Did I get your attention? Good. You can read this even if you do like chickpeas/garbanzo beans. I have never liked these little stinky orbs. I first experienced them as a kid in a salad at an Italian restaurant and thought they were disgusting. In addition to the smell, I didn’t like the texture. Fast forward to adulthood and I still don’t really like them, but I’ll eat hummus, usually flavored with roasted red peppers, pesto, or something of the sort. Then, the other day, I was thinking of healthy snacks for a party and thought I might try roasting chickpeas. And what happened blew my mind! I liked them, might even sort of have loved them. I use the past tense because I ate them all.
There are a million ways to make them. Add a little healthy oil, like olive oil or coconut oil and some spices. First, I rinsed them under cold running water, and then laid them on paper towels and blotted them dry. This will remove any starchy build-up from the can and will ensure they brown nicely in the oven. Then I simply tossed them with garlic olive oil and salt, put them on a foil-covered tray…(You can add paprika, Italian spice, BBQ seasoning, cinnamon, etc.)
and popped them in the Convection Steam Oven on Convection Bake Mode at 450 degrees.
You’ll want to bake them for about 30-40 minutes, depending upon how brown you like them. Mine were in for a solid 30 minutes. Watch them the last few minutes because they can go from nicely brown to burned quickly.
The great thing about this snack is 1) It is easy to make, 2) You can make it in small quantities so it is nice and fresh, and 3) It is healthy, with few calories, lots of protein, fiber and vitamins, and just a little fat, most of which is the good kind of fat you want in your diet. The overall nutritional value of this snack depends upon what you add in terms of oil, salt, etc.
Here’s to trying something new and discovering a great little snack item perfect for parties!