Spicy Roasted Pumpkin and Sunflower Seeds
I think people expect me to have, um… food… for them when they drop by my house. Weird.
Don’t they know I eat popcorn for dinner?
I’m learning.
I’m learning that I need to have at least a few staple items on hand for unexpected house guests: a jar of these spiced nuts, a cold bottle of vodka, fresh oranges and an old school juicer.
What a hostess I’m shaping up to be. Dang.
Nuts and spices need a little glue to be friends.
Egg whites. Winner.
These nuts bake up smokey and spicy with a hint of sweetness and lots of crunch. They’re pretty and satisfying.
And! Sealed in a glass jar with a bow, these nuts make a pretty great hostess gift… just sayin’.
Spicy Roasted Pumpkin and Sunflower Seeds
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste after baking
3/4 teaspoon dried chili flakes
1 large egg white
plus generous pinches of each of these spices to sprinkle over the top of the nuts just before they go in the oven.
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet and set aside.
Mix together salt, sugar and spices. Set aside.
Whip egg white in a medium bowl until loose and frothy. Add the raw nuts and toss to coat. Add the mixed spices. Toss to coat as evenly as possible.
Spread seasoned nuts in a single layer across the greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle nuts with a bit more seasoning. A generous pinch of each. You can totally eyeball it.
Place nuts in the oven and let bake for 7 minutes. Remove nuts from the oven to toss and flip. Return to the oven for another five minutes. Toss and flip them again and then bake for another 3 minutes. Nuts should be nicely browned. Carefully taste the nuts and add more salt to taste. Cool nuts completely before serving. Store in an airtight container for a week.
81 Comments Add A Comment
i like the combo of sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. hope you are feeling better!!
YUM! LOVE spiced nuts n’ seeds….so very tasty. I’m totally on board with your gift-giving idea as well: I started saving my little nut butter jars last month so I’ll have a handy collection when the holidays roll around to fill with nuts and snack mixes!
Thanks for sharing another fantastic one :) Have a great weekend!
I love the combo of pumpkin and sunflower! These would be perfect for guests!
you just gave me an idea..
I like it! Thanks for sharing.
This recipe would probably work great for other nuts as well, say like pecans or walnuts or almonds or all of them. Just toast them a little longer. Nice recipe.
your wit and recipes always make my day…can’t wait to try these!
oh yes I am so making this. thanks for sharing
yumm what a great snack!
I love roasted pumpkin seeds but never thought to combine it with other seeds! YUM
I once had roasted pumpkin seeds but with maple syrup and not quite as spicy. So frickin’ good. I totally didn’t think to add egg whites.
Mmm… spiced seeds are the bomb. I’ll have to try this spice mix with mixed nuts.
Love that these babies are SPICY!
I’m learning something similar – to keep certain ingredients on hand in case I need to whip up a quick batch of something or another.
I’ve never thought about using egg whites as a binder… but it’s quite a low-fat alternative, no? Yummy.