Snack Attack

Cinnamon Raisin Pumpkin Seeds

   I searched the cupboard for an afternoon snack and came up with nada.  There was food in there, but nothing looked interesting at the moment.  I had a bulk bag of pumpkin seeds from the co-op.    I bought a ton of them since they were on sale, but when I brought them home I realized they were raw.  For some reason I didn't feel like roasting them in the oven in August.  With the blustery weather, it is cozy to have the oven warming the house.
 
    These are not like the jack-o-lantern variety of pumpkin seeds .  They are much smaller and don't have the shell on.  They are high in zinc so they make a great snack without the junk food guilt. I usually bake the pumpkin seeds plain and then add season salt.

  Since we had a plethora of pumpkin seeds I decided to make two batches, one savory and one sweet.  I lined two cookie sheets with foil and olive oil.  Then I put a single layer of pumpkin seeds on each one.  I sprinkled the first pan with cinnamon and the second pan with oregano and garlic salt.

  I baked the pumpkin seeds for about 20 minutes or until they popped.  When they cooled, I added raisins to the cinnamon batch.  These would be great with nuts, cereal and dried fruit to make trail mix or sprinkled over yogurt.  The "pizza" flavored seeds were a salty, crunchy treat.  Another variation to try would be a cayenne, spicy blend.  Happy Snacking!

Pizza flavored pumpkin seeds