It's a festive decoration, a bread, a doughnut, a pie, a muffin, a marshmallow, and an on-the-go snack. I feel that we should take a moment to appreciate the humble pumpkin.

Roasted pumpkin seeds should definitely become your new pantry staple. They are great for out of hand eating as well as a perfect compliment to salads, yogurt, oatmeal, muffins, and I'm dreaming up a chocolate chip pumpkin seed cookie - oh yes. So no throwing out those precious pumpkin guts, okay?

Pumpkin Seed Trail Mix {Pedantic Foodie}

Roasting pumpkin seeds is nearly effortless. I like to roast mine until they are deep golden in color, I like the rich toasted flavor it brings out.

Let’s talk about trail mix for a second. I have always had a minor drawback when it comes to trail mix. My dilemma concerns the fact that it seems there is always at least one ingredient which is less favorable than all the others, and this results in having to pick around said ingredient in order to get to the more tempting elements. It takes me back to my Lucky Charms days, and not in a good way. So, when I was dreaming up this trail mix I was determined that every element be equally desirable. Success!

Freshly roasted pumpkin seeds make their way into our trail mix. Chocolate, salty seeds, buttery pistachios, and sweet cherries and cranberries - do I really need to convince you?

Incidentally, this trail mix was declared the "world’s best trail mix" by a very reliable source, and who am I to disagree? I am pretty sure it has something to do with the equal desirability factor.

This recipe is hardly a recipe in the traditional sense, it’s more of a suggestion with measurements. There are no pots to wash or onions to caramelize, it’s just a simple gathering of good ingredients.

Happy Wednesday my friends!

Sincerely,

Pedantic Foodie

Pumpkin Seed Trail Mix

for the roasted pumpkin seeds

- 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- olive oil, just enough to coat the seeds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with parchment. Drizzle pumpkin seeds with olive oil and toss to coat. Add salt and spread the seeds evenly out on the baking sheet.

Roast for 10-15 minutes or until the seeds are deep golden in color. Allow to cool before adding to trail mix.

for the trail mix

- 1/3 cup pistachios, shelled and roasted

- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

- 1 cup roasted pumpkin seeds

- 1/4 cup dried black cherries

- 1/3 cup dried cranberries

Toss to combine all ingredients. Store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Weekends, in my opinion, are best spent making granola and reading old books. This past weekend I did just that. I woke up a little later than usual, drank my daily dose of chai and began chopping almonds. This granola was created to make servings of unsweetened greek yogurt a bit more exciting. It’s not overly sweet which makes me love it even more. Granola is also extremely simple to make so you don’t have to work too hard on your day off. Let’s get started!

And our lineup includes; almonds, dried blueberries, dried cranberries, dark chocolate (I like 72% but you can use whatever you prefer), dried coconut, oats, pumpkin seeds (pepitas), kosher salt, honey, and molasses.

Let’s talk about oats for a minute. I have always had a hard time with oats, I love their flavor, I hate their texture. I’m trying to get past this though, so in this recipe I used “quick cooking”oats because I don’t find the texture as difficult to get past; baby steps. You can use which ever you like, in fact this whole recipe is very easy to customize. If you don’t like dried blueberries, try subbing dried cherries. Do whatever you want, granola is no-stress kind of baking.

In a large bowl combine honey and molasses and heat in microwave for thirty seconds, this will make it easier to mix with all our dry ingredients. Add oats, pepitas, almonds, blueberries, chocolate, cranberries, coconut and salt to molasses and honey mixture.

Mix thoroughly until everything is well coated and totally sticky. You can use a spoon or spatula but granola is one of those things best mixed with your very own hands. Relax, it’s okay to get a little messy.

Spread granola onto a non-stick baking sheet, don’t press it down. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown, stirring every 3-5 minutes.

Allow to cool for at least one hour before storing in airtight containment. Enjoy!

Recipe: Weekend Granola

4 cups oats
2 cups pepitas
1 1/2 cups raw almonds (roughly chopped)
3/4 cup dried blueberries
4oz dark chocolate (roughly chopped)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup dried coconut
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup molasses
1 1/2 cups honey

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl combine honey and molasses and heat in microwave for thirty seconds. Add oats, pepitas, almonds, blueberries, chocolate, cranberries, coconut and salt to molasses and honey mixture. Mix thoroughly until everything is well incorporated. Spread granola onto a non-stick baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown, stirring every 3-5 minutes. Allow to cool for at least one hour before storing in airtight containment. Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Pedantic Foodie