Top 11 Foods: Pumpkin Seeds

The only time I think about pumpkin is during Thanksgiving, but ever since reading that article I've been obsessing about, all I can think about is pumpkin, since it made the list TWICE. Once as plain old pumpkin, and again as pumpkin seed! So, it must be good for you, right? I mean, it was published in the NY Times, so it must be true...

I don't think I've ever bought pumpkin seeds, and now I'm buying them every week. However, since I'm not really much of a "grazer", I've incorporated them into my meals, adding seeds to my granola and sprinkling them on salads. A recent conversation with a friend led to the possibility of adding the raw seeds into carrot cake and then toasting them for a crunchy topping on top of the icing. Mmm...can't go wrong!

Here's how I make granola:

4 cups oatmeal
1/2 cup crushed raw almonds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup canola oil

Whisk together honey and oil. Stir together all ingredients until evenly coated. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes, stirring frequently. As the granola bakes, it'll reach a point where it'll start to toast really quickly, so make sure you keep an eye on it. It's like toasting pine nuts...no one likes burned nuts!

You can add chopped dried fruits like figs, cranberries, mangoes, whatever. Store in an airtight container. Yum!

Wish you could have a bite,
Foodsnob

BEETS: The New Spinach

Is RAW better??? Is the raw movement just another fad? Well, in some cases there does seem to be some scientific evidence that raw IS better. Take beets, for example. I love beets. I love preparing them wearing a white long sleeve shirt and white linen pants. I love cleaning up my white tiled countertop. I love how easy it is to prepare roasted beets.

NOT.

And not only do I despise roasting them, it makes me not want to buy them...until now. I recently read a NY Times article about the "Top 11 Foods You're Not Eating", and lo and behold, beets make the cut. But not cooked beets. Raw beets. Yep. Apparently cooking them minimizes their goodness. Makes sense.

So I wondered, how the heck do you eat raw beets? Duh!!! Foodsnob!!! You grate them, make a shallot vinaigrette and let it macerate for a few minutes and presto, you're eating one of the top 11 foods as described in that article you've been obsessing over!

Try it. It's awesome, except, don't be scared when you...errr...use the restroom and think you're bleeding from...well, you get the gist. Oh, and the best part is, you can use large beets. They are just as good and are much easier to clean, lazy people.

Foodsnob's Raw Movement:

about 2 cups grated beets
1 T champagne vinegar
1 T extra virgin olive oil (it has to cost a LOT of money)
1 T fresh orange juice, or 1/2 T fresh lemon juice
minced shallot
zest of orange or lemon
freshly ground black pepper

Whisk together all ingredients except for beets. Pour vinaigrette over grated beets and let sit for at least 30 minutes. The longer it macerates the better. You can also add basil chiffonade and/or goat cheese right before serving just for the hell of it.

Wish you could have a fresh, tangy bite!
Foodsnob

PS I wrote this post last week, and in the meantime, this article came out a couple days ago in the NY TIMES. WTF? I swear I did not plan this...funny how they roast them...