Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Fall is my all-time, hands down, favorite season of the year. The colors, the weather, the food, I love it all. While I sing fall’s praises, I have to say that I’m not into the pumpkin-spiced everything craze. That said, I love this recipe because it allows the pumpkin seeds and spices to shine. It’s also great for taking on a hike (one of my favorite things to do in the fall), snacking, or for parties... it’s quick, easy, and if roasted properly and stored in an airtight container, the pumpkin seeds will last 2 weeks.

Takes 25-30 minutes (16-18 min. to roast seeds; 5-10 min. to harvest seeds)

Makes 1 1/2 cups

1 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp of the following spices:
Desert Provisions Hatch Red Chile Powder, turmeric, cumin, onion powder, Desert Provisions Sonoran Sea Salt

Heat oven to 300. Cut top off pumpkin top and harvest pumpkin seeds, removing as much flesh as possible. Add spices to a jar with a lid and shake. Place pumpkin seeds (they will be slippery and a little slimy feeling) in medium sized bowl and add olive oil, stir to coat. Add spices and gently stir with a spoon to evenly coat pumpkin seeds. Evenly spread pumpkin seeds on parchment paper on a baking sheet, make sure not to overcrowd. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until toasted.

Cook's notes: It’s fun to experiment with other spice blends depending on your preferences. You can also use a different oil or liquid to coat the seeds so the spices will stick. I’ve seen some fun recipes using soy sauce and honey, so get creative! Here are a few other very simple blends all using equal parts spices (start with a 1/4 tsp of each spice per 1 1/2 cups seeds and work your way up depending on the amount of seeds you plan to roast).