Seeds are a powerhouse of nutrients and have many benefits to our health. They contain healthy monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats and many important vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and they also taste delicious! I like to use seeds (and also some nuts) to make a treat to sprinkle over salads, or to serve with hummus and other dips. They add texture and flavour, as well as being much lower in fat than many dressings. Also wonderful is tossing them through roasted carrots, beetroot or sweet potato just before serving.
This is my standard recipe – which has sesame, flax, pumpkin, sunflower and nigella seeds, plus some dry roasted almonds and a little chilli. The mix keeps well in a glass jar, and also makes a great gift for a health conscious friend. Change the quantities around to suit your taste, or substitute other seeds or nuts that you love – like chia, poppy seeds, or pistachios.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons pumpkin kernels
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons roughly chopped dry roasted almonds
1 tablespoon nigella seeds
1 tablespoon brown flax seeds
1 tablsepoon sunflower kernels
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
a pinch of dried chilli flakes
In a small bowl combine all the ingredients and mix well. Store in an airtight container and add to salads or top hummus or dips. You could also make a version to top your winter porridge oats by leaving out the salt and chilli and adding some ground cinnamon.
Simple food 