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One of the most enjoyable aspects of eating a salad is the bit of crunchiness that the croutons add to each bite. What to do if you are avoiding grain-based carbs for weight control or other health reasons?
Perhaps you simply do not want to consume these highly processed bits of dried bread. They frequently contain MSG among other additives and fillers. Even organic croutons have this problem, by the way.
Homemade Pepitas
My favorite way to add crunchiness to a salad with no carbs is to sprinkle on homemade pepitas. Pepitas are slightly tangy, crispy pumpkin seeds that have been soaked in filtered water with sea salt and a bit of cayenne pepper and then dried in a warm (no higher than 150F) oven to preserve rawness.
As described in Nourishing Traditions Cookbook, seeds were one of the staple foods in the diet of the Aztec culture. Preparation involved soaking the seeds in brine water and then drying them out in the sun. The pepitas were consumed whole or ground into meal for baking after the drying process was complete.
Seeds should always be soaked and then dried before consuming. This neutralizes the anti-nutrients such as phytic acid in the hulls of the seeds which interfere with digestion and absorption of nutrients. Soaking nuts is a similar process.
Why bother eating seeds at all if you can’t absorb the nutrition from them? Once again, traditional cultures show us that proper preparation of the nutrient-dense foods is as important as the food itself.
I hope you find this recipe as enjoyable as I do. By the way, a handful of these pepitas for a quick afternoon snack is very satisfying and will wake you up from any mid-afternoon drowsiness much better than a Snickers bar or other nutritionally empty snack high in calories.
Don’t Have Time to Soak Seeds?
Feel free to use sprouted pumpkin seeds instead of taking the time to soak them if desired. This brand is excellent and what I use. To learn more, this article details the health benefits of soaking vs sprouting.
Fresh Pumpkin Seeds?
Wondering about the white seeds inside a pumpkin? This article details how to prepare fresh pumpkin seeds for eating. It is a bit different than green pepitas.
Paleo Croutons Recipe (Pepitas)
This paleo croutons recipe provides that delightful salad crunch with no carbs. They are made of spicy, soaked pumpkin seeds, traditionally called pepitas.
Ingredients
- 4 cups pumpkin seeds raw, hulled
- filtered water enough to cover
- 2 TBL sea salt
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
Instructions
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In a large glass bowl, stir salt into the filtered water and add pumpkin seeds and cayenne. Leave uncovered on the kitchen counter for at least 7 hours or overnight.
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Drain in a colander and spread wet seeds on cookie sheets. Dry in a warm oven (no more than 150F) for 12 hours or until completely dry. A food dehydrator works well too.
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Pepitas keep well in an airtight container in the pantry - even in warm, humid climates like where I live in Florida.
Recipe Notes
Feel free to use sprouted pumpkin seeds as well for even more nutrition! This brand is excellent and what I use.
Any suggestions for drying the seeds if your oven won't go below 170 degrees? Shorter time, etc,?
Bonnie
Hi Jenna, I get them at Nutrition S'Mart in airtight bags.
Hi Sarah,
Do you order online or is this a grocery store in your area?
Hi, Sarah! Where do you get your hulled seeds? I'm supposed to purchase them in airtight packaging & not from bulk bins, correct? What about butternut & acorn squash seeds (hulls still on)?!? Can I use these somehow – we have plenty here from making squash purées for the kiddos.
Excellent post (love the salad idea) thank you!!!
Jenna
I am very hopeful that the WAPF will have a review of this book is in an upcoming Wise Traditions Journal. Before I potentially waste my time reading any health books these days (there are soooo many), I usually wait to see if they are even worth reading by checking out if they get a thumbs up or thumbs down from the Foundation.
Sarah,
What do you know about the advertisement about the Hugh Downs Report? The book looks interesting, but can it be trusted?
Yes! Dehydrators can be used to dry the pepitas also. Check the user manual on your oven, though. More recent models have the ability to adjust by 20F degrees or so the lowest heating limit.
I noticed this recipe in the Nourishing Traditions cookbook and would love to try it. Because my oven does not apparently go below 170, would this also work in my dehydrator which does? I love nuts and seeds in my salads.
Susie
Hi Sarah, I love pumpkin seeds and my husband and I put them on our salads and also steel cut oatmeal in the morning. I know they have lots of benefits for your health. The recipe you posted for them sound yummy and I will try it out. I noticed all the titles of your posts and will be checking them out as I have a great interest in nutrition and health. (I have read and researched for 20 years due to my youngest son's health, that God healed after 17 years by using food, specifically beans.) Thank you for the interesting blog. 😀
Hi Lisa,
All seed foods with the exception of flax seeds are high in antinutrients such as phytic acid. Flax seeds do not require soaking for this reason. Is soaking sesame seeds is a challenge due to their small size, try sprouting them which achieves the same purpose as soaking. If you keep them wet and rinse 3-4 times per day, the tiny sprouts should appear in 2-3 days.
Sarah, I have used seeds on my salads for years! I am wondering about sesame seeds. I buy my sesame seeds with the hulls still on. Is there any special way of soaking and drying such a small seed?