Roasted Chickpeas

I've been battling a summer cold for the past couple of days. Since I've been sick I haven't gotten around to going to the grocery store and was left digging through the pantry for a snack.

When prepping the chickpeas make sure they are really dry.  I let mine sit in the strainer for a good 5 minutes and then dried them really well with a towel. 

This snack is made up of things I always have in the house and it really took no effort.  The flavor was really good but they didn't get as crispy as I would have liked them to.

Honey Cinnamon Roasted Chickpeas:
(Sweet Pea's Kitchen)

Ingredients:
2 (15 ounce) cans of chickpeas (or 4 cups cooked chickpeas)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
4 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoon honey

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Drain and rinse chickpeas in a colander under running water. Thoroughly dry chickpeas with a kitchen towel.

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar. Add chickpeas and toss until coated with spice mixture. Spread chickpeas out on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast, shaking the pan occasionally, until the chickpeas are crunchy and no longer soft in the middle, 35-40 minutes.

Test taste every few minutes until desired texture is reached. Place hot, roasted beans in a small bowl and coat evenly with honey. Spread beans back out on baking sheet and allow to dry. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Left Overs Fried Rice

I had a half day of work this week and was able to come home early and have lunch.  I was going to settle on a bowl of cereal but as I was poking around in the the refrigerator I decided that it was time to use up some of the stuff that we had in there.  I went with fried rice and was very happy with the way it turned out.

I used some of the left over chickpea patties in this rice dish.  It's not a normal thing to add to fried rice but they needed to be eaten.  They worked surprisingly well.  This is a smaller portion so if you want to make a larger just add more rice and veggies.

Left Overs Fried Rice:

1 cup of left over rice (I used brown rice)
1 egg
1 carrot, chopped into small cubes
1 green onion, chopped into small pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 left over chickpea patties

Heat up the oil in a pan.  When it get hot add the rice and left over chickpeas to the pan.  Cook, stirring, for a minute.  Make a space in the middle of the rice, add the egg and scramble it in the empty spot on the pan until it's just cooked but still soft.  Mix the egg up with the rice.  Add the vegetables to the pan, stir and let cook some.  Add the soy sauce and stir.

I only had carrots and green onions in the house.  I usually add frozen peas, bell peppers, or broccoli to my fried rice.  Just to give some more ideas.

Buffalo Chickpea Patties

I've been eyeing these for a while.  I love hummus but have never had much more than that when it comes to chickpeas.  I'm officially a convert to the way of the chick pea.  (I don't think that made since)

These came together quickly and cooked very easily.  I made mine a little smaller than Ashlee did because we were using them to make sandwiches.  I put them on top of flatbread with tzatziki sauce, lettuce, and tomato.  I thought it was a pretty good combination.

Mr. T wanted to make sure that this was going to become a regular on the menu.

Buffalo Chickpea Patties:
(Veggie by Season)

1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 c. rolled oats
1/4 c. buffalo sauce, plus more for serving
1 egg white
1 small yellow onion
1 tsp. garlic powder
Salt and pepper

Add chickpeas to a bowl, use a potato masher and mash until about 2/3 of the chickpeas are pasty and 1/3 are in pieces or whole.  Add the buffalo sauce to the chickpeas.  Add half of the oats to a food processor, pulse to create a crumb, add to the chickpeas.  Beat the egg white in a small dish to a froth, add to the chickpeas.  Grate onion into the chickpeas, finally add the garlic powder, salt and pepper.   Use a spatula and fold mixture, combining ingredients well.


















Heat a griddle over medium heat and or add 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Since we were using these in sandwiches I used a 1/4 measuring cup to portion out chickpea mixture onto griddle, it made about 7.5 patties.  Cook patties for 5-7 minutes, until crispy and brown, flip gently and cook for another 5-7 minutes.


















Serve immediately to retain maximum crispness.

Chipotle Hummus

One of my coworkers is moving back to Miami to be with family.  We had a big going away party for him at a local park and I volunteered to bring some chips and dip.  This was a big hit and super easy.

Chipotle Hummus:

2 cans of chickpeas, drained (keep the liquid)

2-3 tablespoons lemon juice

2-4 chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped (depending on how much heat you like)

2 tablespoons of the adobo liquid that came with the peppers

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1-2 teaspoon sesame oil*

2 tablespoon olive oil

salt

pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

Add everything to a food processor and blend.  Once everything is mixed add some of the chickpea liquid until the desired consistency is achieved.

*Be careful with the sesame oil.  A little bit goes a LONG way.

Buffalo Ranch Hummus

I love hummus.  I can be a purist and tend to stick with the traditional flavor of hummus but this was a nice change.

Buffalo Ranch Hummus:
(adapted from Devon, who found it at abbynormally.com)

2 cans chickpeas, drained but keep the liquid
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tbsp hot sauce
1 packet of powdered ranch seasoning


Throw it in the food processor and add the chickpea liquid until it reaches your desired consistency.  If you'd like more heat or buffalo flavor, add more buffalo sauce.

Moroccan Chickpea Salad

I recently started getting Clean Eating Magazine in the mail.  It's full of fantastic recipes and so far I've enjoyed everything that I've tried.  It's forcing me to get outside of the box with my eating, while being healthier at the same time.


I've never been a huge fan of whole chick peas.  I know that they're good for you but the texture throws me a little.  This salad made me think about changing my mind.

Moroccan Chickpea Salad:
(Clean Eating Magazine, March 2011)
Serves 6          

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
¼ teaspoon sea salt and ground pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper
3 cups BPA-free canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 large carrot, peeled and julienned
3 green onions, thinly sliced
2 plum tomatoes, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
¼ cup of chopped cilantro and chopped mint
1/3 cup crumbled low-fat feta cheese

In a small bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice, cumin, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.

In a large bowl, combine chickpeas, carrot, onion, tomatoes, red pepper, cilantro, mint, and feta cheese. 

          

Pour lemon juice dressing over chickpea mixture and toss to combine.  Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.