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Pumpkin Seeds: Toasting and Nutrition
Halloween and Thanksgiving are pumpkin months. In the cooler climes, you can buy a pumpkin for Halloween and, if you don't carve it, you can pretty well count on it's being around through Thanksgiving. Good value for your money with that purchase!
What's nice is that you can also use every bit of the pumpkin up, well, except the outer skin and stem, at any time until it rots! Paint one side of the pumpkin for Halloween and then turn it around and use it as a Fall Harvest/Thanksgiving decoration until you can't stand it anymore and want pumpkin seeds and pie.
Pumpkins are in the gourd family and have a bunch of beta-carotene, which the body converts to Vitamin A. Vitamin A contributes to clear skin, in case you're interested! Pumpkin pulp can be used to make bread, soup, crackers and pie. Pumpkin seeds, per cup, have the following major nutritional components, in descending order:
Vitamins: Vitamin A 39.7 IU; folate 5.8 mcg
Minerals: Potassium 588 mcg;
Magnesium 168 mg;
Phosporus 58.9 mg;
Calcium 35.2 mg;
Sodium 11.5 mg;
Zinc 6.6 mg;
Iron 2.1 mg
Protein: 11.9 g or 24% of RDV
Interestingly, Zinc at 6.6 mg is 44% RDV! Zinc is very necessary for proper functioning of the human body, from hair shininess to male prostate health. It is difficult to come by, so if you can munch some pumpkin seeds every day, you are doing your body a good turn.
Pumpkin seeds are simple to prepare as a snack. First, gut your pumpkin! Remove all the seeds to a collander, rinsing the seeds and removing all the orange pulp from them. Dry them gently on a towel and then place them, one layer deep, on a greased cookie sheet, sprinkling with sea salt to taste. Cook for about 40 minutes in a 250 degree F oven, turning several times, gently.
Store the cooled seeds in an airtight container and they will last several months.
What's nice is that you can also use every bit of the pumpkin up, well, except the outer skin and stem, at any time until it rots! Paint one side of the pumpkin for Halloween and then turn it around and use it as a Fall Harvest/Thanksgiving decoration until you can't stand it anymore and want pumpkin seeds and pie.
Pumpkins are in the gourd family and have a bunch of beta-carotene, which the body converts to Vitamin A. Vitamin A contributes to clear skin, in case you're interested! Pumpkin pulp can be used to make bread, soup, crackers and pie. Pumpkin seeds, per cup, have the following major nutritional components, in descending order:
Vitamins: Vitamin A 39.7 IU; folate 5.8 mcg
Minerals: Potassium 588 mcg;
Magnesium 168 mg;
Phosporus 58.9 mg;
Calcium 35.2 mg;
Sodium 11.5 mg;
Zinc 6.6 mg;
Iron 2.1 mg
Protein: 11.9 g or 24% of RDV
Interestingly, Zinc at 6.6 mg is 44% RDV! Zinc is very necessary for proper functioning of the human body, from hair shininess to male prostate health. It is difficult to come by, so if you can munch some pumpkin seeds every day, you are doing your body a good turn.
Pumpkin seeds are simple to prepare as a snack. First, gut your pumpkin! Remove all the seeds to a collander, rinsing the seeds and removing all the orange pulp from them. Dry them gently on a towel and then place them, one layer deep, on a greased cookie sheet, sprinkling with sea salt to taste. Cook for about 40 minutes in a 250 degree F oven, turning several times, gently.
Store the cooled seeds in an airtight container and they will last several months.
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1. Vegetarian recipes
2. Smoothie recipes
How? It's easy!
Privacy policy:
Your email address is safe;
we NEVER share our list.
