Recipe ReDux: Seasonal Seeds

It's the 21st so you know what that means - another Recipe ReDux post! I was pretty jazzed when I read this month's theme. It's all about using seeds to pump up the flavor, texture and nutrition profile of a dish. I love seeds, and since finding out they have such a great nutritional value (even better for you than nuts), I feel like I've been using them all over the place lately.

Salad is quite the obvious one for this girl. If you've been reading for a while, you know I eat big salads multiple times a week, and a girl needs a little crunch on her greens. Raw or toasted sunflower seeds make a perfect topper.

I've also been making my own trail mix lately by buying raw nuts in bulk at Trader Joe's, then making up a batch at home. This way I can control the oil, salt and sugar content, and I can use organic nuts and fruits without it costing a fortune.

I love adding pumpkin seeds to my mixes since they add a great saltiness and texture. My usual mix includes:

- 1 part walnuts or pecans
- 1 part almonds
- 1 part macadamia nuts or brazil nuts
- 1 part pumpkin seeds

If the nuts are raw, I'll often toast them dry in the oven or on the stove at a low heat until they become fragrant. Let them cool before adding them to a bowl and tossing them with the pumpkin seeds and any fruit. For fruit, I choose dried, unsulfured organic fruits with no added sugar (I find them in the health food aisle or at TJ's):

- 1 part dried cranberries
- 1 part golden raisins

This is such a great snack. I keep huge Tupperware containers of it in the cabinet so we can grab handfuls when needed, or take little snack bags of it to work so I have something crunchy and satisfying to nibble on when the afternoon tiredness and snack urges set in.

I also eat a fair amount of stir frys, and have been incorporating black and white sesame seeds for a little extra texture and nutrition value - and because they look pretty. I keep a jar of each in my spice drawer, and just sprinkle a pinch on top of my veggie bowls before serving.

But my favorite new way to use seeds has to be in my Sunflower Seed Pesto. I adored this pesto as it had such a unique flavor. I like to use it on zucchini noodles, but obviously it would go well on any kind of pasta or even as a spread for crostini.

Speaking of, maybe I'll make a batch of this goodness for dinner tonight.

And with that, I'm off to drop Riker off at his last day of daycare for the summer and get this work day started. Happy Friday!

As the first and only recipe challenge founded by registered dietitians, The Recipe ReDux aims to inspire the food lover in every healthy eater and inspire the healthy eater in every food lover. Thank you for visiting. We hope you enjoy!

(Please note that this is a closed link-up for Recipe ReDux posts only. Any links added to this collection for non-ReDux posts will be deleted.) 

1. Kathy and Lauren @NutritionBabes Chia, Oat & Strawberry Breakfast Pudding	2. Cindy Brison @ Nutritionknowhow.org Seedy Weedy Bread	3. Alex @ DK: GF & Vegan FlaxSeed Crackers	4. Heather @ Working Woman's Wellness - Savory Granola
5. Karman @NutritionAdventures-Lemon Thyme Chia Bread	6. Kylie @ immaeatthat: Pretzel Bagels with Chia, Sesame & Sunflower Seeds	7. Healthy Nut and Seed Bites @ GrainCrazy	8. Jaimie @ Kid Kritics - Tropical Green Smoothie
9. Kindred-Kitchen: Chai Chia Seed Pudding	10. Dea@Grainddiction- the Chia project	11. Valerie @DePretmeloen	12. Mary @ BrightonYourHealth - Moroccan Tomato Jam With Sesame Seeds
13. Raspberry and Chia summer porridge	14. Janice & Liz @ Meal Makeover Moms' Kitchen: Sunny Tuna Salad	15. Serena @ Teaspoon of Spice : Flatbread w. Sesame & Mustard Seeds	16. KT
17. Ruta @ Mix it Up: Banana Soft Serve with Blueberry Chia Jam	18. Elizabeth @ Don't White Sugar Coat It:: Vegan Pepita Pesto	19. Diane@capefearnutrition: Field Greens, Asparagus, Eggs & Sunflower Seed Salad	20. Quincy @ Shugurcän- Sesame Seed Pesto
21. Sarah @ Curious Cuisiniere - Sesame Chicken Salad	22. Deb @ RD Debbie: Coconut Quin-ola Bake	23. Alex @ Ambitious and Nutritious - Arugula Sunflower Pesto	24. Min @mjandhungryman - Ssamjang (Korean Dipping Sauce)
25. Danielle @ Food Confidence - Gingerbread Hemp Bites	26. Melissa @ Some Sugar Added: Sunflower Seed Pesto	27. Off-Duty Dietitian's Chocolate Chip Mystery Cookies	28. Robin@Robinsbite
29. Jen @Down-toEarth Dietitian Scrumptious Salmon Salad	30. Dr Barb's Stuffed Mushrooms w/ Hemp Seeds	31. Allie@NutritionMeetsLife - Wasabi Shrimp with sesame seeds	32. Jaime Reid @ Zest & Zeal - Roasted Veggies with Tahini Lemon Sauce
33. Butterscotch Banana Birdseed Bars @What Smells So Good?	34. Sarah	35. Jessie @ The Happiness in Health - Gluten-Free Chocolate Flaxseed Cupcakes	36. Julie @ RDelicious Kitchen - Summer Salad with Raspberry Lemon Chia Seed Dressing
37. Elana @ The Inventive Vegetarian: Sesame Noodles	38. Vegan Cherry Chia Smoothie | Food, Pleasure, and Health	39. Heidi@Betterthandormfood-Peanut Butter Chia Cookies	40. gretchen @ kumquat - marzipan-benne seed cookies
41. kristina @ love & zest- Cherry Almond Steel Cut Oats in Slow Cooker	42. Marie@eNourishment Lemon Poppy Seed Pro Bars	43. The Guided Bite	44. Regan @ The Professional Palate - Lemon-Basil Flax Dressing
45. Betsy @ Supermarket Nutrition - Travelin' Trail Mix	46. Lesley@Balanced Nutrition - Pumped Up Salmon Bites	47. Ann @ Nourish & Flourish - Chia Seed Overnight Oats	48. Katie @ Healthy & Happy Hour: Tropical Chia Seed Breakfast Bowl
49. Sarah@IngredientsOfAFitChick	50. Kat @ Eating the Week - Chia berry pudding	51. Annemarie @ Real Food Real Deals - Pina Colada Smoothie	52. Jenna @Fresh Food Perspectives:Pepita Crusted Chicken
53. Nikki Boswell	54. Angela @ Nourishment Connection: Smokey Pepita Burger with Tomato Pepita Salsa	55. Emma @ Scoop Nutrition - Rock the Casbah Granola	56. Brittany @ WeHeartVegan Crunchy Chickpea Trail-mix
57. Rachel @ The Conscious Dietitian Sprouted Salad and How To Sprout!	58. Cheryl Meyer - Homemade Muesli	59. Kara @ Peace, Love, and Food - Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Chia Seed Pudding	60. anne@simpleandsavory

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