Roasted Pumpkin Seeds (a.k.a. Pepitas)

Amongst the fall festivities of this past weekend, we used some of the jack-o-lantern spoils to create a delicious and superhealthy snack: Pumpkin Seeds!

Until I started shopping in health foods stores, I only associated pumpkin seeds with a yummy and fun fall snack.  When I started to notice them on the shelves at my favorite natural food stores, I did some research and found out that they're one of the healthiest snacks you can eat!

Pumpkin Seeds (or Pepitas) are packed with minerals and nutrients such as iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc...vitamin A, vitamin E.  They are chock full of lean protein and poly-unsaturated fats (EFA's).  They're pretty much the perfect snack or condiment for the vegan diet!

Avi was superhelpful and we all enjoyed the snack while preparing dinner!

Here's how I did it (I made a fall spiced version this time):

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Remove the seeds from the pumpkin and separate them from the flesh.

3. Place them in a colander and rinse them well.

4. Let them sit in the colander to dry for a while (30 minutes or so).

5. Spread them out on a baking sheet and coat them lightly with pumpkin seed oil (or any light oil like safflower or sunflower or canola).

6. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves then mix to coat.

7. Roast until lightly browned (apx 15-25 minutes).

8. Let cool and serve!