Health Benefits of Pumpkin Seeds – Buy Pumpkin Seeds Online

It is pumpkin time again and those wonderful orange gourds are showing up everywhere. I will post my famous pumpkin pie recipe soon, but I wanted to discuss those little nutritional miracles that too many people throw away. I am referring to – the seeds of the pumpkin.

Pumpkin seeds have been used by North American Indians for their health benefits and as a food source. They introduced pumpkins to the Europeans. Mexican cooking takes advantage of the wonderful flavour and nutritious value of the pumpkin seeds – using them in everything from salads to muffins. They call the flat, green seeds ‘pepitas’. Pumpkin seeds are most nutritious raw, but you can roast them at low temperatures to preserve the natural oils.

Pumpkin seeds are full of wonderful minerals like magnesium, manganese, and phosphorus. They also contain zinc, iron, vitamins and protein. Pumpkins seeds contain phytosterols, which may help lower cholesterol and prevent certain cancers. The Cucurbitace in the seeds has positive effects for slowing or preventing prostate cancer. The other health benefits may include improved brain function and lower depression; improvement of bladder problems including incontinence and urinary tract infection, and treatment of parasites.

Sound impressive? The bottom line is they are simply delicious and very versatile. Add them to cooked veggies, bread mixes, cereals, etc. You can also grind the seeds and add them to rice pudding, oatmeal, ground meat, salad dressings, etc. Pumpkin seeds are not part of the nut family and consequently do not trigger allergies, so they are safe to bring as a snack to work or school.

If you find it difficult to find pumpkins year round, or too messy and time-consuming to roast the seeds, simply buy pumpkin seeds online. That way, you can enjoy their health benefits all year round.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds – Recipes and Ideas

The next time you carve your Jack-O-Lantern, make sure you save all those pumpkin seeds. Roasted pumpkin seeds are easy to make and can be used in many dishes. Add them to salads, bread and muffin mixes, or kids lunches. Try these pumpkin seed recipes and ideas this fall:

General Instructions:

1. Clean out the pumpkin, rinse the seeds and put on a paper towel to dry.
2. For all of the recipes, use a baking sheet and bake in an oven set at 250 degrees. You can cook faster at higher temperatures, but you may lose some of the essential oils.
3. Either spray the baking sheet with a non-stick spray, or mix a couple teaspoons of oil in with the seasonings and seeds before placing them on the sheet.
4. Check and stir seeds every 10-15 minutes. Let roast for 45 minutes, or until the seeds are crisp and golden. Remove them from the baking sheet and let them cool.
5. Store roasted seeds up to 1 month in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

Seasonings: There are so many flavors you can add to pumpkin seeds. Think of popcorn and all the flavors you put on that. In fact, you can sprinkle popcorn seasonings on pumpkin seeds – especially flavors that are hard to make like dill pickle and bar-b-q.

You can make the pumpkin seeds spicy by adding crushed red pepper, cayenne pepper, black pepper or hot chili powder. Try adding some seasoning blends from your cupboard, like Cajun, Tex-Mex or Italian. Add in some garlic powder, sea salt or salt replacement blend for added flavour in your mix.
A sample combination for 3 cups of seeds would be: 2 teaspoons of oil (like canola), 4 teaspoons of garlic powder, 2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper, 2 teaspoons of sea salt, and 1 teaspoon of black pepper. You can add more or less seasonings to taste. Seasonings like cayenne pepper and cajun blends add nice color to the seeds as well.

Let your kids help with cleaning and roasting the pumpkin seeds. Easy recipes for kids will encourage them to learn how to cook and teach them important life skills.

Haunted Halloween Gingerbread Houses

Gingerbread houses are not just for Christmas anymore. Liven up your kitchen with a colorful Haunted House Cookie Kit that you can make with the kids. Wilton Haunted Houses come in pre-baked or pre-assembled kits.

The pre-baked kits are great if you want to put your own house together. You get all the house pieces, along with icing and candies to decorate it. The key to making a gingerbread house that actually stays together and holds its shape is all in the icing. If you make the icing too thin, the walls will separate and won’t support the roof. The key to good icing (for all baking) is to have a proper stand mixer and beat for at least 10 minutes. Remember that the icing needs time to dry – usually an hour. Make the house ahead of time so it is ready when you want to decorate.

If making the house sounds too difficult, the pre-assembled house is probably the best choice for you. The gingerbread pieces are already put together with the icing and ready to decorate. All you need to do is make the icing that comes with the kit. Use the icing to decorate and as glue to attach the candies.

Several types of candy come with each kit, but you can also add your own. Candies can be cut in halves or thirds to change the shape. You can also add black licorice to look like snakes on the lawn (support board) in front of your house or on the roof. There are great sparkle gels available in black glitter or orange goo that you can use to add details to your haunted house. You can also add crushed chocolate cookie crumbs to the front lawn or roof.

When you are doing lines or an outline with icing or gel, hold the bag or tube at a 45 degree angle and touch the tip to the surface where you want to begin. Raise the tip and guide it with one hand as you squeeze the icing bag with the other. To end the line, stop squeezing and touch the tip onto the surface where you want the outline to stop. Icing must be the correct consistency to get a good flow. If you get breaks in the outline, the icing could be too thick or you are moving too quickly. If icing becomes runny as you work, put the icing bag in the freezer for several minutes to firm it up.

Haunted Halloween gingerbread houses are fun to make, great as decorations, and delicious to eat once the holiday is over.