Pumpkin Seeds – Pumpkin seeds, How to Prepare, Roast and Store

If you normally throw away your pumpkin seeds after you have hollowed out your Jack-O-Lantern, spare a thought for the pumpkin seeds benefits. I think we are all now aware of how healthy seeds are for your dietary needs. See below for a Pumpkin Seed Recipe that even the children will enjoy.Before roasting pumpkin seeds they must be prepared. After you have hollowed out your Jack-O-Lantern, place all the pumpkin seeds in a bowl. You need to remove all the stringing pumpkin flesh from the seeds. Pumpkin seeds will dry and be harder to clean if you don’t do this as soon as you have finished hollowing out your pumpkin, so ensure you clean them while the flesh is still moist. Place the seeds in a strainer and rinse under cold water removing any flesh that is still left on the seeds. Pumpkin seeds then need to be spread on a sheet of waxed paper and left to dry overnight. If you want the seeds salted then place in a bowl of saltwater first and leave overnight. Next day remove from the bowl and spread on waxed paper leave overnight to dry. If you are roasting pumpkin seeds in the oven or in the microwave the preparation is the same. Pumpkin Seed Recipe (seeds cooked in the microwave) Take a rectangular baking dish which is suitable for microwave cooking and place salted butter in the baking dish. Heat the butter for approximately 30 seconds. Add the seeds and coat with the melted butter. Next spread the seeds over the base of the dish in one single even layer. Roasting pumpkin seeds should take about 8 minutes on high (until they are a light golden color) but if you set the microwave for 2 minutes at a time and keep stirring the cooking seeds to prevent them from burning you will be able to get a better idea as to how long they will take as some microwaves are more powerful than others. After cooking, pumpkin seeds can be sprinkled your favorite seasoning. Pumpkin Seed Recipe (seeds cooked in the Oven) After you have finished preparing your seeds, place them in a roasting dish or tray and spray with butter spray. If you have a gas oven it needs to be on gas mark 4. (For electric ovens 350 F,180 C). Roasting pumpkin seeds should take about one hour to cook until a light golden brown. After cooking, seeds can be sprinkled with your favorite seasoning and then allow the pumpkin seeds to cool before being eaten. After Halloween, for a change why not try cooking seeds from butternut and acorn squash prepare and cook in exactly the same way as roasting pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin seeds – How to Store Your Pumpkin Seeds - Pumpkin seeds will last a good while after you have cooked them so if you feel energetic and have plenty of seeds then you could make a large batch for whenever you fancy some. At room temperature in an airtight container the seeds will last for up to three months but up to 12 months if you store them in an airtight container in the fridge. Baked pumpkin seeds are a great source of fibre and nutrition. If you are trying to loose weight use low fat butter or butter spray when you roasting pumpkin seeds and then if you feel a little peckish at any time have some seeds. Pumpkin seeds will benefit you much more than from a fattening nibble. You can store your pumpkin seeds in airtight containers at room temperature for up to 3 months. If you choose to refrigerate them, they will last for up to a year in an air tight container. Pumpkin seeds benefits are many, amongst other things they are a very good source of the minerals phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, amino acids and zinc. Eating pumpkin seeds will improve your nutrition. Seeds are also a good source of other minerals including zinc, iron and copper and a good source of protein Vitamin C and other nutrients, such as Niacin, Vitamin E, and vitamin K, Calcium, Iron and other vitamins, and are even said to lower cholesterol, improve bladder function, ease depression and prevent kidney stones. A free gift of” Delicious Pumpkin Recipes” is available for you and can be downloaded directly from the site. “Delicious Pumpkin Recipes” features delicious recipes like the Russian stuffed pumpkin recipe , Stir fried pumpkin recipe, a delicious pumpkin recipe for fruit cake and a pumpkin recipe for tasty soup.