A Crunchy Treat

When you carve a scary face into your jack-o-lantern, make sure to save the seeds! 

Pumpkin seeds are low in fat and rich in zinc and protein, but when mixed with sweet-hot-salty syrup and baked until crunchy they do become rather addictive so be sure to follow the portion size!  A few scattered on a salad go a long way.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Demerara (raw) sugar

¼ cup water

½ cup maple syrup

1 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3 cups raw organic pumpkin seeds

PREPARATION:

- Heat oven to 400°.

- Combine first five ingredients in a sauce pot and gently simmer to a light caramel

- Stir in pumpkin seeds

- Spread seeds thinly on a spray-oiled baking sheet and place in hot oven for 10 minutes

- Remove from oven and stir seeds with a broad, flat, metal spatula, pulling seeds from the edges of the pan to the middle and the middle to the edges to help evenly brown

- Return pan to oven and bake 5-10 minutes longer until seeds are vigorously bubbling, watch carefully

- Remove from oven and stir again.  The stirring causes crystallization

- Scatter seeds onto a sheet of parchment or wax paper and allow to cool

- When cool break apart

- Store in an air-tight container

 

Number of servings: 24
Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
Calories: 189
Fat: 12 grams
Protein: 8 grams