it’s the season for ALL the gourds. every store you go to has a big bucket of pumpkins and squash ripe for the picking. many of you are at home cooking up butternut squash for soup, making pumpkin pies, and roasting acorn squash for salads. or some other combination that requires you to scoop out the seeds from your specific gourd.

now before you go ahead and throw out all those good seeds, check out this weeks’s tip.

gourd seeds are not the only good seeds to roast, they are packed FULL of nutrients, healthy oils & fiber. they are awesome as a tasty on the go snack and even better atop a fresh salad.

below is a recipe for a pumpkin spice roasted gourd seeds, but for something simpler, you can use the olive oil and just salt and pepper. you could even spice them like my favorite spiced pistachios.

pumpkin spiced roasted gourd seeds

serves: .5 cup gourd seeds

prep time: 5 minutes

cook time: 20 minutes

total time: 25 minutes

ingredients: .5 cup gourd seeds (seeds from 2 butternut squash, 1 acorn squash or seeds from a smaller pumpkin). 1 tbs olive oil. 1 tsp brown sugar. .5 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp cinnamon. .5 tsp ginger. .25 tsp ground cloves. .25 tsp nutmeg. parchment paper. baking sheet.

start by preheating your oven to 275 degrees f. line your baking sheet with parchment paper. wash your seeds removing any extra pulp and dry very well.

lay your seeds out on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.

sprinkle your seasonings over the top and toss well till everything is lightly combined. roast them in the oven for 18-20 minutes until crispy. remove from the oven and allow them to cool till you can handle them.

eat as is or pop them into your favorite salad.

xo, a

pumpkin spiced roasted gourd seeds

serves: .5 cup gourd seeds

prep time: 5 minutes

cook time: 20 minutes

total time: 25 minutes

ingredients: .5 cup gourd seeds (seeds from 2 butternut squash, 1 acorn squash or seeds from a smaller pumpkin). 1 tbs olive oil. 1 tsp brown sugar. .5 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp cinnamon. .5 tsp ginger. .25 tsp ground cloves. .25 tsp nutmeg. parchment paper. baking sheet.

start by preheating your oven to 275 degrees f. line your baking sheet with parchment paper. wash your seeds removing any extra pulp and dry very well. lay your seeds out on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. sprinkle your seasonings over the top and toss well till everything is lightly combined. roast them in the oven for 18-20 minutes until crispy. remove from the oven and allow them to cool till you can handle them. eat as is or pop them into your favorite salad.

now, most of you won't understand this. but if you are like me and live near/work in a beach town, you will very much relate to what i'm about to say. there is no greater glory than the day after labor day. i drove down to the gym i teach at, which happens to be along the water, and for the first time in MONTHS there was no traffic. 

we have entered those glorious months in a sunny beach town where it is still warm but everyone from out of town has gone home and life can now be properly enjoyed. 

basically, the point of my story is that labor day has come and gone and the unofficial start of fall has commenced. facebook and instagram have already shown me people setting out their autumn decor and indulging in some sort of pumpkin spiced something. and even the weather is playing along today with a heavy marine layer and nice cool temps. the cool temps necessary to turn on your oven and roast something. 

this carrot dish is wonderful on a table as a stunning side dish or good enough to eat as a little meal of it's own. i have seen an influx of heirloom carrots my local stores and they make any carrot dish a little more dynamic in flavor and much prettier in looks. 

moroccan spiced carrots

prep time: 10 minutes

cook time: 30 minutes

total time: 40 minutes

ingredients: 1 lb heirloom carrots, peeled and halved (if they are extra long you can slice the carrot in half and then slice it down the middle). 2 tbs coconut oil. 2 tbs fresh orange juice. 1 tbs honey. 1 tsp cumin. 1 tsp ginger. 1 tsp cinnamon. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp pepper. .5 tsp garlic powder. .5 tsp fresh ground pepper. .25 tsp cayenne pepper. 1 tsp fresh minced parsley. 1 tsp fresh minced mint. mint sprigs for garnish. baking sheet. parchment paper. 

start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees f. line your baking sheet with parchment.in a small bowl, whisk together the salt, pepper, all the dry spices, the honey, oil and orange juice to make a marinade for the carrots.

toss the carrots and marinade together on the baking sheet so the carrots are all lightly coated. roast the carrots in the oven for 25-30 minutes, stirring them about halfway through so they cook evenly.

when the carrots have roasted, remove them from the oven and while they are nice and hot, pour them into a serving bowl or onto a platter.

sprinkle with your fresh herbs.

serve hot and enjoy. 

xo, a

moroccan spiced carrots

prep time: 10 minutes

cook time: 30 minutes

total time: 40 minutes

ingredients: 1 lb heirloom carrots, peeled and halved (if they are extra long you can slice the carrot in half and then slice it down the middle). 2 tbs coconut oil. 2 tbs fresh orange juice. 1 tbs honey. 1 tsp cumin. 1 tsp ginger. 1 tsp cinnamon. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp pepper. .5 tsp garlic powder. .5 tsp fresh ground pepper. .25 tsp cayenne pepper. 1 tsp fresh minced parsley. 1 tsp fresh minced mint. mint sprigs for garnish. baking sheet. parchment paper. 

start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees f. line your baking sheet with parchment. in a small bowl, whisk together the salt, pepper, all the dry spices, the honey, oil and orange juice to make a marinade for the carrots. toss the carrots and marinade together on the baking sheet so the carrots are all lightly coated. roast the carrots in the oven for 25-30 minutes, stirring them about halfway through so they cook evenly. when the carrots have roasted, remove them from the oven and while they are nice and hot, pour them into a serving bowl or onto a platter. sprinkle with your fresh herbs. serve hot and enjoy.