One reader recently told me that she has a hard time getting her children to eat nuts.
I have had the same problem with one of my children who pretty much refuses to eat pumpkin or sunflower seeds.
I wouldn't normally mind this, but he has life-threatening food allergies to almost all nuts, with the exception of almonds and macadamias, so my options for getting good nutrition into him via nuts and seeds are quite limited.
I grind my own nut and seed butters using our Vitamix, so I have been able to make treats for our family using sunflower and pumpkin seed butters, but I always love having new options for snacks, especially ones that are easy to make and easy to take.
This recipe really fit the bill. My son will eat it -- including the pumpkin seeds -- my whole family loves the flavor, and it is an easy snack to take along when you are on the go. We package this mix in small plastic bags from Country Life Natural Foods and secure them with Twixit Clips from Amazon.
You can opt for a spicy version with the cayenne added as written; for a non-spicy version, just omit the cayenne.
And for those of you who took advantage of our raw almond buy this year, this is a great way to enjoy your almonds.
Please let me know what you think!
Seasoned Nuts and Seeds
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups almonds (or any combination of nuts)
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
2 Tbsp granulated sweetener (if using liquid sweetener, reduce water accordingly)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp coriander
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp coconut oil
Toast nuts and seeds in a dry pan (optional; if you prefer your nuts raw, omit this step). Mix all spices in a bowl. Boil water, coconut oil, and sweetener over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Pour over nuts and seeds, stirring continually until almost all liquid has evaporated. Sprinkle spice mixture over nut mixture and stir to coat. Spread out to cool on cookie sheet or other large surface.
Hi Adrienne,
Thanks so much for getting back to me. I appreciate the link to the post. I did find it before and it certainly looks enticing. Ever since we tried kabocha, it has become our favorite winter squash.
Anyway, your idea of soaking them with salt is interesting. Do you think that might soften them more?
When you prepared your Seasoned Nuts and Seeds (sounds delicious, by the way), were you using shelled pumpkin seeds like pepitas, or raw pumpkin seeds in their shells?
You're welcome! I suppose that the salt might help. I have never tried it any other way. It for sure makes them taste great! I used shelled seeds. They're great. Hope to have more options in the future!
I was glad to find your blog today when I was looking for information on storing and toasting nuts and seeds.
Have you ever roasted kabocha squash seeds? Mine come out too hard and I've tried several different oven temperatures. Some say use a very slow oven (like your recipe for almonds above), others use medium or even high (400F).
I've even tried soaking the seeds for a full day first.
P.S. I don't have a dehydrator so reference to once won't help me.
Hello Faye - I haven't ever tried it. I did find this post on it today, however - is this any different than you have seen? Have you soaked them w/ salt as well as with water?
Yes, I always soak my almonds, even if I am going to toast my nuts and seeds, since it enhances the flavor. I would toast them in the oven on low (around 200 degrees) or in a pan until they start having that "toasted nut" smell. You'll have to watch them more in the oven, of course. I have burned many nuts (and other things) in the past.
Let me know how they turn out!
Do you still soak these prior to toasting? Also at what temp & how long would you toast?
This sounds yummy and I look forward to trying it.
Thanks!!!
Shelley~