Autumn is truly a great season for delicious foods. The farmers markets feature numerous types of apples, as well as concord grapes.
You can get such vegetables as brussels sprouts, cauliflower, peppers, and romanesco (also known as broccoflower).
In addition to all of those wonderful vegetables, there are so many different types of winter squash.
They are all available in the fall. I really enjoy winter squash. They can be roasted and made into desserts, such as breads, cakes, and pies. Or you can make a side dish with the squash or you can make a pot of soup. This year, for Thanksgiving, I am planning on making a pot of pumpkin soup. And then, there are the seeds. Most people know that you can roast pumpkin seeds. That was something that I’d been doing for a long time. Much more recently, I discovered that I could roast the seeds of any winter squash. So, today, I roasted the seeds of a delicata squash. Here is a fun fact about a delicata squash. When you roast it, the peel is also edible. Delicata squash is delicious and nutritious, full of vitamin A and calcium.
So, the seeds. I found a great recipe for roasted squash seeds online. Here is a link to that recipe.
The first thing that you’re going to do is to put your seeds into a strainer and wash them, to get rid of squash membranes that may be stuck to the seeds.
Then, you’re going to take those seeds and place them in a pot of water with half a teaspoon of salt, which you will bring to a boil.
Once the water has boiled, you will turn down the heat and let the seeds simmer for about five minutes. If you are planning on roasting larger seeds, such as pumpkin seeds, you will want to let the seeds simmer for closer to seven to ten minutes.
Once the seeds have simmered, you will take them off the stove and pour them back into the strainer to remove excess liquid. Your next step will be to get out a cookie sheet and cover the cookie sheet with parchment paper. Apparently, the parchment paper is optional. I just really like using parchment paper for this sort of project.
And you’re going to preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. That would be 165 degrees Celsius.
While you’re waiting for your oven to preheat, you’re going to put the seeds into a small bowl. Drizzle about one to two teaspoons of olive oil over the seeds and shake the bowl to ensure that the olive oil has covered all of your seeds. Once the seeds are suffiently covered by olive oil, spread the seeds on the baking sheet.
There should be a single layer of seeds on your sheet. Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake for twenty to thirty minutes, making sure to stir every ten minutes.
Once the seeds are dry and crisp, you can take them out of the oven. If you would like your seeds more salty, this would be the time to add salt.
And voila! Dessert! Delicious, nutritious, and crunchy. It doesn’t get any better than that.
One of my favourite fall fruits is spaghetti squash.
It is a great alternative to wheat-based spaghetti and I eat it with a regular spaghetti sauce.
I like to add a handful of pumpkin seeds to my salad. They are also called "Pepitas".
I love squash of all kinds but butternut and acron are two of my favorite fall squash. You brought back memories of the squash seeds, I use to roast pumpkin seeds often, now I have to get some squash for the seeds! 🤗
My favorites are delicata and butternut, because they have the thinnest skin and so are easiest to work with.
I don't know why I never thought of doing this! I am adding to my to-do list. I live in Texas, so I have never heard of broccoflower. Is that just a regional thing?
I never got on the "Oh My GOsh – Pumpkin Spice EVERYTHING in the fall! In fact, I don't really like pumpkin.
However, when it comes to pumpkin seeds… Mmmm I like them! Add squash seeds to the list as well! I never made them, and you have inspired me to go pick up some squash from the local market.
Gotta admit that none of that appeals to me! With the seeds, I mean. but I do like squash. And I used to love it, until I was pregnant with my son. I couldn't eat it then or for quite some years afterward. But I like it again now. And I don't really like pumpkin, either. Sweet potato souffle and pie, yum! Come to mama. Pumpkin, not so fast! So I plan to make a sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving, and if they don't sell out, buy one of Patti LaBelle's sweet potato pies at Wal-Mart.
Thank you for this idea.. while I have eaten roasted pumpkin seeds before, I don't know why I never thought of doing this with all those seeds at home.. I will be doing this soon, definitely