Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe

Happy Meatless Monday.

I have a snack recipe for you that is going to change the way you look at chick peas.

I admit it….when I am at discount department stores like Tj Maxx and Marshalls, I peruse their shelves of bizarre specialty foods. I am not looking for anything  as much as I am waiting for something I can not live without to find me. It frequently does.  It makes me feel like a grand explorer of packaged foods.

The other day I came across bags of seasoned, baked chick peas. They came in various flavors and were in attractive packaging. I’ll bite. I threw a few in the cart. Of course I ripped a bag  open as soon as I got back in the KIA. Why wait? I finished  the bag before pulling into my driveway five miles away. They were irresistible.

Luckily, because I had grabbed several bags with the optimism of someone that loves chick peas,  I still had two more bags. In the days that followed, we brought our zippy baked chick peas with us everywhere  for snacks on the go.

I was hooked. As is the case with most things you will find on the specialty food shelf of a discount store, once you are addicted, you will never ever find them again. I looked high and low, searching store to store with no luck.  Time to engage the mad skills of my oven.

I began with the basics and used a smidge of olive oil, sea salt and black pepper. I call mine CrisPeas, they are a wonderfully roasted & spiced chick peas recipe.

Roasted & Spiced Chick Peas

by: S. Duquet

Ingredients

1 15 oz can organic chick peas

1/2 tsp olive oil

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

Make it Happen

~Preheat oven to 350 degrees

~Rinse and drain your chick peas

~Put chick  peas, olive oil, sea salt and black pepper in a bowl and toss to coat

~Put in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes

~After 20 minutes remove from oven and stir

~Return pan to oven and bake for an additional 35 minutes or until crispy through and through. You want them to be slightly browned and crisp, but not burned.  I burned my first batch but we ate them anyway because they still tasted amazing. Remove from oven and allow to cool, then enjoy.

You may store them in an airtight container for a week but I swear, you will not need to. They have the satisfaction and crunch appeal of nuts or potato chips without the additional fat. The flavor combos are endless.

Here are a few suggestions for different variations:

Coconut oil with cinnamon and sugar

Lemon oil with lemon pepper

Olive oil with cumin and chili powder

Olive oil with curry and granulated orange peel

Go crazy, just start tossing them with anything in your cupboard and create a tasty snack that loves you back.

Have a delicious day.

Tags: baked chick peas, healthy snack recipe, healthy snacks, Meatless Monday, Meatless Monday recipe, Meatless Monday snack recipe, roasted chick pea snacks, salt and pepper chick peas, seasoned chick peas, vegan snacks, vegan wannabe