It’s All Hallow’s Eve where the veil between this reality and the spirit world becomes thin (or so Celtic legend goes). Once you carve your scary pumpkin into a jack o’ lantern to stave off the evil spirits, save the seeds for a healthy Halloween treat!

Loaded with protein, fiber and essential vitamins (such as high quantities of manganese, magnesium, phosphorous, tryptophan, iron, copper, vitamin K and zinc), pumpkin seeds are as delicious as they are nutritious. (Click here for a nutrient analysis).

Although I usually go with the Cajun spice, this year I thought we might try something a little more smokey rather than spicy! Try out this roasted pumpkin seed recipe and let us know what you think:

Smokey Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients

1-2 cups pumpkin seeds from a fresh Halloween pumpkin
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp sea salt

Preparation

1. Rinse seeds and pick out any remaining pumpkin guts.
2. Soak seeds overnight. (If you have time, this makes the seeds crispier when roasted.)
3. Lay seeds out on wax paper to dry.
4. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
5. In a bowl, combine dry seeds and remaining ingredients. Toss until coated.
6. On a baking sheet, spread seeds out in one layer.
7. Bake for about 30 minutes, stirring once, until golden brown.
8. Enjoy!

Do you have any roasted pumpkin seed recipes to share? Leave them in the comments below. Happy Halloween!