Crunchy Chickpeas – healthy flavorful snack ;)

So we went to a tapas restaurant last night downtown for an adult meal.
Food was delicious! (Cava mezze)
One of the veggies we had, had some fried chickpeas on top.
Crunchy, nutty flavored little nuggets of deliciousness.
I thought this morning I would try and bake some.
They came out great, very easy to do.
TOTAL BAKE TIME is 30 minutes at 400 degrees.

First, rinse the chickpeas in cold water.

Lay them out on a paper towel, and rub your hands across them.
The little skins come off pretty easily.

Take off as many skins as you want to, the kids can even help.

Let them dry a few minutes on the paper towel.

Place them on parchment paper on a baking sheet.
Since I was only doing one can, they fit in my toaster oven.
There is NOTHING on them yet. Nada.

Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.
Look how crispy they are looking after 10 minutes.
Aren’t they already looking brown & toasty?

I then sprinkled them with about 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil and some kosher salt
and baked for 10 more minutes.

Then I added some cinnamon & sugar (about 1 Tablespoon total).
(we can discuss other flavor options later), and bake another 10 minutes.

Here is what they look like when they come out of the oven.

Make sure to let them cool so they will stay crispy.
You don’t want any heat/steam to make them soggy.

They almost look like peanuts.
(But no nuts in our house because of my son’s allergies)

These are a crispy, sweet & salty little snack.
Best if eaten the same day.

So what are some other flavor combinations?
♥ You could use a little bit of ranch seasoning (you know from some dip packets?)
♥ You could use taco seasoning (1 to 2 teaspoons)
♥ You could just use salt & pepper (just a sprinkling)
♥ You could use Italian seasoning (about 2 teaspoons)
♥ You could sprinkle a dash of curry powder (just a sprinkling)
♥ You could sprinkle with parmesan cheese (about 1 Tablespoon)
♥ You could sprinkle with a little sriracha (about 2 teaspoons)

What to do with these little crunchy treats?
♥ Put on top of a salad instead of croutons
♥ Eat as a snack
♥ Roast some veggies and sprinkle these on right before serving to add some crunch
♥ When you serve hummus, put some on the top at the end to add flavor and texture

Let me know what flavor combinations you try!