Roasted Pumpkin Seeds As Easy As 1-2-3

When I was a kid, we always carved a jack-o-lantern for Halloween, scooped out the pumpkin seeds from inside the pumpkin, and roasted the seeds for a delicious healthy treat. The process is easy as 1-2-3 and a great project to do with kids. 

Make Your Own Pumpkin Puree -so easy

Do you love butternut squash? It's pumpkin season and it's just as easy to cook up small sugar pumpkins and make your own healthy pumpkin puree. Who Knew?

Cooking or baking a pumpkin is not any different than cooking a butternut or acorn squash! 

 Cans have lots of toxins from the metals including BPA- so why expose your family to those toxins when you can make own easily.

sugar pumpkins best for pumpkin puree

I'm not really comfortable even buying the organic canned pumpkin unless I'm really in a rush because of the toxins in that can be in the can.

Pin It

Always use a sugar pumpkin for puree

You definitely want to use a sugar pumpkin for your puree. 

The larger varieties are usually blander as opposed to the sugar pumpkins with are sweeter and more flavorful. 

Sugar pumpkins usually show up at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and even local supermarkets. Of course if you live in an area where they grow pumpkins, local farms and farmer's markets will have them too.

The  "sugar pumpkins" are so cute, I decided to buy one, bake it, and puree my own pumpkin. It just $1.99 at Trader Joe's, and it made what would be equivalent to two cans of pureed pumpkin.

Health Reasons to Make Your Own
Why would I bother to make my own puree?  BPA, Aluminum, and Copper are part of the reasons

• First of all canned foods are not all that healthy because of the cans. 
• There is BPA in cans!!
• Also, cans  are usually made of tin ( which contains considerable amounts of aluminum and copper and can leak into the food), and who knows what else lurks in there. Heavy metals are toxic, especially for little children !
• Even organic canned pumpkin may still expose us to the undesirables that lurk in the can. 
• The pulp of my "sugar pumpkin" was so sweet- it tasted like butternut squash! I wanted to eat it as a side dish for dinner!

Author: Judee Algazi
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Bake Time: 30 minutes
Scoop and Mash Time: 5 minutes
Vegan, Gluten free

cut in half and scoop out seeds- 

Place on cookie sheet ( rimmed) with a cup and half of water 

scoop and mash with a fork or use an immersion blender for a whipped version

Bonus: scoop out seeds, soak in water , and rinse and drain. Spread on cookie sheet and roast for 25 minutes on 375. Season and eat!

Easy Steps to Making Your Own Puree

1. Cut the pumpkin in half- ( first cut from stem to bottom on one side, turn the pumpkin and then do the other side.

2. Scoop out the seeds ( wash them well and you can roast them at 375 for about 25 minutes- they are tasty and healthy)** see below for how to roast the seeds.

3. Place the two halves of the pumpkin face down on a rimmed cookie sheet or large casserole pan. Add 1 and half  cups of water to the pan ( pierce the pumpkins a  few time with a fork)

4. Bake for about 1/2 hour at 350 degrees. ( It is done you can pierce a knife easily into the skin)

5. Allow to cool enough to scoop out the soft flesh and blend with an immersion blender or mash with a fork ( I used a fork)

THAT'S IT!! So Easy!!

Use it within two days or freeze it.
It will only stay fresh for two days in the refrigerator.
However, it freezes for about 3-6 months. 

If you want to freeze it, do this first to remove liquid:
Put the puree into a small mesh colander with a small plate on top to release excess liquid before freezing. Your puree will be firmer after thawing.

Don't forget the pumpkin spices!
You can make your own pumpkin spice mix very easily too.
You can buy a container of pumpkin spice mix iOR use this very easy recipe make your own pumpkin spice mix from ingredients you have in your kitchen.

Try my gluten free  pumpkin pie recipes and other pumpkin desserts 

                                                      My pumpkin recipes 

Note: Pumpkin is considered a winter squash and it not only tastes great, it provides excellent nutrients. 

• High in Fiber -1 cup cooked 3 grams
• Very Low in Calories- 1 cup cooked 49 calories
• Rich source of Beta Carotene ( which converts to Vitamin A in the body) 
• High in antioxidants
• Rich orange color gives it the properties for anti aging for eyesight

If you like this post,  please pin it on Pinterest  Pin It 

This post will  be shared on  

My blog carnival list Plus 

Wan't to be added to My blog list? Let me know

Gluten Free A-Z Blog

If you are new to my blog and would like me to email you my recipes when I post them, please enter your email on my subscribe box in the right top column of the blog.  Don't miss a recipe - about one or two a week.  ( you can unsubscribe at any time)

Food is my passion. I am gluten intolerant, busy. and strive for a healthy balanced lifestyle. It has taken me many years to develop and discover easy healthy recipes that meet gluten free, vegetarian and real food standards. On my blog I share my journey, my struggles, my discoveries, and my new recipes. I hope you find ideas, resources, and recipes that will be helpful to you. Come Back soon.

Author: Judee Algazi

 Please leave a comment so I know you stopped by. I love comments and love to be introduced to your blog. I usually visit and follow your blog on G+ , Bloglovin, and Twitter. Thanks for stopping by. To Comment: Scroll down to the end of the post and click on comments

Disclaimer: I am an affiliate for Amazon and receive a very small compensation when you buy anything from Amazon by clicking on to Amazon from my blog - This helps me defray the cost of my blog expenses. Thank you for your support.

Pin It Visit Gluten Free A-Z's profile on Pinterest. Please leave a comment so I know you stopped by. Scroll down to the end of the post and click on comments.

How to make Pumpkin Seeds ( 3 step tutorial)

When you clean out and carve up your pumpkin for Halloween, don't discard the seeds that are inside of your pumpkin. They can be roasted up really easily and you will have a tasty nutritious snack that everyone can enjoy. 

It's pumpkin season in Bucks County, Pennsylvania (and everywhere) and families are enjoying the yearly ritual of flocking to local farms to pick out their Halloween pumpkins.

Pumpkin Farm 1 block from my house

In addition to serving as a decoration, pumpkins are really versatile.  Many varieties can be cooked and used for pies, (Gluten Free chocolate chip Pumpkin Pie Tart)  pumpkin breads ( Grain Free Banana Pumpkin loaf) )  or be eaten as a vegetable. Pumpkin is a rich source of Beta Carotene, fiber, and are low in fat and calories.

sugar pumpkins are good for pies

Did you know that those gooey stringy seeds inside of your pumpkin are actually very tasty and good for you? ( contain significant amounts of magnesium, iron, zinc, and Vitamins A, B Vitamins and Vitamin K)  The seeds can be quickly and easily removed from the inside of the pumpkin, washed, and toasted to make a crunchy, delicious and nutritious treat that even kids will love .
             

                                 


Just follow these 3 easy steps

1. Slice the top off of the pumpkin and scoop out the inner seeds. Place the seeds in a colander and wash and remove strings.  Pat dry with paper towels.

2. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray and spread the pumpkin seeds in a single layer. Then respray the seeds.

3. Sprinkle with salt and bake at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes, checking and moving them around after 10 minutes.

   Cool and store in an air-tight container.

Variations: Spray seeds with oil and then choose one of the following seasonings to use before baking at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes.

• sprinkle seeds with cinnamon
• Sprinkle seeds with garlic powder and salt
• Sprinkle seeds with Chipotl

Sharing this post on Beth Fish Reads- Weekend Cooking where anyone can share a food related post.


Pin It Please leave a comment so I know you stopped by. Scroll down to the end of the post and click on comments.