I had a photo of this recipe saved on my phone for months—probably snapped from a magazine in a waiting room somewhere—until finally getting around to making it recently.
It was so good that I immediately hatched a plan to make it every Sunday night. (Much like my best-laid plans to roll out batches of soup, or granola, or cured salmon to last me through the week.) We try our best, don’t we?
With yoga treacher training Fri-Sun, back-to-back out of town visitors, and cram training structured and purposeful training for Oceanside 70.3, I just haven’t been making the time for kitchen escapades lately. Thankfully, this whipper-snapper little creation comes together in about 5 minutes on the stovetop.
This made-for-yogurt topping comes out almost like a grain-free (or “paleo”) granola. It’s a quick, can’t-fail method that you’ll quickly memorize after one try. The original—recipewhich now, thanks to Google I found out is from Bon Appetit— calls for fennel or caraway seeds; I swapped the savory-sounding seeds for coconut and almond to suit my breakfast preferences. I guess this makes my concoction more of a “Nutty Seed Sprinkle”—kind of like those sticky bell-shaped bird seed hangers my grandpa used to hang out at the cottage. Just call me Birdwoman?
Also, upon discovering that the original recipe barely makes enough to feed a mouse (let alone a triathlete), I ramped up the amounts for my version. I experimented with ratios, and different nuts to fill a few jars to last me through the week. Don’t worry about making too much, it will disappear fast.
Featuring pumpkin, chia, sesame, and hemp seeds (Manitoba-grown! I love seeing that on the bag), plus whatever else it is you decide to throw in, this sprinkle is full of good fats, Omegas, and all those other good things you start eating because you should and then just really start liking. It will also satisfy trendy-diet-following friends and regular people alike.
This sprinkle is excellent on plain yogurt (I’ve been into the full-fat stuff as of late…oh, what I was missing during all those non-fat/low fat years!), or sprinkled on top of my go-to breakfast (Bircher Muesli). The savory version, which I haven’t tried yet, would probably be perfect atop a beet or kale salad. Experiment with what you have on hand—I promise yours will turn out fine! You will want to avoid eating handfuls of it at a time. Hemp seeds pack an impressive punch of fat and calories for their size. Let’s just say they have an impressive power-to-weight ration. Enjoy!
Super Seed Sprinkle
Ingredients
all amounts are approximate
1/2 cup raw shelled pumpkin seeds
SAVORY: 2 Tbsp fennel, aniseed, caraway or cumin seeds OR
OR
SWEET: 1/4 cup each slivered almonds and unsweetened shredded or slivered coconut
1/4 cup sesame seeds
2 Tbsp pure maple syrup (1 if you want it less sweet)
1/2 cup hemp hearts
2 Tbsp chia seeds
Kosher salt
Preparation
- Toast pumpkin seeds in a dry medium skillet over medium heat, tossing often, until golden, about 2 minutes. (I went longer until they crackled).
- Add either (fennel/anise/caraway/cumin seeds) OR (slivered almonds and coconut), depending on whether you want a savory or sweet sprinkle, and toast, about a minute longer. Add the sesame seeds and continue to toss until fragrant and toasted.
- Mix in syrup, cook, tossing often, until glossy clumps form, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, stir in hemp and chia seeds, season with salt. Transfer to a piece of parchment paper, let cool. Store in jars.
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