Roasted Crispy Cajun Chickpeas

Oh, chickpeas. I have a little soft spot for these high protein, high fibre wonders.  They’re very affordable and can be used in so many recipes. And in the legume world, they’ve been blessed with a rather fortunate and adorable name (unlike kidney beans and black-eyed peas).

If you’re not a fan of chickpeas, I encourage you to follow subsequent posts and try a recipe or two that may just change your mind! Especially the one below. It’s a great healthy replacement for traditional chips or salty snacks.

Chickpeas are high in fibre and protein which helps to regulate levels of blood sugar and insulin keeping you feeling fuller longer and control cravings. Studies have also shown that chickpeas can lower LDL cholesterol helping to reduce the risk of heart disease.

I had been itching to try making crispy chickpeas a few months back and when Vegetarian Times recently featured a recipe for them, I felt it was a sign. This recipe is great for using up whatever boiled chickpeas you have leftover from recipes earlier in the week because you can easily play around with the spice proportions to match the amount of chickpeas you have.

Roasted Cajun-Spiced Chickpeas (adapted from Vegetarian Times)

Ingredients:

• 2-3 cups chickpeas
• 1- 2 tbsp. coconut oil
• 2 heaping tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• generous pinch of cayenne pepper (more if you like it spicier!)
• 1/4 tsp. salt (if chickpeas are not salted)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix paprika, garlic powder and cayenne pepper in a small bowl. If your chickpeas were not prepared with salt, add 1/4 tsp. salt.
3. Dry chickpeas with a paper towel as best as you can, spread them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake for about 40 minutes.
4. Take chickpeas out of the oven and place in a heat-proof bowl and toss with oil and then the spices to coat them. Return them to the oven to cook further for 15 mins. at 300 degrees Fahrenheit until crispy and dry.
5. Try to resist eating them all while cooling. They will last for at least a week in an airtight container if you have good willpower. 🙂

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