In one cup of roasted, unshelled pumpkin seeds, there are:
- 6.6 mg of zinc, which accounts for almost half the recommended daily intake. Zinc is important in a person’s diet because it's an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory agent that also helps the metabolic process.
- 168 mg of magnesium, which can aid in heart and bone health, lower blood pressure and even prevent migraines.
- 49 mg of omega-3 fatty acids, which makes pumpkin seeds a good source for those who are vegan or vegetarian and have difficulty getting enough of this healthy fat in their diet.
- 600 mg of tryptophan, an amino acid that supports healthy sleep patterns.
Source: heart.org, nuts.com and nutritiondata.self.com
October brings many fall activities, such as apple picking, trick-or-treating and carving jack-o’-lanterns for Halloween. Many of us head to the pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin to carve our favorite designs in before Oct. 31. Instead of throwing away the pumpkin seeds while carving out your pumpkin this year, try making these three pumpkin seeds flavorings for a sweet, spicy or savory festive treat.
What you need:
- 1 tablespoon
- 1 teaspoon
- ¼ teaspoon
- One strainer
- One hand towel
- One plate
- Three bowls
- Three spoons
- One large cookie sheet
- Aluminum foil
Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Seeds
- 1 tablespoon of butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
Garlic Pumpkin Seeds
- 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon of celery salt
- 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
- ¼ tablespoon of salt
Sweet & Spicy Pumpkin Seeds
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon of chili powder
- ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ tablespoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
Crushed red pepper, garlic powder, celery powder and chili powder are some of the spices used to make these three pumpkin seed flavorings. Nicole Thomas, DN
Directions:
- After carving out your pumpkin, separate the pumpkin seeds from the pumpkin’s pulp.
- Place the seeds in a strainer and rinse them in cold water, making sure there is no more pulp covering the seeds.
- Place a hand towel over a plate. Then, pour the rinsed pumpkin seeds onto the plate and pat the seeds dry with the towel.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In three separate bowls, mix the ingredients together with a spoon for each flavoring.
- Divide your batch of dried pumpkin seeds evenly between the three bowls of flavorings. Mix the seeds in each flavoring, coating the seeds evenly.
- Take three rectangle sheets of aluminum foil and place them onto the large cookie sheet, creating three separate areas on the cookie sheet. This will help you divide the cookie sheet evenly for each pumpkin seed flavoring.
- Once your oven has preheated, bake your pumpkin seeds for 25 minutes. Stir your seeds every 10 minutes so they bake evenly.
- Once the seeds are done baking, transfer them into bowls of your choosing.
- Enjoy your flavored pumpkin seeds.
Contact Nicole Thomas with comments nrthomas3@bsu.edu or on Twitter @nicolerthomas22.
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