Peas With A Punch!

Allow me to introduce one of my favorite snacks:

Chickpeas! But not just plain old chickpeas…ROASTED chickpeas! They are crunchy, bite-sized and perfect for snacking…and they’re healthy too

I usually make two cans at a time, mostly because I eat them so quickly! Start by draining off the liquid in the can and rinsing them! The liquid is full of salt but rinsing them off eliminates a lot of  it. Before you buy the cans of chickpeas, compare a couple different brands. Some brands have considerably less sodium than others.

If you plan this out ahead of time, it’s best to let the chickpeas sit and dry out for an hour or so before you roast them, so they roast faster, but it’s not necessary. I put some paper towels on my jellyroll pan to absorb some of the moisture:

Once they are dried off a little bit, put them in a tupperware container, drizzle some olive oil over the top and season them. Use whatever spices you like best…I usually use paprika, a dash of garlic powder and some McCormick’s. If you want them spicy, you can use cayenne pepper….if you like cumin, throw some of that in there. Put the lid on and do a little dance around the kitchen to shake them up.

Pour them back onto the jellyroll pan, sans the paper towel and pop them into a 375 degree oven.

Let them roast for an hour and give the pan a shake every 20 minutes or so. Then turn the oven down to 350 and let them roast for another 15-20 minutes. Start to watch them more carefully towards the end. Taste one to see if they’re crunchy. If they start to get too dark, pull them out. Don’t be discouraged if you have some that look burned like this:

All the chickpeas are not the same size so some will burn. Most will look like this:

Let them cool and they’ll get even crunchier…then enjoy! I keep mine in the kitchen and grab a handful every time I walk by.

–Lindsay–