What to Do on November 1: Roasting Pumpkin Seeds

So, it's the day after Halloween and what are we doing today? (besides eating candy)... roasting pumpkin seeds!

Maybe you've had those snack pumpkin seeds they sell in the grocery store... they're kind of pricey, and it's easy to roast your own... since you have a pumpkin around anyway!

1 - Scoop and separate:  After we scooped out all the pumpkin guts last night and carved our jack-o-lantern to protect our house from evil spirits :-) I saved all the seeds and guts in a big bowl.  Then when I got a chance I separated all the seeds from the gooey stuff.  That's not as hard as it sounds.  Even though it's all slippery, it's pretty easy to separate out the seeds just by scooping up the stuff and sort of rubbing and straining it through your fingers.

2 - Soak:  I put the seeds in a smaller bowl and covered them with a couple inches of water to sit overnight.  The seeds float to the top, so in the morning you can clean them further by gently stirring and straining with your fingers.

3 - Dry: Then I drained the seeds in a colander and rinsed them one more time, then spread them out on a tray to dry a bit.  They don't have to get completely dry, but it helps to let them dry out mostly.

4 - Roast: Finally just roast them!  Which means coat them lightly in oil -- you need only a spoonful or so -- rubbing the seeds to coat them all.  Then sprinkle with salt or whatever seasonings you want.  Spread them in a thin layer (single layer if possible) on a baking sheet and roast at 325 for 10-20 minutes, stirring about halfway through.

The time can be tricky, because it depends on your oven... the outsides don't need to totally brown but they will get crispy!  The trick is not to burn the inside seed -- test one to see if they're done.  The outside should be just starting to brown, crispy and easy to crunch.  The insides stay green, not brown.

5 - Snack!:  Sprinkle with a little more salt or seasoning, and munch! Instead of salt, you can try other spices: cardamom, garlic salt, chili powder, cumin, even sugar and cinnamon, are all good to try.

Pumpkin seeds are VERY good for you, BTW.  They have protein and healthy fats and lots of minerals including zinc and potassium.  I've heard they are especially good for men's sexual health because of the zinc  :-)

Ever tried roasting the pumpkin seeds? or cooking a fresh pumpkin?