Seasoned Roasted Chick Peas

We just don’t enough legumes- chick peas, lentils, kidney beans and the like. When you consider their amazing nutritional perks, it’s something we need to change. They’re prebiotic (promoting the growth of healthy bacteria in our gut), have anti-inflammatory action, are packed with fibre, both the kind that promotes regularity, blood cholesterol lowering and easier blood sugar regulation and have a low glycemic index – just to name a few of their benefits.

While cooking them from scratch is certainly more economical and provides less sodium, don’t let this be a deterrent from reaping their benefits. Canned offerings can be rinsed well which slashes the sodium counts significantly. Use them in salads, soups, stews and even for snacking.

Here’s a recipe that uses one of my favourite roasted  nut seasonings.

Seasoned Roasted Chick Peas

Makes 8-10  snack servings

2  19-oz./540-mL cans chick peas, rinsed , drained   or 4 cups (1 L)  cooked
1 tsp (5 mL) ground coriander
1/2 tsp (2 mL) cayenne pepper
2 tbsp (25 mL) chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tbsp (15 mL) dried
2 tsp (10 mL) brown sugar
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
2 tbsp (25 mL) extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400°F /200°C.

Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment   paper.

Dry  chick peas well using paper toweling  or a dish cloth and place them in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, mix together coriander, cayenne pepper, rosemary, brown sugar and salt. Stir in olive oil and mix together. Add spice/oil mix to the chick peas and toss until the chick peas are evenly coated.

Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes; remove from oven and move chick peas around to roast evenly. Place back in oven for another 20 minutes or until the chick peas are crispy.  If outer chick peas are browning too much during the last 20 minutes, move them to the centre of the pan. Turn oven off and allow chick peas to cool in the oven.

You can store these for a day or two but they don’t remain crispy. They’re easy to crisp up again, though. Simply reheat them on a parchment-lined baking sheet  in a preheated 400°F /200°C oven for 10 minutes and they will again be crispy.

Nutritional information per serving
•    Calories:  141
•    Protein:  5 grams
•    Fat:  4 grams
•    Saturated fat: less than 1  gram
•    Carbohydrate: 22  grams
•    Dietary fibre: 4  grams
•    Sodium:  360 milligrams

Do you make roasted chick peas? What seasonings do you use? Please share in the comment section below.