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Lifestyle, Health, Nutrition & Inspiration from Luvo
6 Things To Do With Leftover Pumpkin Seeds
You spent your last Sunday driving to the closest pumpkin patch (which really wasn’t that close at all) in anticipation of your favorite scary holiday Halloween. Last year, you carved a pretty generic pumpkin of triangle eyes and sharp-ish teeth but this year, you plan to make something way more complex with one of the stencils you printed out from online—something like Ryan Goslings face or a duo of pumpkins that say “trick or treat” and “smell my feet.”
You’ve hollowed out your pumpkins, and are left with piles of orange gunk and lots and lots of pumpkin seeds. Don’t even think about throwing them away! There are a bunch of things you can do with those pumpkin seeds from a basic roast to making a pumpkin pesto sauce.
Get rid of the orange stuff, rinse of the seeds and you’re ready to go with one of these 6 Things To Do With leftover Pumpkin Seeds:
Make Pesto
Pop the seeds into a frying pan and roast them until they start to pop. Then take about a cup of pumpkin seeds and put them in a food processor with four garlic cloves, two tablespoons of lemon juice, half a teaspoon of salt, a cup of olive oil, a dash of pepper and two cups of basil leaves. Pulse until it creates a thick paste and tada! Use your pesto on sandwiches, pasta, on top of eggs or anything else you please.
Make Granola
Granola is super easy because it’s basically throwing a bunch of things you like together and then baking. If you don’t have a recipe you already use that you could incorporate the seeds into, try Well Plated’s “Pumpkin Granola” [link to: http://www.wellplated.com/pumpkin-granola/] recipe, which is made with oats, tons of spices, flaxseed, cranberries, raisins and pecans. Feel free to substitute or add in any additional nuts and dried fruit.
Make Brittle
Brittle is great to keep around the house to serve up as a sweet treat when friends and fam stop by for unexpected visits. Plus, the pumpkin seeds make the brittle perfectly seasonal. Martha Stewart’s “Pumpkin-Seed Brittle” recipe only requires four ingredients including your pumpkin seeds: butter, sugar and honey. We like.
Make Nut Butter
If you’re obsessed with peanut butter or almond butter on slices of apple, we highly suggest trying pumpkin nut butter next time you’re indulging in this snack. Oh She Glows “Lightened Up Raw Pecan Pumpkin Butter” takes about 5 minutes to make and is delish. Keep a little extra in the fridge for when you’re in a rush.
Make Them Cheesy
If you’ve roasted pumpkin seeds with salt a million times but want to do it a little differently, try making them cheesy. Toss your seeds with melted butter or olive oil, then mix in some Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Spread out on a lined baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes or until they are golden brown.
Make Them Boozy
Why not add a little bourbon (the perfect fall booze if you ask us) to your seeds? We love the Mantitlements “Bourbon Glazed Pumpkin Seeds” recipe. It’s a little spicey and sweet and nice and everything right. But trust us these won’t last long around the house.
What’s your favorite thing to do with your leftover pumpkin seeds? We want to know. Tell us in the comments or share it with on Twitter!