Paula’s Pumpkin Seed Butter
I have been a busy bee in my kitchen coming up with new ways of using all the goodness in pumpkins.
A favourite recipe of mine is one that uses one of the most unsung seeds, a pumpkin seed butter.
When I was carving my pumpkins for Halloween, I made a point of saving the seeds and roasting them.
They make great snacks but it got me wondering how would they fare in a nut, or better said, seed butter. On the same weekend I took part on a Pumpkin Festival here in Frome, organised by the team behind the Field 2 Fork. I did a demo of pumpkin whole use recipes, and this one was definitely a firm favourite.
Going for the full zero waste approach I used the seeds whole and just slightly salted. However, shop bought seeds are perfectly ok to use as well… In this case I would recommend soaking them, to get them soft and to get rid of phytates. It also helps in case you don’t have any miso at hand – this was actually optional but if you want to add just a slight umami twist to it you can just substitute for a teaspoon of soy sauce or coconut aminos.
- 800g of canned black beans
- 1 medium tomato
- 1 small onion
- 3 garlic cloves (or more)
- 1 red chilli
- 1 tbsp of Dijon mustard
- 1 bay leaf (optional)
- 1 cup of water
- 1 tsp of cooking oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
You might need a high-speed blender or food processor.
Soak the seeds for 20 min. Blend all ingredients to desired consistency. Use immediately, it will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks.
I would recommend spreading it over rice cakes and adding some sliced apples or bananas! Or in any other way you use peanut butter.
