Pepitas (Pumpkin Seeds)

Heat a small heavy frying pan, add the pumpkin seeds and dry-fry for a few minutes, stirring constantly as they swell. If you don’t stir them, they will burn!

When most seeds have swollen, add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes, stirring constantly. (What would be worse than burnt pumpkin seeds? Burnt garlic!)

Add the salt and the crushed red pepper and stir to mix. Turn off the heat, but keep the pan on the burner.

Sprinkle sugar on the seeds and shake the pan to ensure that they are all coated.

Squeeze some lime juice (I use it out of a green plastic lime, it’s okay!) and stir in the pan to cook some of it off and distribute the flavor.

Transfer to a bowl and voila – delish!

The seeds are kinda sticky from the juice, but still so tasty. Don’t want to get your fingers messy? Use a spoon! I usually double the recipe, but beware – that means you’ll eat twice as much!

Also, I buy these seeds in bulk at a food store. You can’t just pull the seeds out of a carving pumpkin and get these. Look at the picture – way different!