Recipe: Toasted Savory Pepitas Sprinkles

Toasted Savory Pepitas Sprinkles

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

• measure :

  to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).

• toast :

  to brown and crisp food in a heated skillet or oven, or in a toaster.

History of Roasted Pumpkin Seeds!

• We don't know when and where people started roasting pumpkin seeds, but Mesoamericans may have been the first since they began growing pumpkins and other squash about 8,000 years ago. 
• Lightly-roasted, unhulled pumpkin seeds are called "πασατέμπο" ("pasatémbo" or "pastime") in Greece, and in Central and Eastern Europe, they press roasted pumpkin seeds to make pumpkin oil. 
• Roasting pumpkin seeds is a great way to teach your kids about not wasting food; plus, they are easy to make and yummy to eat. 
• To roast the seeds after they are removed with the pulp when making pumpkin pie or creating jack-o'-lanterns for Halloween, first rinse any leftover pulp from the seeds in a colander (it's okay if a little pulp remains). Next, pat the seeds dry with a kitchen or paper towel before placing them in a bowl to toss with olive oil and a little salt. You can also add pepper (black or cayenne), garlic powder, or cumin. Have fun experimenting with different spices. 
• Next, spread the seasoned seeds on a baking sheet and roast in a 250 F degree oven for about 45 minutes or until golden brown, tossing the seeds about every 10 minutes so they can brown evenly. If you cover your baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly-greased aluminum foil, cleanup will be easy!
• Roasted pumpkin seeds will supply you with lots of fiber, protein, manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, zinc, and fun!

Let's Learn About Mesoamerica!

• Avocado, tomato, and chocolate. Your kids are likely familiar with at least some of these food items. But do they know that they originally came from Mexico and are based on words from the Nahua people? Nahuatl words "ahuacatl," "tomatl," and "chocolatl" were eventually adapted and adopted into English.
• The Nahua people were an ethnic group found in Mexico with deep cultural roots, and members of one Nahua group were the Aztecs.
• The Olmec were the first major Mesoamerican people and culture. They settled on a river city that archaeologists refer to as San Lorenzo. Historians consider the Olmecs to be one of the greatest civilizations in history. They advanced as artists, architects, engineers, traders, and sculptors without the benefits of migration or influence from other civilizations. Today, much of their culture has been lost, and some of the few artifacts that remain are stone carvings, wooden artifacts, and ruined cities.
• Civilizations that came after the Olmecs were influenced by them and borrowed ideas from them, including the Aztecs, Veracruz, Maya, and Toltec. 
• Mesoamerican cultures had a 260-day calendar for rituals and a 365-day calendar for agriculture.
• People across Mesoamerica played a ritual sport called "ballgame" (in English). Courts were situated in the sacred precinct of a city. Players passed solid rubber balls to each other (no hands allowed!), and the object was to hit them between markers.
• The people relied heavily on corn, beans, and squash for food. They referred to them as the Three Sisters.
• Mesoamericans spoke more than 125 different languages.
• Mesoamericans used pictographic, ideographic, or picture writing. For example, for "I love apple," they would draw an eye, a heart, and an apple.