Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

 I am not much of a snacker. At least in the supermarket sense. I don't crave chips at night nor do I roll over for frozen pizza rolls. The closest thing I get to snack foods is popcorn and pita chips. I think that I do not crave such foods because my mother never bought such things for us when we were young. There were no boxes of cookies or bags of chips. When I would stay at a friends and see they had a pantry full of these things...it was hard to believe. I thought everyone was like my mom. 

 If we wanted something salty she would make us popcorn on the stove. If we wanted something sweet there was occasionally ice cream in the house. A snack to me as a child was toast. I loved toast. And I still do. But now that I am an adult I try to get a little creative with what I am "snacking" on between larger meals during the day. I realize that having a balanced diet can be very difficult in such a fast-paced world. But I still try to make the effort to be healthy. 

So what am I snacking on lately, why chickpeas of course. Chickpeas are also called garbanzo beans. Just so we do not have any confusion. They are high in protein and are were one of the first cultivated vegetables. They are actually a "pulse" which means they not only provide protein but they have no cholesterol, little fat, and are also packed with complex carbohydrates and many vitamins and minerals. So all in all this is a food that should be a part of your regular diet. 

Tip of the day...if you are using canned chickpeas to make hummus and you want a nice smooth and creamy hummus...make sure you are blending your chickpeas when they are quite hot so the skins can disintegrate. If you just add cold chickpeas to a blender or food processor it will be quite difficult to get silky smooth hummus. 

 Behold my friends the beauty of the roasted chickpea. They are so easy to make you really can't mess them up unless of course you roast them too long and burn them. They are the perfect snack and also these would be great on a salad with perhaps some creamy goat cheese. Hmm...this may be just what I eat today for lunch. That just had my mind and my stomach wondering. Enjoy!!!

Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

2 cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2-3 Tbls olive oil

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp ground cumin

dash of paprika

dash of cinnamon

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Drain and rinse your canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans). 

Take a rimmed sheet pan and drizzle a little olive oil on the pan. In a medium bowl combine the chickpeas, 2 Tbls olive oil and salt and pepper. 

Combine in a small bowl all of the spices and mix together. Then sprinkle over the chickpeas and toss to combine. 

Bake for approximately 30 minutes. Toss the chickpeas around about halfway through roasting. Once they are done roasting sprinkle with a little coarse salt. You can serve these warm or at room temperature.