Very few vegetables are as versatile as the pumpkin. You can make pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup or pumpkin bread; and you can also make a lantern out of the non eatable parts for Halloween. When you are carving your Halloween pumpkins, make sure not throw away the seeds because pumpkin seeds have a nutty flavor and are packed with protein and fiber. You can try cooking pumpkin seeds in various ways. They are delicious toasted and salted, and even better flavored with sweet and savory spices.
Roasting is one of the simplest way of cooking pumpkin seeds. Let us look at the specific procedure. Preheat oven to 250°F. Remove as much pulp as possible from the pumpkins Rinse pumpkin seeds under cold water and pick out the remaining pulp and strings. When the seeds are clean, drain them and place between two paper towels to make them dry. Place the pumpkin seeds in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet, stirring to coat. If you prefer, omit the oil and coat with non-stick cooking spray. Then, please sprinkle the seeds with salt and bake at 325 degrees F for about 25 minutes, checking and stirring 10 minutes later until lightly browned. When done, cool the seeds and store in an air-tight container. This is a good accompany with you when watching TV or reading newspapers as a snack.
As for cooking pumpkin seeds, though using oven with skillet preparation gives you truly roasted seeds, a microwave oven is another good means. Compared with the traditional way, microwave cooking will also result in tasty seeds. Place the cleaned seeds in a microwave-safe dish and season as you like. Microwave the seeds for four minutes. If you have a low-wattage oven, you can increase the initial microwave time to five minutes. Check on the seeds: if they are sizzling hot, they’re ready to eat and if not, stir them and microwave for another minute. Keep checking and stirring at intervals until the seeds are ready.
Baking is said to be another way for cooking pumpkin seeds. Next part will instruct you on how to best bake pumpkin seeds. Prepare the things you will need: fresh pumpkin seeds, vegetable oil or cooking spray, salt, kitchen knife, baking sheet, paper towel and spatula The first step is to separate the seeds of a freshly carved pumpkin from the stringy membrane. Rinse the seeds until they are free of any membrane matter. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and put the seeds on a paper towel and let them dry for a few minutes. Spray a baking sheet with butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray with a light coating of the vegetable oil. Put the seeds on the baking sheet in a single layer, turning to coat lightly with the oil. After sprinkle the seeds lightly with salt, put the baking sheet in the oven. Cook the seeds for 10 to 20 minutes until brown and slightly crisp, turning once. Pumpkin seeds can be eaten with the outer shell on or off.