Quick to make and satisfying – roasted chickpeas answer the need for a healthy snack.
When we casually dump a can-full of chickpeas into a pan, we’re thinking of dinner, not how the ancient world ate the little yellow grains. But chickpeas found in Middle-Eastern archeological excavations have been proved to be eaten by folks as far back as 6790 BCE. The ancients ate young chickpeas raw, boiled the mature grains, and also ate the leaves. So can we. In fact, having access to the pungent spices of the Middle East, we can make far more delicious snacks of them than our faraway forefathers ever ate. (See our delicious recipe for humous here, and our equally good chickpea-filled sambusak pastries.)
High in protein and fiber, with satisfying complex carbohydrates, chickpeas seasoned with Middle Eastern spices and roasted are easy to make and popular with everyone.
Roasted Chickpeas
makes 2 cups
Ingredients:
1-15 ounce can chickpeas
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon each chile powder, sweet paprika, and cinnamon
Preheat the oven 375°F -190°C.
Drain and rinse chickpeas. Roll in a kitchen towel to dry.
In a medium bowl, whisk olive oil and spices.
Add chickpeas and toss to coat all of them with oil.
Spread chickpeas out on a rimmed cookie sheet. Roast for 50-55 minutes until brown and crunchy, stirring half way through.
Allow chickpeas to cool before serving.
Enjoy!
More healthy, delicious, Middle Eastern recipes:
Photo of chickpeas by bookgrl via Flickr.Miriam also writes a food blog.
Author: Miriam Kresh
Miriam Kresh is an American ex-pat living in Israel. Her love of Middle Eastern food evolved from close friendships with enthusiastic Moroccan, Tunisian and Turkish home cooks. She owns too many cookbooks and is always planning the next meal. Miriam can be reached at miriam (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
