When I was young, squash seeds were a go-to fall snack in my house. They came in all shapes and sizes: butternut, acorn, delicata, pumpkin, etc. As soon as the weather was cool enough for squash, seeds would start to appear in Tupperware containers on the kitchen counter. As far as I remember, there was only one flavor: plain, with a bit of salt sprinkled on top.
Recently, I've started to get back into squash. Between weekly visits to the farmers' markets and a return to a mostly-vegetarian lifestyle, squash has once again become the staple that it was in my childhood. With all that delicata and butternut come a great many seeds, which, when roasted, are the perfect afternoon snack.
For flavors, just think about popcorn. I usually do mine in kettle-corn style: a bit of brown sugar, a bit of salt, maybe a dash of chili powder and cinnamon. I recently had zaatar-spiced seeds at my parents' house that were absolutely delicious, and I can imagine variations with Italian spices, garlic powder, pepper, honey, even chocolate. The possibilities are endless.
Once roasted, it's important to let the seeds cool before storing them -- otherwise they'll get soft. But let them cool completely, and they'll keep, stored in a tight plastic container, for about a month (if you can keep them around that long...)
Roasted Squash Seeds
However many squash seeds you have
cinnamon
chili powder
sugar
salt
pam or oil spray
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Spread seeds on a non-stick (pref.) baking sheet in a single layer. Spray them liberally with oil, and sprinkle salt and sugar on top till all seeds are coated. Finish with a few dashes or cinnamon and a dash of chili powder.
Roast in the 300-degree oven for about half and hour, until golden. Depending on your oven, you may want to raise the heat to 320. Take them out when they're golden and your house smells ridiculously yummy.
Let cool completely, then store in Tupperware containers for up to a month.
