I try so very hard to eat non-processed, healthy, nutrient dense food. But one daily food craving in particular is making this healthy living business difficult for me! The problem – I love plain tortilla chips. I love them with salsa, hummus, guacamole or just with a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Yummmm! It’s become quite the vice lately though. I always crave them right after work + tend to binge a bit on them when I get home. I suppose there are worse things to crave, but I also know tortilla chips can be quite high in calories + fat.
I normally prefer to only eat homemade snacks if possible – homemade snacks that are more nutrient dense than a few handfuls of tortilla chips. Fresh fruit + veggies are always great for snacking, but sometime you just need something salty/savoury. So, in order to overcome this tortilla chip “addiction”, I’ve decided to start testing out some healthier, salty/savoury snacks to have after work.
First up, these fantastic, yummy Chile Spiced Pumpkin Seeds. The seeds are toasted and tossed with some fantastic, earthy spices. A light sprinkling of salt finishes them off and makes them perfect for curbing a salty-snack craving. The chile powder I used has a mild heat that is quite addictive! Since the spice mix is quite rich, however, there is no need to have more than a tablespoon or two.
I think these Chile Spiced Pumpkin Seeds would be fantastic sprinkled on top a Latin-inspired salad. They would be a great addition to this lime cilantro black bean salad by my friend Destini at The Healthy Wife. Or on top of a tortilla soup or enchiladas. I think I’ll add them to my black bean burgers the next time I make them! They’ll add a fantastic spicy crunch to the burgers.
Do you have any food you consistently crave?
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon of chile powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 and 1/2 cup of unsalted shelled pumpkin seeds
- salt to taste
Method
1. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Stir in the cumin, chile powder and garlic. Heat through for about 1 minute, stirring to combine.
2. Add pumpkin seeds and salt. Stir to coat the seeds with the spices. Stir seeds constantly until the seeds are a nice golden brown (about 7 minutes).
3. To retain their crunch, transfer seeds to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper until cooled. Once cooled, you can serve the pumpkin seeds or store them in a closed-jar at room temperature.
Source: Veggie Life Magazine
Also, I would like to thank my friend Willow from Will Cook For Friends for the “One Lovely Blog Award” nomination! I was thrilled to receive the nomination from such a talented blogger! Willow is one awesome lady. I adore her writing style and am in awe of her fantastic food styling + photography skills. Please be sure to check out her wonderful blog!
Upon receiving a nomination, one is supposed to do two things: (1) write up 5 things about oneself that other bloggers may not know or would find interesting and (2) nominate other inspiring bloggers for the “One Lovely Blog Award”.
Things About Me
1. I love to watch Criminal Minds. But then I can never sleep afterward! I’m a huge wuss sometimes.
2. I love, love, love afternoon naps. I don’t get to nap often, but when I do, it’s blissful and so relaxing.
3. Every single summer, I watch Big Brother. It’s my guilty pleasure. My winter guilty pleasure is The Vampire Diaries. My sister and I always watch it together.
4. Cooked greens gross me out. I’m trying so hard to like them! I love raw greens in salads and such. But I cannot handle cooked spinach in particular. Popeye would be disappointed! *hehe*
5. Cherries are my very favourite fruit. Love them! Looking forward to cherry season. I’ll eat so many that I’ll give myself a stomach ache! *hah*
5. Cherries are my very favourite fruit. Love them! Looking forward to cherry season. I’ll eat so many that I’ll give myself a stomach ache! *hah*
And I nominate the following bloggers for the “One Lovely Blog” award:
Helena @ Peaches + Cream
Celyna @ Love.Peace.Happiness.Cooking
Lysa @ Lysa’s Kitchen
Dassana @ Veg Recipes of India
Emilie @ Scarborough Food Fair
Please check out these inspiring, creative bloggers + send them some love :)
oh wow those looks so delicious! the perfect salty-crunchy snack! thanks for sharing!
Awe, no problem! Thanks for stopping by + taking the time to comment :) Love all the wonderful comments!
Such a great way to find other bloggers too. Your blog is GREAT! :)
You are so nice…! thank you so much for the nomination. :) I am so glad I found your blog and all your amazing recipes!! I have a constant crave too…bananas and Peanut butter. I just love the combo…!!
You are most welcome! I am glad to have found your blog too! Love all your creative recipes!
