Food Wisdo

Friends, have you ever wondered how restaurants turn seemingly simple salads and bowls into beautiful and complex dishes? Delicious salad dressings are part of the answer, and crunchy toppings are the other! The solution to intensify your salad game: roasted pepitas with chili and lime! They not only process salads and bowls, they are also great snacks!

These crispy, toasted treats are oil-free and only require 1 pan, 5 ingredients and 15 minutes of preparation! Say hello to infinitely versatile, foolishly simple and nutrient-dense seeds. Let us show you how it is done!

What Are Pepitas?

The word “pepita “comes from the term Pepita de calabaza, which means” small pumpkin seed.”And this is very appropriate, because pepitas are the seeds of a pumpkin or other type of pumpkin (source). But unlike the remains of pumpkin seeds from pumpkin carving, pepitas are green and do not have a white shell around them because they were peeled.

How to roast pepitas

https://foodwisdo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Chili-Lime-Pepitas-Evergreen-Kit-2.jpg

The first step is to coat the pepitas in your favorite spices, plus something to help them stick. For this version we have included sour lime, sweet and sticky maple syrup, smoked chili powder, salt and cayenne as an option for a little heat.

If you want to play with the flavors, you can try curry powder, za’atar, or your favorite spice mix with oil to hold the spices and salt for added flavor. Or opt for a sweet version with pumpkin pie spices, coconut oil, salt and maple syrup!

Once the seeds are coated, cook them for 7 to 12 minutes at 300 f (150 C) or until they darken and swell slightly, giving them a super satisfying crunch!

We hope you will LOVE these grilled pepitas! They are:

Crispy Zink Roast Sweet & salty Quick and easy & Super versatile!

Nibble on these treats for an energy boost and minerals, including magnesium, phosphorus and zinc. Or try them on salads and bowls or whatever would benefit from a crispy garnish!

Roasted pepitas with lime in chili (5 ingredients!)

Roasted, crispy and savory pepitas, perfect for snacking or garnishing salads or bowls. Herbs, oil-free, and only 1 pan, 5 ingredients and 15 minutes needed!

Ingredient

US Usual-Metric

• 1 cup pepitas (peeled raw pumpkin seeds)
• 1 ½ tbsp lime juice
• 1 ½ TSP maple syrup
• 2 Tsp chili powder mixture (no chili or cayenne pepper flakes)
• 1/4 TSP sea salt
• 1/8-1/4 TSP cayenne (Optional)

Instruction

Preheat the oven to 150 C (300 F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

On the prepared baking sheet, add all the ingredients (pepitas, lime juice, maple syrup, chili powder, sea salt and cayenne pepper (optional). Mix with clean hands or a wooden spoon to evenly coat the pepitas with spices. Spread them in a relatively even layer-it does not matter if they are not perfectly even (the result will be delicious pepita grapes)!

Bake for 7 to 12 minutes or until the pepitas are lightly browned, stirring constantly halfway through. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. The flavors will intensify as they cool.

Allow to cool completely before storing in a sealed container at room temperature for 4 to 5 days or in the refrigerator or freezer for up to 1 month.