Noshtopia

Recipe: Candied Ginger Pepitas (Pumpkin Seeds) and health benefits

Pepita is a spanish word for "little seed of squash" from a pumpkin or any kind of squash, but traditionally, the word pepita in cooking  is referred to the roasted end product of pumpkin seeds. Pepitas are a good source of iron, zinc, polyunsaturated fatty acids (including the essential fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6), potassium, and magnesium. As well according to Wikipedia:

"One gram of pumpkin seed protein contains as much L-tryptophan as a full glass of milk, making it of interest to researchers studying the treatment of anxiety disorders.^[6] Some eat the seeds as preventative measure against onset of anxiety attacks, clinical depression and other mood disorders.

Sounds like eating Pepitas would be more fun than taking pills.

Candied Ginger Pepitas are a yummy add to things like a salad topping, as a plain snack, into cereal or oatmeal, on top of yogurt, or into a trail mix. Making them is simple.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Pumpkin Seeds (raw is best if you can get them)
• 1 Tbsp light brown sugar (I use organic sugar)
• 1/2 Tbsp evoo (extra virgin olive oil)
• 1/4 tsp powdered ginger (you can add more if you like a more gingery taste)
• Some sea salt for taste

Let's start creating:

Sweet and fiberous snack idea:Figs and Filberts

I've been looking for new snacks that don't contain sugar (outside of fruit), flour, or are fried. Basically, I'd like to nosh on something that isn't chips or cookies, my weaknesses.

At the bulk foods bins, I came across these dried figs and filbert nuts. I first learned about figs when I was marathon training a few years ago. One of the runners in my training group was vegan, and she liked to nosh on figs because they were chewy and sweet. Figs are also fiber rich and are a good source of potassium, a mineral that helps to control blood pressure.

The Filbert aka Corylus Maxima is a species of the Hazel a fruit flower with nuts. I love hazelnuts as a salad or ice cream topping, and non-dairy milk made from hazelnuts makes for a tasty coffee creamer.

Filberts and hazelnuts are excellent sources of protein, minerals, and healthy mono-unsaturated fats. Dr. Oz recommends nuts as a good snack to help cut down overeating and leveling blood sugar so you don't crash and start over craving sweets.

The health benefits of walnuts

Walnuts are one of my favorite nuts, as they are tasty on their own and add a nice crunch to salads, yogurt, and cookies. They are also a nice source of protein.1/4 cup of walnuts will give you 5g of Protein and some healthy MUFA Fat.

Here are some of the health benefits of walnuts:

• Have one of the highest antioxidant content of the tree nuts

• Excellent source of omega-3 essential fatty acids

• A good source of monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) which has favorable effects on helping reduce high cholesterol levels and improve cardiovascular wellness.

• Contain relatively high levels of l-arginine, an essential amino acid, which is converted into nitric oxide, a chemical that helps keep the inner walls of blood vessels smooth and allows blood vessels to relax thus helping relieve hypertension issues.

Who knew a nut could pack so much health benefit. For more health boosting info, check out The World's Healthiest Foods page on walnuts.