Mmmmm! Peanut Butter + Banana! Love that too! :)
the pumpkin seeds are looking yummy.
thanks for the nomination courtney. i will be able to send the blog love once i come back from my vacation….
You are welcome Dassana :) I absolutely adore your blog. Your recipes are fantastic, your photos gorgeous and I love how you explain things so well. Hope you are having a nice vacation! hugs!
I love pumpkin seeds! Please let me try these. xoxo
these remind me of the chile spiced nuts at trader joes which i used to love and eat wayyyyyyyy too many of! what a great alternative. i think dayv might love these!
I get to go to Trader Joes in two weeks! :) Very excited!!! Jesse and I are heading to Minneapolis for 5 days to celebrate my 30th birthday. I’m going on a shopping spree at Trader Joes! *hah*
love this idea! they sound delicious!
Awe, thanks! They were incredibly delicious – even for a small snack. Pumpkin Seeds might not be the picture of gourmet eating, but they were super addictive :)
These sound so good! I immediately thought of throwing them on a salad, but then I saw your burger idea- I think that’s the way to go!
I agree with you- nap time is the best. My dog even knows the word “nap” and runs and jumps on the bed whenever I say it. She knows me so well! :-)
I think I’ll make some black bean burgers this week and add the seeds into the mix. I have a feeling it will make the veggie burger much more interesting! Great pop of flavour and crunch.
I love your dog! Such a smart one! We hope to get a puppy soon. I definitely plan on teaching it what nap time is. *hehe* Naps are so comforting and cozy. Love them!
Awesome recipe!! I love roasting pumpking seeds, but usually stick to just a bit of salt to season them… but these sound so, so good! Will definitely be trying this! :D
Thanks Willow! :) Just a simple little recipe, but really quite addictive! :) I made a large batch and placed them in a container in the fridge. I’ve been snacking on them, but also adding them to salads and other dishes throughout the week. :)
I have the same exact craving for tortilla chips! I love your idea of trying out substitutes. Can’t wait to see what you come up with. :)
I’m glad I’m not the only one! I think it will be tough to stop buying the plain tortilla chips. But I’m slowly coming up with other snacking ideas and think I’ll eventually kick the tortilla chip habit. *hehe*
I agree about cooked greens! I love spinach in every form and can handle it cooked in a dish, but if I get a piece of cooked spinach on its own it grosses me out. And in leftovers it’s even worse! Your pumpkin seeds sound great and I admire your efforts to make your own homemade snacks!
Thanks for the tip Natalie :) I have turned it off, so commenting should be easier now. I’ve been having trouble on other people’s blog with the commenting too. One word is legible and the other one seems completely blurred out. So, it’s not your eyes. *hehe*
And I totally agree! Cooked spinach is even worse in leftovers! *haha* :)
I am so the same way about tv shows! I like getting sucked in to all the criminal true stories and unsolved mysteries, etc. Then I wonder why I can’t sleep at night and why I keep thinking I am hearing someone break into the house. ha. Maybe if I eat some of these pumpkin seeds it will calm my nerves :)
*hah* It’s so true! I watched Criminal Minds last night before bed. BAD IDEA. I don’t know why I do that to myself. *haha* I was up all night. I kept a bottle of Febreeze under my bed just in case I needed to spray an intruder in the eyes. *hahahahah*
These look so good Court! After work I always get hit with the urge to snack, on anything -sometime I crave carbs, nuts, crackers and hummus. I have been trying to up my water intake and that seems to help, and also just heading home changing for the gym, feeding the pup and grabbing a handful of nuts before heading to the gym so I am not loitering in the Kitchen!!
That’s a really good idea. I think I need to have a healthy snack at work before I leave then head home and get right into my gym clothes + sneakers. I tend to come home, snack and then sit. And then it’s SO tough to get up and go exercising. I need to make more of an effort. I know that I’m really tired after work every day. But, if I just get moving, I’ll likely have more energy. Such a catch 22! *hah*
i like salty and spicy snack anyday! that is indeed intriguing why you cant eat cooked greens:)
Salty and Spicy snacks are the best! mmmmm! :)
I’m trying really hard to start liking cooked greens. I’ve never liked the texture for some reason. I know cooked greens are so healthy for me, so I need to learn to love them! *hehe*
I love pumpkin seeds! I try to eat a lot of them because they’re high in magnesium, which can help prevent migraines. But sometimes I get bored of eating them plain, so I’m going to save this recipe!