Recipe: Roasted Chickpeas

These are rapidly becoming the new popular snack at our house. I made a pound of chickpeas up and they disappeared quite rapidly, with the kids even asking for them to be packed in their school lunches. Fortunately a pound didn't quite disappear overnight, leaving just enough for each of them to have a small baggie. Their friends were curious and tried them, but said they didn't like them. Maybe it'll grow on them...

You can season these with just about anything. So far we've tried curry powder, Secret Salt*, and cinnamon sugar. I would imagine that lemon pepper or the same seasoning you use for Chex Mix would work too. And if Knuckles weren't allergic to dairy, I'd think parmesan cheese would make a good topping as well. Pretty much anything you'd put on a pretzel would work. I've actually been seriously thinking about making these to sell at the farmer's market, but I don't know if the people there will want to eat them.


Roasted Chickpeas

1 pound chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
water
1/4 c. oil
seasoning salt or cinnamon sugar

Combine chickpeas and water to double the height of the chickpeas in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, remove from heat, and cover. Let sit two hours. Drain, cover with water again and boil chickpeas until soft, about 1 hour. Drain.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place oil in large roasting pan in oven to heat for a couple of minutes. Place chickpeas in roasting pan and toss to coat. Add seasoning salt or cinnamon sugar to taste, and toss to coat. Roast for 15 minutes, shaking pan every five minutes. Let cool.


* The recipe for Secret Salt is, well, a secret. It can only be disclosed to members of the family. If you're interested in the recipe, I have three unmarried brothers. They're quite good looking, too. ;)