Roasted pumpkin seeds are delicious, easy to make, and cheap! You can buy organic, raw pumpkin seeds at Kroger (if they have a health food bulk section), for a couple of bucks per pound. My favorite thing about this snack is that it tastes like popcorn and is a much healthier snack choice.
They look like this raw:
Shopping List:
Raw pumpkin seeds
Course sea salt
Organic Unsalted Butter
Directions:
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Put seeds in a bowl
• Melt a couple tablespoons of butter in a saucepan. (Why not microwave? Read this article.)
• Pour melted butter over pumpkin seeds and toss to coat.
• Spread a thin layer of pumpkin seeds on a metal cookie sheet (glass doesn't get them as toasty)
• Loosely cover with foil and put in the oven
• After about 10 minutes of baking, check on them and toss with a spoon to turn them over. I always watch the seeds very closely after 10 minutes of baking because they will burn easily if not tossed and watched. You may have to toss them a couple of times until they are golden brown. If you hear them popping, don't worry, but it means they are probably close to being done, so keep a close eye on them.
• When they are toasted to your liking (usually after 20 minutes for me) remove them from the oven, spread them out on a paper towel and sprinkle with sea salt. Let them dry out on the paper towel before storing them in a ziplock bag or airtight container.
Keep the seeds from your pumpkins and squash. Wash them under cool water, dry and roast them with the recipe above. It's a good way to make good use out of every part of the vegetable and save some $$$. You can also save the peel/skin—I'll tell you what to do with that tomorrow.
