Pepitas are pumpkin seeds and we eat enough of them that I order them, four bags at a time through Amazon’s Subscribe & Save. There may or may not be health benefits to eating pumpkin seeds. This article lists some possible benefits but . . I surely don’t know if it’s all true. I’m going out on a limb and saying that eating a handful of pumpkin seeds is probably better for me than eating a handful of potato chips!
Roasted, they are slightly crunchy and take on the flavor of any spices used on them.
Pepitas
This afternoon, I roasted two batches. The ones on the left are the Spicy Roasted variety that I’ve been making at least once a month for the past year or so. I add more and more jalapeno peppers every time and they just don’t seem to be very hot. Maybe we’ve lived in Texas too long. Maybe it’s time to move! 🙂
Vince did tell me today at lunch, after I fixed a Mexican dish, that he thought he was losing his Italian heritage since we’ve been eating too much Mexican!
On the right, are Sweet & Spicy Pepitas and they are good too! Here’s the recipe for them:
Sweet & Spicy Pepitas
2 cups hulled raw pepitas
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg white, slightly beaten
1-1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground jalapeno powder (or add a couple of sliced jalapeno peppers or use red pepper)
Preheat the oven to 350º.
Beat the egg white til frothy. I did it with a fork instead of messing up a mixer. Add the sugar and spices to the egg white. Stir til everything is blended. Add the pumpkin seeds. Stir til they’re coated well.
Spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Cathy Smith says
The problem is when you’re out of Texas, it’s hard to get good Mexican food! I could NEVER leave. Ever.
Lorraine says
I make a similar recipe, taken from the South Beach diet cookbook, and it also has pecan halves and sunflower seeds. No sugar and no cinnamon. I package it in 1/4 cup servings in snack size baggies in the freezer. Makes a healthy quick snack.