It’s a great idea, but we must admit: We have no idea where this recipe came from. We found it in a drafts folder, without the attribution that we attach to all outside content. We searched the web and couldn’t find it; so we apologize to whomever sent it to us. Thanks: We love your recipe.

RECIPE: PUMPKIN SEED CHICKEN OR FISH

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts or 6-ounce fish filets
• 2 cups of panko bread crumbs
• 2 cups of pumpkin seeds
• 4 whole eggs beaten
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt or coarse sea salt
• 1 tablespoon fine chopped oregano leaves
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1 cup cooking oil
• 1 tablespoon black pepper

Pumpkin seeds-crusted chicken breast with sauteed carrot strips. Photo courtesy EatForYourLife.org, which has a gluten-free variation of the recipe that includes Parmesan cheese.

1. SLICE. Preheat the oven to 350°F for 10 minutes. Slice chicken breasts in half, width-wise. Pound down lightly until they are ¼ inch thick.

2. FILL. Fill 3 separate bowls with flour, eggs and the dry ingredients: panko, pumpkin seeds, salt, black pepper, chopped oregano and orange zest.

3. DIP: Coat the chicken breast with flour, then dip into beaten eggs, followed by a dip into the panko mix.

4. SAUTE. In a sauté pan, heat up the oil at medium heat. Lightly sauté the coated chicken breast until it reaches a golden color—about 1 minute on each side.

5. BAKE. Place the chicken breasts onto a sheet pan and cook it for an additional 10-15 minutes. If you are using fish, it requires just 5-10 minutes in the oven; or you may finish it in the pan.

6. SERVE with vegetable(s) of choice and a green salad tossed with whole pumpkin seeds. For a seasonal touch, add some pumpkin seed oil to the vinaigrette!

ABOUT PUMPKIN SEEDS

Pumpkin seeds (called pepitas in Spanish) are flat seeds that lend themselves to a crust. They have a chewy texture and a subtly sweet, nutty flavor.

Pumpkins are indigenous to the Americas. Their use in medicine and cuisine traces at least as far back as the Aztecs, 1300-1500 C.E. The name “pepita,” which translates to “seed,” comes from Mexico, where Spanish settlers called them “pepita de calabaza,” “little seed of squash.”

Pumpkin seeds are available year-round: raw and shelled, raw and unshelled, roasted and shelled, roasted and unshelled. For recipes, choose unshelled seeds.

PUMPKIN SEED TRIVIA

• Pumpkins, other squash and gourds belong to the Cucurbitaceae botanical family, along with cantaloupe, cucumber and watermelon.
• Today, China produces more pumpkins and pumpkin seeds than any other country. Other major producers include India, Mexico, Russia, the Ukraine and the U.S.
• In the U.S., more than 100,000 acres of U.S. farmland are planted with pumpkins, in virtually every state. Illinois is the largest producer of pumpkins, followed by California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and New York.

It’s easy and fun to roast your own pumpkin seeds, using your seasonings of choice (salt, garlic salt, chile powder, etc.) You can also buy organic raw pumpkin seeds in bulk.

1. PREPARATION: If you’re using seeds straight from the pumpkin, first wipe them off with a paper towel to remove excess pulp. Spread them out evenly on a paper bag or paper towel and let them dry overnight.

2. PREHEAT the oven to 160°-170°F (75°C). Place the seeds in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Season as desired.

3. ROAST for 15 minutes, but for no longer than 20 minutes. (After then, the heat engenders a negative change in the healthful pumpkin seed fat structure.)
 
MORE WAYS TO SERVE PUMPKIN SEEDS

• Sprinkle on salads, grains and vegetables.
• Add chopped pumpkin seeds to your favorite hot or cold cereal.
• Add pumpkin seeds to your oatmeal raisin cookie or granola recipe, carrot or zucchini cake.
• Grind pumpkin seeds with fresh garlic, parsley and cilantro leaves. Mix with olive oil and lemon juice for a tasty salad dressing or bread dipper.
• Add ground seeds to ground meat for burgers or meat loaf (including veggie burgers).

