Cocktail Sunflower Seeds

I’ve never been a huge fan of sunflower seeds. The problem I have with them isn’t taste; it’s how exactly to eat them.

I’m not a master at getting the shells off and enjoying what’s inside.

I don’t like to work for my food. I’d rather pop a handful of almonds or cashews instead of working for several minutes for just one sunflower seed.

I know several people who can’t go a day without a bag of sunflower seeds by their side. They’ll chew and spit those salty seeds out all day long. I don’t understand it…and maybe I never will. Sunflower seeds just aren’t my thing.

While sifting through recipes in one of my oldest recipe boxes, I came across a recipe for roasting your own sunflower seeds. Despite my negative thoughts about the food, I was intrigued.

I managed to find some raw, shelled sunflower seeds at the grocery store in the bulk nuts aisle. Guess how much they were? For a pound of raw, shelled sunflower seeds I spent a whopping $2.00. What?! That’s insanely cheap! I’m pretty sure a bag of roasted, in-the-shell seeds are more than that!

All together, you can have a solid snack for a few days for less than $3. You can’t beat that. You also can’t beat how easy it is to roast your own seeds: all it takes is 20 minutes and few seasonings. Not bad for a snack I almost didn’t give a second chance.

Enjoy!

Cocktail Sunflower Seeds

• Servings: 6-8
• Time: 25 mins
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

A simple way to roast your own sunflower seeds that pack a powerful punch of flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. raw, shelled sunflower seeds
• 3 TBS. oil
• 3 TBS. soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne
• 1/4 tsp. paprka
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, soy sauce, cayenne, paprika and cumin. Pour over sunflower seeds in a large bowl and toss.
2. Spread sunflower seeds in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Store in airtight container.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, soy sauce, cayenne, paprika and cumin.

Pour over sunflower seeds in a large bowl and toss.

Spread sunflower seeds in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Store in airtight container.