Spicy Roasted Chickpea “Corn Nuts”

You might be noticing that chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, are a major star of plant-based cooking. I can’t believe I didn’t even know they existed until I was at least 10 years old. I remember seeing a can of them in our cupboard and thinking “What kind of name is garbanzo? That sounds gross.” Little did I know I’d be blogging about chickpea cookie dough, chipotle chickpea tacos, curried chickpea salad sandwiches, green chili hummus many years down the road.

Speaking of the road…this new recipe is perfect for your next road trip. They are crunchy, little addictive things that are low-calorie, so you can eat to your heart’s content without the fat and calories of purchased snacks.

Chickpeas are SO nutritious. They have lots of non-heme iron (the safest kind of iron), and lots of protein and fiber. This video is fun and interesting to watch. It compares the nutrition of different beans (including chickpeas) and lentils to see which ones are the most beneficial and nutrition-packed.

Aside from eating these as snacks, they make the cutest little croutons! They make a salad pop (literally!) with crunchiness and flavor. They are also good on soup, to give a some crunch and texture (especially to smooth soups like butternut squash or creamy asparagus soup).

I’m already thinking of a ranch flavored version…because word on the street is that ranch Corn Nuts are the best.

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Spicy Roasted Chickpea "Corn Nuts"

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

40 mins

Total Time

45 mins

 

These crunchy chickpeas are like the Corn Nuts snacks, but have no oil and are full of the fiber and nutrition of chickpeas. They make great croutons for salads, too!

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chickpea, garbanzo bean, roasted, spicy

Servings: 2 cups

Ingredients

• 2 cans chickpeas (or 3 cups, cooked)
• 2 tsp taco seasoning (I make my own---do an interent search for a recipe)
• salt to taste, if seasoning is not salted

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. 

   Drain the chickpeas well by pouring them into a colander (you might want to save the liquid, called aquafaba, for use in another recipe!). Do not rinse.

2. Dry the chickpeas in a clean dish towel or paper towels. This is important to help them get crisp. 

3. Pour out onto the parchment-line baking sheet and sprinkle the taco seasoning on. Roll them around to toss the chickpeas in the spices. Spread them out as far apart from each other as possible. 

4. Bake for 35 minutes. Let cool completely, as they get even more crispy as they cool.

   Store in a bowl without a lid, to keep them crisp. They taste best fresh, but are still good for 3-4 days.