I used to work in a Health Food Shop & there was one lady who always bought a tonne (almost literally) of sunflower seeds. Being curious I asked what she used them for half expecting her to tell me about a whacky bathing ritual... in reality she used them to make her own sunflower spread for toast and bread. The inspiration for this recipe!
I decided to have a play around in the kitchen and added Pumpkins to the mix as they are a good source of polyunsaturated fatty acids, potassium, and vitamin B2 (great for veggies/vegans). Pumpkin seeds additionally have a good supply of antioxidants which reduce inflammation and protect cells from harmful free radicals. In Ayurvedic Medicine it is suggested that all disease stems from inflammation, so anything anti-inflammatory is good in my books.
Sunflower seeds have some great benefits but they also have a high cadmium content. This heavy metal can harm your kidneys if you’re exposed to high amounts over a long period. So balancing with another seed seems wise.
SUNFLOWER & PUMPKIN SEED SPREAD
Ingredients:
1 cup of sunflower seeds.
1 & 1/2 cups of pumpkin seeds.
1/4 cup hemp, olive, or almond oil.
Method:
Add the seeds to a shallow baking tray and place in the oven on at 100 degrees until they start to brown.
Either add to a blender and whizz them up this way. Or put in a flat bottom bowl / jug and blitz with a hand blender.
When blending gradually add in oil so you reach desired texture. If you want it more like a vegan spread for toast you may require more oil. Mine is more a seed butter texture (and super addictive).
Store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
If you wanna get funkyyy with flavours then you can add some nutritional yeast for a cheesy tang or even a small amount of marmite to get a salty bite. If you have a sweet tooth you could add spices to flavour (cinnamon, cardamon, ginger..) then round it off with a sweetener of your choice.
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