healthy snacking: crispy spiced chickpeas edition

     At any given time, there is an obscene amount of canned beans in my kitchen cabinets. Sometimes it's a nice assortment, other times it's seemingly all the same. Right now is one of those seemingly all the same times, with the "featured item" so-to-speak being chickpeas (or garbanzo beans, if you prefer). At this point, I've just about had all I can take of chickpea salads and hummus!

     Luckily, I've been facing an unrelated dilemma that my giant bean collection ended up being the cure for. I've been on the move a lot lately and really lacking in the on-the-go snack department. Honestly, there are only so many times I can buy little bags of chips or packaged sweets from the deli before I start not feeling good about myself. "Chickpeas are small and finger-food friendly," I thought, "all I need to add is crunch!" And so became these crispy spiced chickpeas.

     Fair warning - these are SO addictive. In the same way a potato chip is appealing with its salty and crunchy factors, these chickpeas leave you wanting more. And the best part is they are portable! I just throw them in a baggie and off I go.

     It might be tempting to make a huge batch of these at once to have over the course of a few days to a week, but trust me when I tell you not to do that. These are best eaten within 24 hours (they lose their crispiness the longer you wait to eat them) so unless you are making them for a small get together or party I highly recommend you stick to the amounts in this recipe. That being said, do arm yourself with multiple cans of chickpeas because you will want to make these more than once!

Crispy Spiced Chickpeas
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, plus 1 hour to cool
Servings: 2-4 snacks worth


You Will Need:

• 1 15oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• 1/2 tsp olive oil, plus a small drizzle
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp ground (yellow) mustard
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp superfine sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and brush a small drizzle of olive oil across surface.
2. Drain and thoroughly rinse chickpeas. Lay out on a paper towel and pat dry.
3. Put chickpeas in small bowl. Add 1/2 tsp olive oil and toss to coat.
4. Add salt, paprika, mustard, coriander, and sugar to chickpeas. Toss again to coat evenly.
5. Pour chickpeas out in a single layer on the baking sheet. Place in oven and cook for 1 hour, shaking the sheet to move them around a little bit 2 or 3 times in between.
6. After an hour, remove chickpeas from oven and let cool completely on a flat surface (takes about an hour). This allows them to really crisp up. Be careful not to put them into a container before they have completely cooled or else the remaining heat will make them lose their crunch.

What do you have too much of in your cabinet?