It’s really easy to make your own flavoured pumpkin seeds at home. Since I have a tendency to burn them when I do them in the oven, I found a great, fool proof way for them to turn out every time.
Dehydrating!
super easy, curried pumpkin seeds (if you don’t have a dehydrator, you can also dry them in your oven at the lowest temperature. They’re ready when they’re completely dried out)
- wash your pumpkin seeds well. I put my seeds in a large pot with water and swirl them around. Then I use my chinese wire strainer to skim out the seeds. Remove any leftover pumpkin that’s sticking to the seeds and discard into your composter.
- dry the seeds overnight on paper towel, a clean dish towel or a paper bag
- in a pot, melt some coconut oil (many coconut oils have been hydrogenated, so I recommend using an organic, virgin coconut oil) and add your favourite seasonings. I like to add curry powder and a bit of Herbamare, herb seasoned salt. Add your seeds and mix everything until all your seeds are coated with the oily, spicy, herb goodness.
- load your dehydrator with the coated seeds
- set your dehydrator to 135 degrees and let dry for several hours. Mine were in there for about 4 hours.
I love these seeds as a snack, as a garnish for soup or in salads. Yum!
did you know:
- pumpkin seeds are a good source of zinc and that the World Health Organization recommends them as a good way to obtain this nutrient
- if you want to maximize the amount of zinc that you’ll be getting from your pumpkin seeds, ir’s best to leave the shells on
- studies have shown there to be little zinc in the shell itself, but there is a very thin layer directly beneath the shell called the endosperm envelope and zinc is especially concentrated in this layer
- whole unshelled pumpkin seeds contain about 10 milligrams of zinc per 3.5 ounces (that’s just a bit less than 1/2 a cup), and shelled pumpkin seeds contain about 7 milligrams
- per 1/2 cup, there are about 145 calories and 6 grams of protein
- the shell also contains a good amount of fiber
I’m going to do this on Saturday. Sounds delicious!
Thanks Carol! You’ll love them. I’m snacking on some right now!