Roasting the seeds out of pumpkins I carve is something my mum did with me as a kid and I’ve carried on as an adult. It’s reduces food waste, is healthy and tastes great, all the things I look for in a good snack! Plus it’s so easy there’s no reason not to.
All you need is pumpkin seeds, you could buy them but of course personally I just save them from when I’ve scraped a pumpkin out to carve. I add different seasonings to them each year, this year I’ve used salt, mixed dried herbs, saffron powder and paprika.
I put them in a lunch box as you can see above, put my seasonings on, put the lid on and shook it to cover all the seeds in the seasoning. You can also just put them in a bowl and stir the seasonings in but I find this easier, faster and a lot more fun!
Once they’re well coated by your chosen seasonings, lay them out in as much of a single layer as possible on top of some tin foil, preheat your oven to 150C and put them in for around 45 minutes or until they’re golden and have a crunch to them, stirring them around every 15 minutes to ensure they don’t burn.
Just like that, you have a healthy home made snack! There’s no oil or sugar and you could totally go without salt if you’re using other seasonings. Store in an air tight container and they should last for up to two weeks, if you manage to have any left for that long!
If you try these out let me know what you thought in the comments, and let me know what seasonings you decided on too!
-Dana
Carry on Beautiful! 