Recycle...Pumpkin Seeds? (Granola Recipe Included!)
Recycle those pumpkin and squash seeds!
Yep, everyone is quite conscious of recycling these days. You can prove it this fall by recycling pumpkin material from your decorations.
Really, this is nothing new, for I’m talking about that old tradition of roasting pumpkin seeds. You know, the ones extracted before carving your pumpkin with your slobbering toddler or those hard-to-take out squash seeds before starting Baked Stuffed Winter Squash.
Personally, I was never very impressed with my roasted pumpkin seed end-product, but recently, this recipe had me intrigued.
If you, like me, have given up on pumpkin seed recycling, you might want to give my version of this recipe, Tahini Pumpkin Seed Granola, a second look. Why? Because we are becoming more and more aware of nutrition packed into food as it appears in nature. Real food! Even in the scraps we throw away! And yes, pumpkin and squash seeds are no exception.
Besides being in nifty little packages, they are loaded with nutrition. For instance, 2 tablespoons of roasted pumpkin seeds contains 9 gm of protein, fairly impressive levels of zinc (important in immunity and wound healing) and nearly 50% of the recommended magnesium daily requirement (important in the body for approximately 300 biochemical reactions, including energy production, bone maintenance, blood pressure regulation and bowel function).
In addition, pumpkins seeds, provide you with the plant based Omega-3 fatty acid, ALA (alpha linoleic acid) and the amino acid tryptophan. ALA is anti-inflammatory and tryptophan is converted by the body into the sleep hormone, serotonin.
But remember, don’t throw away the pumpkin meat. It is also loaded with nutrients, especially for the eyes (Vitamin A, lutein, as well as beta and alpha carotene).
Like all whole foods, when do we ever come to the end of discovering some new nutrient hidden inside? You get the picture.
So try recycling your fall decorations! You can even cook up a batch of pumpkin stew, and later, watch your kids devour nutrient-laden Tahini Pumpkin Seed Granola that you make with the pumpkin scraps!
For Your Information
This what my Tahini Pumpkin Seed Granola recipe looked like after I made adjustments:
- 1 cup saved pumpkin seeds
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup tahini
- 1/4-1/2 cup honey
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup dried cranberries, chopped rough
Directions:
- Extract pumpkin seeds, place in sauce pan. Cover with water and 1 tsp of salt. Boil 10 minutes, remove from heat, rinse thoroughly. Place on a greased cookie sheet in a 300˚F oven. Bake until dry and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Watch carefully, stirring occasionally so they don’t burn.
- Mix the oil, maple syrup, honey, tahini, and salt in a medium bowl. Add squash seeds, then the oatmeal.
- After stirring, dump everything back onto the baking sheet. Push into an even layer and bake until toasted, about 10-15 minutes, again watching carefully (honey makes this recipe brown quickly).
- Cool completely and break into bite-size chunks. Stir in the dried cranberries.
No tahini at home? If you have sesame seeds you are still in the granola business with this tahini recipe!
References:
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002423.htm
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3257681/
