Keep the Seeds!

Did you ever toast pumpkin seeds after you carved your pumpkins at Halloween when you were a kid?  Maybe you still do.  This is the same concept.  We are putting this whole squash to use.  Talk about a zero-waste initiative.

I know, I already used this picture in a different post.

Equipment you will need:

• Baking Sheet
• Aluminum Foil (can you tell that I love foil?)
• Metal spatula of some kind...to toss the seeds around
• Strainer

Ingredients:

• Seeds from your Squash (I have done this with Spaghetti squash, butternut squash and pumpkins so I am sure it would work with acorn, kabocha, etc)
• 1-2T Olive Oil, about a 3 second pour...enough to coat the seeds, not worth measuring
• Salt & Pepper
• Optional to add other seasonings...see the bottom of this post for other ideas

Directions:

• Rinse your seeds in the strainer, in the sink, washing off all the squash guts.  #gross
• Lay the seeds flat on a plate or in a baking dish, like the one you use for brownies (I know you have one of those) and let them air dry over night, just on the counter or the stove, as long as the stove is turned OFF

Clean seeds!  Drying out on top of my stove for the night.

• They will feel dry crispy when they are dried out.  When they feel like that, heat your oven to 375 and transfer the seeds to your foil-lined cookie sheet
• Toss with the olive oil, salt, and pepper

These have oil, salt, pepper and are about to be paprika'd.  My mom brough this paprika back from Hungary...it came with this cute little dude as the scooper

• Roast for 5-7 minutes, you will hear them start to "pop" in the oven - it literally sounds like popcorn when it first gets going
• Enjoy!

Apparently seeds polarize when you roast them?

Optional seasoning: cumin for some chili/Mexican-like spice, paprika for some smoky heat without being spicy, cayenne pepper for some spice, any meat or poultry seasoning.  What do you have in the pantry?  Get creative!