Are you carving pumpkins this week? Or maybe you did this past weekend?
According to The National Retail Federation, in 2017 46% of Americans carved pumpkins. That is actually higher than I expected. That leaves us with a lot of pumpkin seeds.
Cut to today’s topic. Pumpkin Seeds. You are pulling them out of that pumpkin, now what to do with them?
First, because you know I love the nutrition facts, here is a little bit about their health benefits.
Pumpkin seeds supply many minerals including phosphorous, magnesium, iron, manganese, zinc, and copper. They are also a great source of Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, B2, and B3.
They also have these health benefits:
1. The only seed that is alkaline forming.
2. Can reduce the levels of LDL cholesterol
3. 1/3 cup provides 30 grams of protein
4. Can be a holistic way to kill parasites
5. Reduce inflammation for arthritis
6. Helps prevent kidney stone formation
7. Good for prostrate health
8. Promotes good sleep
So, don’t throw them out! These seeds are good for us!
OK, so how to prepare them?
After removing the seeds, clean all the pumpkin flesh of the seeds while they are still wet. For best results, lay them out to dry for a couple days. If you want to save some time, you can go straight to roasting them but the seeds wont be as crunchy as they could be if left to air dry.
Roasting:
Lay the seeds in a single layer on a cookie sheet and drizzle lightly with some coconut oil and seasonings of your choice. Place them in the oven at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes. Be sure to stir them often to keep them from burning.
My favorite spices to add are cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg, and a little salt and pepper. It makes the house smell really good! You could also sprinkle turmeric and black pepper to up the anti- inflammatory punch of these seeds. Be sure to check out a previous post on how to get more turmeric into your life. Incredibly good for you.
Add seeds to salads, granola, oatmeal or your favorite veggies.
How do you like to eat pumpkin seeds?
Pumpkin seeds are really delicious! I can take them all 😉 They are such a great and simple snack whilst watching a movie.
Yes! and much healthier than popcorn 🙂 Thanks for reading!
I bake lots of sugar pie pumpkins this time of year. And truth be told, I think I enjoy the roasted pumpkin seeds I get out of those pumpkins more than the pumpkin! I also roast all my other squash seeds too (Butternut squash, Kabocha squash, Spaghetti squash…). Great snacking those squash seeds!
I have never thought about roasting those seeds (from squash) before. What a great idea! Do they taste the same as pumpkin seeds- or similar enough anyway?