It’s spooky season AND National Pumpkin Day, which means it’s time to bring out our scariest Halloween decorations and get ready to carve some pumpkins! Carving pumpkins has to be one of my favorite Halloween activities, besides stuffing my mouth with a bunch of sugary treats. It’s an extremely fun activity to do with your friends and family. Carving pumpkins, however, can be quite wasteful as most of the time you end up trashing the guts of the pumpkin. But pumpkin seeds are full of nutrients and antioxidants like carotenoids and vitamin E — and should not go to waste!
Pumpkin seeds can be a stellar addition to your favorite granola recipe, and in this granola recipe we’ve incorporated almonds, cranberries, coconut flakes and of course, pumpkin seeds, straight from the guts of the pumpkin we carved last night! Zero waste October here we come!
Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats
½ cup raw almonds
½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup melted coconut oil
¼ cup honey
¼ cup coconut flakes
¼ cup cranberries
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl, toss together the oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds, salt, cinnamon, coconut oil and honey. Make sure everything is well-mixed.
- Pour the granola onto your baking pan lined with parchment paper. Don’t spread out the granola too much or it won’t stick together, unless you don’t like chunky granola.
- After 10 minutes of baking, mix in the coconut flakes and bake for about 10-13 minutes more.
- Once you take your granola out of the oven, top it off with cranberries or your favorite dried fruit.
And you’re done! Allow the granola to cool for about an hour before storing it away. Granola can be a great addition to your oatmeal or yogurt in the morning AND it can be a great snack to munch on throughout the day. Happy baking, Golden Bears!
