Winter Squash Seeds?

We're eating a lot of winter squash this time of year but what can you do with winter squash seeds? Actually, just like you can use winter squash in place of pumpkin in almost any recipe, you can bake the seeds of almost any winter squash just like you would pumpkin seeds. I actually think acorn squash seeds taste better than pumpkin seeds.

I bake the seeds in a 300 degree oven until they start to pop, about 45 minutes. I usually dry roast them but recently, I tried adding a tablespoon of tamari to them after they had begun to pop. I stirred it around and returned them to the oven for 5 minutes. Once cooled they were really delicious, although if you burn them with the tamari, they are almost inedible.

I've also ground the plain, cooked seeds into a flour and substituted it for half of the flour in my scone or pancake recipes. It gives a uniquely nutty flavor to the recipe. If you do this, be sure to really grind the seeds down to flour or you'll find little shards of seed getting stuck in your throat and the recipe won't hold together as well.