Who woulda thunk! - Let's all eat Pepitas!

Pumpkin carving wasn't about the face I made. I was more into the guts. Pumpkin guts that is. After carving my mom would have us separate the seeds and then she would roast them. Eating those delicious seeds was my favorite part of the evening!

Pepitas (from Spanish pepita de calabaza, "little seed of squash")

We recently hosted a 'Pumpkin and Pizza' night to celebrate the season. I can't even begin to tell you how much fun we all had. I think the 'dults had more fun than the kids. I expected the kids would bring pumpkins and maybe one or two adults would show up with a P. Wow, I had no clue! 'Dult after adult showed up carrying the biggest pumpkins! And, they all came with their own carving implements. There was a level of seriousness that was mind boggling. Two people even stenciled designs on their pumpkins!

All that was going through my mind was how many seeds we were going to get with all those pumpkins! I very quickly got big bowls for the guts. Surprisingly, after talking with people, I learned most people had no experience with roasting or eating pumpkin seeds. My friend, Anna, quickly got into rhythm and helped separate out the seeds.

Pepitas taste delicious and they must be good for you because they're a seed. But that was the extent of my knowledge so I had to go searching. Researching pumpkin seeds revealed some pretty impressive information. Pumpkin seeds are the third (3rd!) best source for Phytosterols. What is Phytosterol? What I found is that Phytosterol is a compound that can reduce blood levels of cholesterol. In addition this little wonder food is said to enhance your immune system, decrease risk of certain cancers, combat benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), and alleviate arthritic pain. Pretty impressive stuff!

I think I'll keep eating them.....its fun when it tastes so good and it's healthy. Here's a few of my favorite recipes:

Salt and Pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper

Place seeds in a single layer on a sheet pan that you've drizzled with the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Palak Pepitas
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne powder

Mix all spices together. Place seeds in a single layer on a sheet pan that you've drizzled with the olive oil. Sprinkle with spice mixture. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally.

Spicy Chili Pepitas
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ancho chili powder
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp garlic powder

Mix all spices together. Place seeds in a single layer on a sheet pan that you've drizzled with the olive oil. Sprinkle with spice mixture. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally.