Tasty Bites: Snackin' Chickpeas

By Candy, RN (Steele the Day)

Chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) are low in calories and a good source of dietary fiber, protein, vitamin B6, folate, and manganese. You often see them in soups and salads, but they can make a great healthy snack when roasted in the oven. You can use about any spices to flavor them, depending if you like them a little sweet or more savory. One of my favorites is using a Moroccan spice blend with a kick of cayenne pepper. These are great as a snack, or put on salads.

This sweet and spicy version is a sweet snack, and they disappear very fast at my house.

Sweet and Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

15 ½ ounce can chickpeas, rinsed, drained and patted dry

2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey

1 teaspoon canola oil

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon nutmeg (I prefer fresh-grated)

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¾ teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°.  Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl until evenly coated. Put chickpeas on a large baking sheet that has been covered with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 45-60 minutes until golden, shaking pan and loosening chickpeas every 15 minutes. Watch carefully toward the end as they will burn quickly once the moisture is out of them.

Candy Steele is a registered nurse who has worked with cardiac patients for over thirty years. “Functional foods” have become her passion, and she enjoys sharing her love of cooking, a random life and a faithful Jesus with her friends at Steele (the Day). She is blessed with three grown children, a new daughter-in-law, and a kind and patient husband who only knows how to fix popcorn (but she’s OK with that).