Hey friends! Two recipes in one week? I know, crazy town. With JJ being thousands of miles away, it gives me something to distract me from my thoughts and feelings, who likes those anyways. Not to mention having these pumpkin seeds on hand means I’m snacking on something healthy instead of all the chocolate I have on hand, priorities, right?
Now, we did two years long distance back when we were dating, so I’m not really sure why all of two weeks has got me in a tizzy, but sometimes life just hits you like that. Here’s hoping when he gets back in a couple of weeks that I haven’t turned my kitchen into the next Chopped. Here’s also hoping that I haven’t just completely trashed the place and am laying on the couch covered in food crumbs, only time will tell.
I digress.
It’s that time of year again where squashes, pumpkins and vegetables are abundant. I subscribe to my local Field Goods (a produce share of sorts) and lately it seems like the bags are busting with the harvest comfort foods: pumpkins, spaghetti squash, futsu squashes, cabbage, apples and much more. They are heavier each week, making me eternally grateful that I lift weights on the regular.
However, with only two of us in my household and both of us traveling so much this year, it seems like we do not get through our food as fast as we normally do. I hate food waste so I decided to figure out how to get the 3 pumpkins I had on hand cooked and ready for eating either now, or later.
Pumpkin is one of my favorite foods, so it’s not like it was hard.
Easy as {Pumpkin} Pie
Sometimes people get overwhlemed by cooking. I get it. I used to as well. But, it’s because food and cooking seems more complicated than it actually is. If you just take a food, cut it up in some manner (doesn’t have to look like a piece of art), roast it in the oven in some capacity at some temperature between 300-400F, you’ve got the hang of it. Then add a little fat (think olive oil, butter, ghee, duck fat, etc.) sprinkle with salt & pepper and 9 times out of 10 you have a winner.
Food doesn’t need to be complicated to be healthy. And healthy food does not need to be complicated.
Anywho, I roasted my pumpkins, made some delicious pumpkin puree and then was left with a bowlful of pumpkin seeds. I couldn’t very well throw them out, so what did I do? I roasted them, threw some flavorings on them, took some fancy pictures, and VOILA! Magic.
What really goes on behind the scenes…
With the pumpkin puree, i’m planning on making some pumpkin muffins, like these, and am open to other suggestions. For now, let’s check out these pumpkin seeds.
Pro tip: eat these as-is or use as a topper to salads, soups, oatmeal, rice dishes and more to add a crunchy texture. Store them in an airtight container, like a small mason jar, for a week or 2.
