Roasted Spiced Chickpeas

Chickpeas (dried or canned), four cups when ready for roasting.

Oil/Spice Mix

3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Garam Masala spice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

You can use whatever spice mixture you like. My next batch will have cinnamon and cloves and maybe a teaspoon of honey plus the oil and salt. You can also have them without oil or even salt, but I find that kind of bland.

I use dried chickpeas (or garbanzo beans). Whether you use dried or cans you want the equivalent of four cups ready for roasting. For dried beans, soak in water overnight up to about 18 hours. You should be able to slip off the flesh or break a between between your fingers easily if they're soaked enough. Rinse them and, for canned beans, rinse thoroughly. Dry beans (I use a salad spinner) and preheat oven to 425F degrees. Spread beans over a cookie sheet and roast 20-30 minutes, removing the sheet at least once each ten minutes to shake the beans around. When bean are almost done they've have a little give and be golden brown (but not dark--that's burnt!). If you eat one it should be mostly crunchy. Pour the beans into a large bowl and pour in your oil and spice mixture. Mix well so all beans are covered, return beans to cookie sheet and bake for another five minutes. Remove and allow to cool to warm. Beans keep well in an airtight container for up to a week.

Serving Size: Makes 16 1/4 cup servings

Number of Servings: 16

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user SHARA53.