Tangy lime pairs with chili and other mouthwatering spices to create these flavor-popping pepitas (Spanish for pumpkin seeds). With more and more people allergic to nuts, these spiced pumpkin seeds are a tasty snack alternative ~ delicious sprinkled on salads, a nice crunch on tacos or soup. They make great gifts, too.

Makes: about 1 ½ cup

Time: 7 minutes

How to Enjoy: sprinkled on salad or soup

Ingredients

1 ½ cups crispy pumpkin seeds

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

½ teaspoon finely ground sea salt

⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon

⅛ teaspoon ground urfa chili (or chipotle powder)

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground coriander

¼ teaspoon ground smoked paprika

1 teaspoon coconut sugar (or Sucanat or other unrefined sugar)

Instructions

The day before: Brine the pumpkin seeds overnight and dehydrate in a low tempereature oven, as directed here.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together the crispy pumpkin seeds with the lime juice, salt, spices, and sugar. Spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 5 minutes, toss, and continue baking another 2 to 3 minutes until crisp and puffed. Cool thoroughly before storing in an airtight glass or metal container (to avoid losing crispness, do not store in plastic).

This recipe qualifies for the whole-food plant-based (WFPB) designation, meaning that it is made of only of whole plant foods and does not contain any extracted ingredients, such as sugar or oil, that would damage the body’s endothelium (the inner most lining of the arteries).