore that cup!

Patricia Scarpin said...

Alexa, I would love to munch on these! :)

Dewi said...

My husband loves pumpkin seed and I love sun flower seed, but I wouldn't mind to try make this and share it with my husband.

Meg Wolff said...

I came over from Liz's blog. I love pumpkin seeds too and your spices look wonderful! Thank you.

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