Recipes | Roasted Chickpeas

Okay so... the other day I was craving a snack. Not to mention, I was severely lacking something crunchy in the salads that the BF and I had been eating lately. After rummaging through our pantry, I found a can of chickpeas I had forgotten about. After seeing Rachael Ray do it on her show and after reading via the internet how others had given it a go, I decided to make my own attempt at roasting some chickpeas.

Let me tell you; they were delicious!

And super simple! You literally just toss them in a little bit of olive oil, whatever seasonings you like, and pop them into the oven. Presto! Delicious, crunchy chickpeas that are great just to snack on, but they're also pretty tasty when you throw them into a salad. Even the BF approved, and he's a pretty picky eater.

Now, the recipe below is just for your basic roasted chickpeas with salt and pepper. Nothing fancy. You can add any variety though, to mix it up. Some cayenne, some garlic powder, whatever floats your boat.

Roasted Chickpeas
1 can of chickpeas, drained
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Salt and pepper to season

Preheat the oven to 400. Let your chickpeas drain for a while, until they're dry - the drier, then better. I just left mine in the colander for about half an hour, but if you're impatient, you can dry them with a rag. :) Next, toss the chickpeas in the olive oil, and then season with salt and pepper (I used a combo of white and black).

(Forgive my ugly pan and oven; the pan is a hand-me-down and the oven is the apartment complex's travesty!)

Once they're coated, pop them into the oven for about twenty minutes. Open it up and shake them up a little; move them around the pan so they get a nice even roast. Let them bake for another 10-15 minutes (until they're all a pretty, golden brown color) and then take them out of the oven. You can let them sit until they cool a little or, if you're like the BF and scorching temperature doesn't faze you, just go ahead and chow down!