My Plate: Pumpkin Seed Superfood

You'd have to be living in a box to escape the storm of pumpkin-flavored everything that hails the arrival of autumn. But along with the marketing onslaught that brings in Halloween is the age-old tradition of pumpkin carving, and making your own homemade toasted pumpkin seeds.

Pumpkin seeds are called a secret superfood in some circles. Not only are these bite-sized crunchies packed with high quality proteins, they are also valued for their diversity of antioxidants. The unique variety of which, "may provide them with antioxidant-related properties that are not widely found in food," according to the website World's Healthiest Foods.

Pumpkin seeds are also rich in minerals like zinc and magnesium, creating a combined effect that preliminary research suggests helps fight prostate and breast cancer.

Getting into the seasonal spirit, my family gathered for a carve-a-thon last night. As we pumped out some pretty spectacular designs, we weeded through the gooey, hair-like pumpkin flesh to pull out the seeds. And with an average 500 seeds per pumpkin, we had a lot to work with. Which is a good thing, because the scariest result of the evening wasn't our pumpkin designs - it was how addictive these toasted treat turned out!

Here's my step-by-step separating and toasting recipe that is guaranteed to make pumpkin seeds your new favorite snack:

Separation:
Scoop out pumpkin flesh into large bowl (we used a huge soup pot)
Pick out the bigger pieces and hairy webs of flesh
Fill bowl with water
Wait for seeds to float to the top, and the pumpkin flesh to sink
Scoop out floating seeds
*Repeat rinsing two or three times depending on how dirty your seeds are. Ours took two rinses.

Toasting:
In a separate bowl, combine extra virgin olive oil with dried chili flakes
Add pumpkin seeds and toss
Sprinkle pepper and a very generous amount of coarse sea salt
Toss mixture and lay out on baking pan
Toast at 350 degrees F (175 C) for 15-20 minutes
*Roasting longer than 20 mins may negate nutritional benefits, so keep an eye on your oven!

Let cool, and enjoy with your favorite pumpkin beer!