Saturday, October 22, 2011

Smoky roasted chickpeas

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Airplane food. Airport food. Hotel food. Conference food. Vending machine food.

This has not been a month of clean eating. Lots of business travel means too many meals outside my own kitchen and thus more or less out of my control. It's a good thing I didn't take Eating Rules' October Unprocessed challenge. I would either have failed miserably or starved, neither of which would have made me particularly pleasant to be around.

Today, my one day this week in my own zip code, I worked at home. I've gotten used to snacking, a habit I know I need to break. But today, I thought, at least I can snack on stuff that won't make me feel like crap.

And so I roasted chickpeas. If you've never roasted garbanzo beans in the oven, you're missing out on a healthy snack that provides both crunching satisfaction and essential nutrients. I like them roasted with garlic salt and smoked paprika, but you can take this recipe in many different directions. Cumin and chili powder. Ras-el-hanout (a Moroccan spice blend). Garlic and cayenne. Herbes de Provence. Dry mustard powder? Wasabi powder? Cinnamon sugar? The possibilities are endless.

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Smoky roasted chickpeas
A healthy snack that tastes dangerous but causes no guilty feelings whatsoever. Smoked paprika adds the essence of bacon but keeps things vegan.
Ingredients
  • 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp garlic salt (or substitute 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp garlic powder and 1/4 tsp dried parsley)
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.Dump the chickpeas into a strainer and rinse them well. Drain thoroughly, then turn the chickpeas onto a wad of paper towels. Using another paper towel, press the chickpeas gently until they're dry.Put the chickpeas on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle over the olive oil and sprinkle on the spices. Toss the chickpeas with your hands until everything is mixed and the chickpeas are well coated.Roast the chickpeas in the oven for about 40 minutes, shaking the pan every 10 minutes or so to let the chickpeas cook evenly. Remove the pan from the oven and let the chickpeas cool on the baking sheet. Taste and salt again if necessary. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: about 2 cups

5 comments:

Valentina said...

looks so yummy -- i love smoked paprika!

Ellen Harris-Braun said...

I will have to try this. Our go-to Indian food main course is curried sour chickpeas. Linguistic note: "Ras al hanout" means "head of the shop" (like Rosh means head of the year in Rosh Hashanah).

Ashley @ TasteforHealthy said...

Yum!! Roasted chickpeas are the best! Now that it finally feels like fall, I think I will turn on the oven tonight and make these! :)

SallyBR said...

I've had some problems roasting chickpeas, and wonder if it's something to do with the brand I'm using or my technique.

They turn mushy instead of crunchy... I might have to try your method, I love the use of smoked paprika

Erika Kerekes said...

Sally - drying them before seasoning and roasting really helps. Also, you don't want to crowd them on the tray. Make sure they have some elbow room. Two cans of chickpeas on a half-sheet pan worked for me.

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