They’re sweet, they’re fun and they’re whole grain! And there’s a bonus: You make them in the microwave!

You’ve got time to whip up these Halloween popcorn balls, thanks to busy mother of three Ashleigh, of the blog Bee in Our Bonnet. Ashleigh contributed this recipe to SomewhatSimple.com.

While the popcorn balls are shaped like pumpkins, the flavor is orange—from orange Jell-O! Jell-O flavored popcorn is a favorite treat at Ashleigh’s home.
 
 
RECIPE: HALLOWEEN POPCORN BALLS

Ingredients

Yesterday was National Nut Day, so the folks at the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board sent us some popular cheese and nut pairings.

In addition to fruits, breads and crackers, nuts a flavor and crunch counterpoint. Try these pairings the next time you serve cheese:

• Almonds: Available in several forms—candied, raw, roasted, salted, smoked, spiced—almonds are a great choice for pairing with most cheese varieties that are semi-soft to firm (hard).
• Pecans: With their natural sweetness, pecans complement the salt in cheese. Try a candied or spiced pecan (recipe) alongside salty cheeses, such as feta or romano.
• Pistachios: The delicate, buttery flavor of these popular nuts goes best with soft cheeses such as brie or ricotta .
• Walnuts: The earthy flavor and dry texture of walnuts pair nicely with aged cheeses, such as an aged asiago or cheddar. Or, drizzle with honey to pair with a softer cheese, especially blue cheeses like gorgonzola.

MORE TO MUNCH ON

Who needs candy when there’s a clever Halloween snack like this? It was created by Angie Ramirez of LittleInspiration.com, who shares yummy food, easy DIY crafts, adventures of motherhood and everything in between on her blog.

This healthy Halloween snacks works for kids as well as for adults, with cocktails. The witch’s broomsticks are easy to make and look great on a party platter.

RECIPE: CHEESE & PRETZEL BROOMSTICKS

Ingredients

1. SHRED cheese the length of the block. (Pre-shredded cheeses are too short to make the broomsticks.)

2. LAY down a piece of baker’s twine. Add a few shredded cheese pieces and a pretzel stick (see how it’s done here). Add a few more shredded cheese strips to cover the pretzel stick.

3. KNOT the two ends of the twine.
  

[1] Genmaicha, green tea mixed with toasted rice (photo courtesy Sugarbird Sweets).

[2] Organic genmaicha tea is available from La Colombe.

Genmaicha, pronounced gen-my-cha with a hard “g,” is one of our favorite green teas.

The flavor of the sencha green tea base is secondary to the nutty, toasty flavor of kernels of toasted and popped brown rice that scattered among the tea leaves.

The name translates as “brown rice tea”; it is also called roasted rice tea and popcorn tea, because a few grains of the rice invariably pop during the roasting process and resemble popcorn.

To further confuse matters, different American tea packagers bestow names of their own. At Mighty Leaf it’s Kyoto rice tea; at Numi it’s toasted rice tea.

The good news is that this tea, which for a long time was only available loose, can now be found in tea bags.

And people who want to drink green tea for its health benefits, but don’t like the grassy and vegetal flavors, can try it and possibly really enjoy the nutty flavor (from the roasted rice).

Thinking ahead to stocking stuffers or small gift? Consider a box of organic genmaicha from La Colombe (photo #2).
 
 
ABOUT GENMAICHA TEA

Genmaicha was originally drunk by poor Japanese people. The rice was used as a filler and reduced the price of the tea, which is why it is also known as the “people’s tea.” Today it is enjoyed by everyone.

Genmaicha is also sold with matcha (powdered green tea) added to it, called matcha-iri genmaicha (literally, “genmaicha with added powdered tea”).

The flavor is often stronger and the color more green than pale yellow green of regular genmaicha. Rishi Tea sells an organic version, which they call Super Green Tea.
 
 
DISCOVER THE MANY TYPES OF TEA IN OUR TASTY TEA GLOSSARY.