SALSA SUNDAY: Save your pumpkin seeds for salsa

Pumpkin seeds -- aka pepitas -- are delicious roasted and salted. You can buy pepitas already roasted and salted, but it's more fun -- and easy -- to do yourself. Simply capture them from the kids' Halloween pumpkin carving.

The seeds should be soaked for 10-15 minutes, cleaned, dried and spread on a cookie sheet with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkling of coarse salt (sea or Kosher). Roast in a 350-degree oven for 20-25 minutes, checking them after 10-15 minutes and stirring them. Taste one to test for doneness. Aim to finish with about 1 cup of seeds.

After the seeds cool, place them in a blender or food processor. Add 4-5 diced tomatillos, 1 diced and seeded anaheim chile, 2 diced and seeded jalapeños, a dash of white vinegar, juice of 1 lime, salt and pepper to taste. Blend or process the ingredients to smoothness.

Pepita salsa can be served with chicken, beef or fish.

SALSA SUNDAY goes green

Salsa verde is the yin to salsa cruda's yang. A well-made salsa verde should offer an up-front sweetness as the dominant flavor -- over heat -- something that one doesn't usually experience with red tomato-based salsas.

Here's a simple salsa verde that can be used as a garnish on a burro, with scrambled eggs in a dish called chilaquiles or with enchiladas. For enchiladas, blending or food processing the ingredients is called for.

4-6 tomatillos, finely diced. Ripe green tomatoes, also known as zebra stripes, can be substituteds if tomatillos can't be found. Do not use un-ripe green tomatoes. 2 cloves garlic finely diced. 3-4 scallions, including greens, finely diced. 1-2 green anaheim chiles, finely diced. 2 jalapeños, finely diced, 1-2 tablespoons cilantro, finely diced.

Combine ingredients in a bowl, add the juice of one-half lime, a dash of white vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Let it set for 10-15 minutes before serving.

If using for the sauce over enchiladas, put all ingredients in a food processor or blender to liquify. Then pour over enchiladas before baking.

(Photo credit: www.authenticsalsarecipes.com)