Pumpkin Pie Spice Roasted Pepitas

It's amazing how fast the time has just flown by lately. It's the middle of October already, and Fall is in full swing. If there's one thing I love about this time of year it's taking walks through the forest or at the park. I love the fresh fall air and sweet smell of fallen leaves. After a crisp long walk it's nice to come home to warm up with something comforting and warm. A cup of hot apple cider would do the trick. These roasted pumpkin pie spiced pepitas would be the perfect healthy little snack to go along with it

Pepitas are actually just pumpkin seeds that are shelled. They look flat and light to dark green in colour.

The healthy benefits of these little seeds are out of this world. They are a very good source of omega 3 essential fatty acids, quality protein, fibre, vitamin E, potassium, magnesium and manganese, iron, zinc, and copper. How's that for nutrition? You'll want to start adding these to your clean diet right away.

There are alot of different recipes out there for roasting pumpkin seeds. Some roast them at high temperatures for a short amount of time and others at lower temps for a longer amout of time. In this recipe I roasted the seeds at a lower temperature, 325 degrees, and they came out perfect. I think roasting them at a lower temperature is key to getting the pumpkin seeds perfectly crunchy without any burning. Just remember though that all ovens are slightly different.

I promise you won't regret making these. They make your whole house smell like fall. They also make great additions to salads or quinoa and are perfect for snacking just the way they are. I calculated the nutrition based on a 2 tablespoon serving.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Roasted Pepitas gluten free (makes 8, 2 tbsp servings)

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoons ginger
• 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoons sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325˚. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, toss all of the ingredients together until the seeds are well coated. Spread the seeds out in an even layer and roast, stirring occasionally, until golden, 13-15 minutes.
3. Let cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a small serving dish or store in an air tight container at room temperature.

Nutrition Information:

Serving size: 2 tbsp Calories: 93 Fat: 7.6g Saturated Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 0mg Carbohydrates: 3.9g Sugar: 1.5g Sodium: 59mg Fiber: 1g Protein: 4.5g

Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Ready for a simple recipe that is the epitome of perfection?

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, the humble sweet potato will be making many appearances.  What would Thanksgiving dinner be without potatoes, both regular and sweet. 

Some of you probably grew up with marshmellow topped sweet potato casseroles+pies.  But why not try a new potato dish this year that's healthy without sacrificing any taste.

Sweet potatoes are a staple in my family.  Personally I love them. They're vitamin and nutrient packed and loaded with fiber.  Not to mention low glycemic. 

I used an all natural smoked garlic seasoning from The Garlic Box.  I'm not promoting this product or anything like that. I just really like this seasoning.  Any smoked garlic powder will work, or if you prefer you can leave it out altogether, but I highly recommend it.

This recipe is really all about the method of cooking the sweet potatoes.  Sometimes I find that basic techniques and simplicity is often over looked when it comes to cooking.  These beauties get all golden brown and crisy on the outside, and on super fluffy-soft on the inside from this low and slow method of cooking.  The slow roasting starts them caramelizing.  The flavour is absolutley amazing!  The simpler the better.

Promise me you will try this method out!  You won't be disappointed.

Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes vegan & gluten free | serves 4

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Ingredients:

• 2-3 sweet potatoes, scrubbed, rinsed and dried
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tsp smoked garlic seasoning
• pinch sea salt (optional)

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350˚.  Slice sweet potatoes into 1/2" thick rounds.  Place in a large bowl.  Add olive oil, smoked garlic seasoning, and sea salt; toss to coat the sweet potatoes evenly.
2. Bake for 25 minutes turning once.
3. After this, turn the heat up to 400˚and bake for another 20 minutes, turning halfway through.
4. Remove from oven and serve.

Tip: These make delicious healthy additions to lunches and salads. I would recommend making extra the night/day before and poping a handful in a plastic zip-top bag. The next day for lunch you can heat them up or just eat them the way they are.  Perfect nutrition to help fuel you through your afternoon.  Delish!