Spicy Crunchy Chickpeas

I saw this recipe in All You magazine and it reminded me that I really liked these. It had been a long while since I had made them, so I decided to try again. I thought it would make a good tutorial because they’re quick and easy. I’m always looking for good, nutritious snacks for Annie so I thought this might be good – and boy, was I right! Good grief. I couldn’t feed them to her fast enough……and when I finally cut her off, she sat in her chair and cried like it was the end of the world. So, if you need a good snack for your kids, this might fit the bill. They are a little bit messy because of the spices, but I just consider it a little extra character to add to Annie’s face and my kitchen floor.

Simple stuff here: olive oil, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, salt, pepper, and chickpeas. Chickpeas are also called Garbanzo beans. I just call them delicious. Seriously, I can eat an entire can and nothing else. I used to be very happy to pop them like candy……until Barry’s Aunt Judy totally ruined it for me. She says it’s TRUE that if you eat too many that they’ll make you go crazy. I’ve always been gullible, so I believed her. Since then I’ve done a ton of looking on the internet and I can’t find that information……however, it’s like a little devil in the back of my head every time I eat them. “These are making you lose your mind.” So THAT’S the problem! And, after Annie had them I found her in the living room running around in circles, so maybe Judy’s right………..

You need to rinse and drain your chickpeas. This is a cute colander I found for $.25 at a yard sale…..yes, I already have two but this one was different – so I added it to my collection. It just has class. Stir them around a bit while you’re rinsing them to make sure you get all the bean goop off them.

Lay out a towel and pour your chickpeas out. We need to get them 100% dry. That’s the key to the “crispy” part of this recipe. You could also stick these down in the fry daddy, but I hate how it makes my kitchen smell – plus, I was going for HEALTHY here so that we could have chocolate cake later.

I covered them up with another towel and let them sit for 30 minutes. Then I took off the top towel, stirred them round a bit and let them air dry for another hour. This really isn’t a time consuming recipe because you can be busy doing other stuff while you make these – or you can get distracted by the cute animal show on Oprah.

You need to get a pan with sides and cover it with foil. The sides part is important here…..because these puppies roll around like crazy. Don’t use one of those cookie sheets that are totally flat….or you’ll be picking these up all day.

Grab a bowl and mix together your oil and spices. I used a whisk, just because I like to whisk things. I’m not sure why, but I do.

Add the dried chickpeas to the mixture. Okay, so I know you’re thinking “why did we get them dry to put them down into something wet?” Because the oil wouldn’t stick to the beans if they were wet……now the oil will make them nice and crispy in the oven. Genius, right? I’m sure there’s some kind of science lesson here. Toss them around to make sure they’re all coated.

Pour them out in a single layer on your cookie sheet. They won’t get crispy if they’re stacked on top of each other.

Stick them in the oven and let them bake. You’ll stir them about every 10 minutes so they make sure to get crispy on all sides. Warning – some of these are going to pop. I’m telling you this so you won’t be surprised like me. I was in the kitchen while they were cooking and every time one popped I hollered and thought about running for the gun.

After 45 minutes, they’re going to look like this. Aren’t they cute? They smell really good. The combination of spices really does it for these beans. You won’t be disappointed.

As I’ve already said, Annie loves these! I really like them too. They’re almost nutty in texture. I can eat them plain and be just tickled pink, but Barry doesn’t like them that way. He likes them on a salad or in something, but that’s okay because I knew he was weird before I married him. 🙂 Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for as long as they stick around.

*See below recipe for this week’s giveaway.