Do you ever prep an ingredient and wonder…What else can I make with the scraps?
Me, too.
Perhaps you’ve read another dreadful article about the impact of food waste on the environment. More than 35 million tons of food tossed into landfills generating greenhouse gas. Roughly 30-40% of farm-to-table food wasted.
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and hard to know where to start, right?
Let me help and give you a straightforward idea to act upon this weekend: roasted pumpkin seeds. And feel free to swap “pumpkin” for “winter squash” because all squash seeds are edible.
Each time you slice open a winter squash, you scoop out the seeds. But, instead of tossing the seeds, you rinse, dry, season, and roast them for a scrumptious, crunchy snack.
Sounds good, right?
Yes, our food system problems are more significant than you and me roasting our pumpkin seeds. But small shifts in our cooking habits could help reduce waste and put more food on our communal tables.
Are you up for it?
In this Recipe
I like to place the pumpkin seeds in decorative bowls and set them out for my nut-free house guests. To keep the seeds fresh, I store them in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.
Make Ahead-of-Time
For crunchier seeds, soak them in salted water for a few hours to overnight before setting them out to dry in step number two below. If you decide to soak the seeds overnight, cover and store them in the refrigerator.
Specialty Ingredients
One of the best things about this recipe is you probably already have the ingredients in your pantry. But, if you plan to roast a lot of pumpkin seeds, you may want to stock up on your spices.
related recipe
Crunchy Cinnamon Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- pinch salt
- 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
Instructions
- Scoop the seeds from the pumpkin: With a sharp knife, slice the pumpkin in half lengthwise. Next, use a spoon to scoop the seeds and strings into a colander.
- Dry the pumpkin seeds: Rinse the seeds with water and remove the squash strings. Optionally, soak in salted water for several hours. Then, spread into a single layer on a baking sheet and allow to dry at least 8 hours to overnight.
- Prepare the oven: Preheat oven to 300° Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Blend the seasoning: Melt butter and syrup in a small pan over low heat.In a bowl, toss the pumpkin seeds with sugar, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla. Pour the butter and syrup on top and stir.
- Roast the pumpkin seeds: Spread pumpkin seeds into a single layer on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 30-40 minutes, turning every 10-minutes. Cool completely on parchment paper.
TIPS
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