when life hands you jack-o-lanterns, what to do? duh. in our case this year, the jack-o-lanterns were only carved about 6 minutes before trick-or-treating started last night. but for some reason, even in the hectic rush to get out the door, i had the forethought to actually throw them in some tupperware so i could roast them at some point. well good news for everyone: some point happened to arrive today, just in time for a monthly first! roasted pumpkin seeds are sooooo delicious, but amazingly, i have never made this favorite treat before. not sure why, except that i never think to save the pumpkin seeds until after i’ve wrapped them in the newspaper and tossed them. it was definitely worth the extra effort and may actually become a tradition around here!
i found this recipe from Beauty & the Beard on Pinterest yesterday and figured it was as good as any to try. i doubled everything because i had about 2 cups of seeds to work with.
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon cayenne 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 teaspoon paprika
one of the reasons i think i have never done this is because i (correctly) assumed cleaning all the pumpkin guts off the seeds would be a complete pain in the ass. when Miss Girl saw the pile i had to work through in a colander in the sink, she looked at me and said “wow, Mommy. that’s going to take a long time.” with a tone that would have made even the most dedicated feel like a complete idiot for even wanting to bother. but i didn’t let her dose of harsh reality deter me. i was on a mission. it wasn’t the easiest thing i’ve ever done, but definitely not the worst (y’all do remember the Satancakes, right?). it basically took a colander, a bowl, a lot of water and some patience.
once cleaned and dried (i ended up with a lot of extra water in my “clean” bowl and needed to put them back in the colander for another spin and then pat them dry with a paper towel), just throw them into a bowl and toss with the oil and spices. spread them out on a baking sheet covered with parchment (i skipped the parchment because i didn’t have any and it worked out totally fine). bake at 300° for 20 minutes. take out and stir/flip, then bake for another 20 minutes. let ’em chill at room temp for a few and enjoy!
mine came out delish, though a little too spicy for my taste — i prefer them more salty/savory with less kick. next time, i would do probably half the cayenne and more salt, but totally yummy and a nice new snack to add to my repertoire.
so far, it’s been a great start to the month. hope y’all have a fantastic November filled with trying new things!
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