We ate all of the spaghetti squash seeds we made, but here is a nice pic of some pumpkin seeds. Photo by WordRidden

We made spaghetti squash for the first time a few days ago, and topped it with some cherry tomatoes and other veggies for a pasta-like meal.  It was better than I thought it was going to be, but next time I think we’ll need more topping; we had a lot more “noodles” in our spaghetti squash than I was anticipating.  We also set aside the seeds for roasting, which I did tonight.

All winter squash seeds, including pumpkins, are pretty similar and can all be roasted and eaten.  They are also very nutritious.  According to World’s Healthiest Foods website, pumpkin seeds promote prostate and bone health in men, are anti-inflammatory and contain phytosterols  that lower cholesterol.  They also are rich in manganese, magnesium, phosphorous, iron and other vitamins and minerals.

I roasted some tonight with a little olive oil and seasoned salt, and they were crunchy and delicious.  Now I can’t wait to open up some of our other winter squashes and pumpkins and roast some more seeds.  Yummy.

If you’d like to try some, preheat your oven to 350, mix your pumpkin seeds with a little olive oil and seasoning (I used seasoned salt but you can use just about anything you like… plain salt, soy sauce, cayenne pepper, etc.)  Then roast for 30-45 minutes until they are lightly browned and crunchy.

We have been away for a bit, busy with other things which we will tell you more about at a later date.  But, for tonight, I thought I would post a recipe we have been making for a few years.  I originally got this recipe from a Cooking Light magazine a while back but have modified it somewhat to more our liking.  This is one of our favorite stews ever, and what first introduced us to kale.  I hope you enjoy:

1 lb of chicken (breasts or thighs or a mix)

3 tblsp olive oil

6-8 cups of vegetable or chicken broth

2 cloves of garlic (chopped)

3 tsp dijon mustard

2 leeks (white and light green part only, chopped)

1/2 cup of white wine

1 russet potato or two medium yukon gold potatoes (chopped into small pieces)

5 cups of kale (chopped and loosely packed)

salt and pepper to taste

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you like)

Heat 2 tblsp olive oil in a pot over medium heat, when hot add the chicken.  Cook on one side for 3-4 minutes then turn and cook the other side until lightly browned.  Set the chicken aside to cool.   Heat the remaining tblsp of olive oil int the pot and add the leek and garlic to it.  Cook around 4-5 minutes until the garlic and leek lightly brown.  In the meantime, chop your chicken into smaller pieces to add to your stew.  When the garlic and leek are ready add to the chicken that has been set aside.  Use your 1/2 cup of wine to the pan you cooked the leek, garlic and chicken in and use to scrape off the brown bits.  Then add your vegetable or chicken broth as well as the dijon mustard to the pot.  Add the chicken, leek and garlic back to the pot along with the potato, salt and pepper to taste, and your cayenne pepper.  Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 30 minutes.  Add the kale to the stew and simmer for another 10 minutes. Adjust the seasonings if you need to.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did tonight!