hope you all had a safe and happy halloween! i just LOVE this time of year, don’t you?! i love being in the kitchen more than normal… and i love busting out my crockpot… and i’m even more eager to bust out my vitamix!! i will be doing that this weekend when i am basically a personal chef for my best friends in the rockies 🙂
i also love making my own pumpkin seeds. they are one of my favourite snacks, and when pumpkins are on sale – so what better time to make some?! i paid 2 bucks for my pumpkins on a one-day sale. i would say these average sized pumpkins yield about 2-3 cups of seeds – that’s a decent value!
simple instructions –
get some pumpkins. the heavier the pumpkin, the more seeds inside. go for the medium-sized ones. preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
carefully cut around the top and remove the ‘lid’ you just created…
scoop out your seeds into a strainer or bowl…
i cut mine in half to make it a little easier… but just be careful if you do! and just get up in there with your hands and yank those seeds out! it’s fun to play with your food!
then i rinsed mine off, to get rid of some of the pumpkin flesh that tends to stick to them…
once drained a little, i threw mine into a bag with some salt and shook it up to distribute the seasoning… i am not sure if you can add oil or butter?! play with seasonings, though… and do tell me if you have a favourite!
scatter them on a baking sheet and pop in the oven for about 8 minutes, checking on them for crispness. once they “pop” in your mouth, i’d say they are done…
try to share… 🙂
pumpkin seeds are a great source of protein and are naturally low-fat. they are a healthy snack alternative to chips or crackers. they always satisfy my salt-cravings and i don’t feel guilty if i eat a whole bag 🙂
and of course, anything snacky and salty and yummy like this goes so well with a delicious beer :
this happens to be one of my all-time favourite beers – trippel from new belgium. and it’s brewed right here in colorado, too! what i love most about it is the coriander spice and the champagne-style yeast that creates a creamy consistency with loads of flavour. it’s heavy but not dark, very full-bodied and it’s high-alcohol content make for a perfect nightcap after a long night at work. it’s comforting, just like a cool autumn night and it will wash down your homemade seasonal pumpkin seeds rather wonderfully. good news is – it’s not a seasonal brew, and if you leave west of the mississippi, you can find it almost anywhere.
cheers!
food & foto 
this looks great Audrey! I wish I had that beer right now too
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Damn it! This reminded me that I have a bowl of pumpkin guts in the fridge waiting for me to sort through them to pull out and roast the seeds.
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We can’t wait to see what culinary creations you come up with in your Vitamix! Make sure to find us on Facebook – http://www.Facebook.com/VitamixCorporation and Twitter – http://www.Twitter.com/Vitamix so we can offer any tips or inspiration you may need. Have a great time in the Rockies!
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done and done. and i’m beyond humbled that you found my blog and “liked” it!! thank you so much and i look forward to updating and also seeing updates 🙂
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Alright…my seeds are finally in the oven RIGHT NOW. Thinking of yoooooou!!!!
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how did they turn out?!?
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They were YUMMY! I wish we had bought 6 more pumpkins so I could make a bunch of different flavour combinations!
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