Snack: Roasted Chickpeas

When I think about chickpeas I realize that my attitude towards these legumes has evolved over the years. I was probably first introduced to chickpeas as an addition to boring green lettuce salads (I love those boring salads but for the sake of the chickpea let's hear me out). In high school eating chickpeas out of the can was "cool" when you were trying to eat healthy. It was in college that I first began to appreciate this wonderful legume. I "invented" this great salad that included chickpeas and corn. Skip ahead to the current day when we live in the Middle East, the home of the falafel. I have to admit that I never really liked nor appreciated falafel until I tried the 15-shek falafel Yoni picked up for dinner one day. Our own foray into falafel making was somewhat lacking the first time (and first post!) but since chickpeas are one of those items that fall into the "you-can-get-a-lot-for-your-moneys-worth" foods we bought a kilo bag of dry ones awhile back. Recently though, we discovered a new use for chickpeas.... as a snack.

The recipe is simple. Soak the dry chickpeas in a large bowl of water overnight. The next day drain the water and pat the chickpeas dry. Pour a bit of olive oil in, just enough to coat it all. Add some salt. Spread it out on a baking sheet on top a cookie tray and bake at 230C/400F for about 40 minutes or until the chickpeas start turning a deeper shade of their natural color. Remove from the oven, pour back into the bowl and add additional seasoning as you'd like.

Who knew chickpeas could be so exciting?