Spicy ChickPea Snack
A lot of people have their own version of roasted chickpeas, but I have to say, mine are the best. They are crunchy, flavored well and are made with TRUE food and flavorings. I actually think these little guys could go places.
Spicy ChickPea Snack
Start with soaking a bag of garbanzo beans overnight, at least 8 hours. Make sure there is enough room and water in the bowl as they double in size, sometimes more!
(NOTE: Yes, you are going to have to actually cook the beans old school to get the desired effect. Canned beans sit in soaking water for so long that they just end up getting way too smushy and don’t roast as well. Plus, this is a great chance to not have weird preservatives that are in the canning liquid. Little steps people!)
Drain and rinse well. Add to a pot with fresh water that comes a few inches above your beans.
(NOTE: For better flavor, add salt in the last 5 min of cooking. OR start with a piece of Kombu in the water which will add salt and help tenderize)
Bring water to a boil and let sit for about 5min. Then its simmer time. Simmer your beans for 30-45min on low/med heat until they are tender. Depending on the bean, it could take even longer. These took about 40min.
Next drain and let them cool.
Put them in a large enough bowl to coat with spices.
My special blend contains salt, pepper, garlic, chili and curry powder.
(NOTE: As far as the measurements . . . I don’t really measure spices and kind of just go with the flow. Its safe to say I may have used a tablespoon of each except the black pepper. Just use your instinct and taste along the way . . . everybody is different!)
Mix them around and coat evenly.
Place them on a baking sheet sprayed with some cooking spray in one even layer.
(NOTE: these do NOT need to be coated in oil before roasting. Oil acts as a barrier which will keep a lot of moisture in the bean which doesn’t make for a good crunchy snack! Unless of course you want them chewy inside . . . again, everybody is different)
Roast in a preheated oven at 350 for 40min. Half way through, I always give them a shake to make sure all sides are cooked even.
Let cool before handling and start snacking!! I could go through the whole batch in one day. Great as a salad topper too!
(NOTE: . . . . YUM!!! 
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What is your favorite snacky food?
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6 Responses to Spicy ChickPea Snack
Um, not sure what happened there.
Was gonna say that I haven’t had roasted chickpeas in ages and ages. I used to love them because they travel so well. Thank you for the reminder!
No problem!
I like them spicy and crunchy
MMM. That looks super tasty! Personally, I’ve been craving popcorn a lot lately. The bags just weren’t cutting it: too much salt (and too much fake sugar when I accidentally bought kettle corn). I finally broke down and bought an air popper. Well, mom bought one for me when I was back home.
I also bought more brussel sprouts at the store last night
These would be an excellent substitute for popcorn and you can flavor them however you like!
These sound fantastic. I’ve never cooked my own chick peas but I’m sure they taste better than canned and as you pointed out no preservatives. This recipe may just push me into doing it the slow way.
Yay!
Let me know how they turn out