Salad Crunchies Seed Medley

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; this will help later when putting the medley in a container.

2. Combine pepitas, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, egusi, chia seeds, quinoa, white sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, and amaranth seeds in a large bowl. Mix together using a rubber spatula. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over seeds while mixing. Drizzle remaining olive oil in and continue mixing. Season with salt, cayenne, and ground peppercorns; mix until well combined. Pour mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and spread out in a single layer.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and stir well. Bake for another 5 minutes and stir again. Check egusi seeds as they will be the first seeds that show signs of roasting by turning brown. Bake for 5 more minutes, checking in after 3 minutes without opening oven door. Once egusi are brown and pepitas are beginning to brown (they will have a glossy shine and should begin to puff up), turn off the heat and open the oven door. Leave the seeds inside with the door open for 10 minutes.

4. Remove baking sheet and let seeds cool on the sheet, stirring occasionally. Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Cook's Notes:

I rinse my quinoa the night before and set it on paper towels to dry overnight. Any vegetable oil will work, coconut oil is especially good.

Use any combination of seasonings. I've used sriracha salt and even curry before - the seasoning combinations are endless.