Pumpkin Seeds – Rich, Nutty Deliciousness

It is COLD out there! As many of you know, the Eastern Seaboard of the United States has been hit by the wonderful Blizzard Jonas (cue the wonderfully catchy tune My Name is Jonas by Weezer) and I was lucky enough to have a snow day on Saturday. In order to stave off cabin fever, I decided to make some snacks! (Okay, I also watched Interstellar, which was awesome, and goofed off, and shoveled three times, and worked out, and made homemade chicken rice soup, so I wasn’t totally unoccupied all day.)

 

I’ve been eating a reduced carb diet since about August. For a while, I thoroughly enjoyed my cottage cheese with blueberry jam and lots of cinnamon. I enjoyed pepperoni and cured meat stick snacks. But as the cold winter sets in, I’m craving something crunchy. Enter pumpkin seeds!

 

Pumpkins seeds are very good for you. Plus, they have a nutty flavor, and, when toasted, a satisfying crunch! They taste best to me when they’re toasted, so before I added flavorings, I pre-heated the oven to 300 degrees. Then I spread the pumpkin seeds out evenly on a foil-lined cookie sheet and roasted them for 15 minutes.

I decided I’d try to make two different kinds: a sweeter kind and a more savory kind. Here’s what I came up with:

Chocolate Coconut Pumpkin Seeds (Makes 6 1/4-cup servings)

• 1 1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
• 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp coconut flour
• 1 Tbsp baking sweetener (like Splenda)
• 1/4 kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp water

Toss the warm pumpkin seeds with the remainder of the ingredients, stirring until well coated. Return to the oven for 20 minutes. Allow to cool and enjoy! (160 cals per serving, 7.9g protein, 12g fat, 5.3g carbs, 3.2g fiber)

Maple Bacon Pumpkin Seeds

• 3/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
• 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp Bacon Salt

Toss warm pumpkin seeds in a bowl with the maple syrup and Bacon Salt. Return to the oven for 20 minutes. Seeds will seem still sticky when you remove them, but will harden as they cool. Allow to cool and enjoy! (148 cals per serving, 6.8g protein, 10.5g fat, 6.4g carbs, 2.3g fiber)

Here are the beautiful, crunchy results:

Both of these flavors are Hubs Approved, although of course he prefers the Maple Bacon flavor. (Duh, he’s a man and Canadian.)

Bingley was indifferent to the entire situation the entire time.

What do you do to avoid cabin fever? Are you a fan of pumpkin seeds? Are my dog’s paws the cutest you’ve ever seen in your life?! Let me know in the comments!