11 Sep Toasted Sesame Pumpkin Seed Topping

Posted at 00:00h in Recipes by

Oh boy, it’s confusing out there. Just when I’m comfortably enjoying my (mostly) plant-based diet (full disclosure, I eat eggs, but only from deliriously happy hens), my once devout vegan doctor friend announces she’s full-on keto (meat and fat). My comfort level with pretty much any major life decision I make lies with population studies. They make sense to me, and population studies for years have supported a plant-based diet, so Dr. Judy and I are just going to have to respectfully enjoy different opinions. With all the push and pull and wildly swinging arguments, I also maintain that anything good, however small it may be, is still good. So rather than drastically turning any aspect of your life upside down, perhaps just try adding good actions/habits/deeds to your routine, and watch them grow. Scrolling through social media the other day I found this statement on yet another popular diet trend The Paleo Chef (don’t get me started), and I did agree with this statement (although I don’t agree with everything Paleo….):

“So, what if, instead of thinking about solving your whole life, you just think about adding additional good things. One at a time. Just let your pile of good things grow.”
So this week’s recipe is about one easy, tasty and healthy thing you can add to pretty much any savoury dish and give it a hearty nutritional boost. I think this also adds appealing visual interest to your food. Oh, and lets not forget that it accomplishes the almost impossible, it’s: gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free, grain-free, plant-based, ketogenic-friendly, vegan, vegetarian, sugar-free, Paleo-friendly, and… have I forgotten anything??This easy-to-prepare mixture of white and black sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds and Himalayan salt merely takes minutes to prepare, and will give you the following:

  • Calcium
  • Magnesium
  • Zinc
  • B vitamins
  • Omega 3 fatty acids
  • Fibre

In addition to the above, there are trace amounts of additional important minerals, vitamins and plant-based healthy fats.

Toasted Sesame Pumpkin Seed Topping

1/2 cup white sesame seeds
1/2 cup black sesame seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup hemp seeds
2 teaspoons Himalayan salt

Lightly toast sesame seeds in iron skillet over medium heat. Keep stirring seeds and watch carefully because you don’t want to over-roast – those suckers can burn in an instant! I often lightly toast pumpkin seeds in my convection/toaster oven. Again, watch closely…..as soon as they’re fragrant they’re done – a minute longer and they are burnt!

Chop the pumpkin seeds. Combine all ingredients and store in glass container in fridge. Enjoy with any of your savoury dishes….my favourite is to simply sprinkle on an avocado – the perfect “fast food”!