My New Favorite Snack: Roasted Chickpeas!

Roasted za’atar chickpeas are my new favorite snack! Even my mom likes them, and she usually goes through phases of what she wants to eat or have me prepare for her (like only popcorn, only broccoli, only bacon, eggs, and cheese, only buttermilk and cornbread, etc., haha). I found this recipe and have tinkered with it a bit. *As a side note…Also check out this recipe for colorful confetti latkes with harissa sour cream from the same site.*

So, my tinkerings: I usually turn down the oven heat pretty low and let these roast until they are fairly brown and crunchy, stirring them every now and then (no moisture left, so they are sort of like soy nuts). I have used dried and canned chickpeas, but I prefer dried — you can better control the salt content. I also Misto these instead of using the full amount of oil (to save a few cals). I have tried adding several seasonings to the za’atar, but so far my fave combo is: garlic powder, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and just a little bit some sort of sweetener (like raw sugar, honey, or agave). Another combo I enjoy when I am craving something sweeter (without the za’atar) is cinnamon, cayenne, cumin, salt, and agave (or raw sugar, honey, maple, etc.).

My other pic in this post is from a pasta dish I made awhile back. I thought I would try out quinoa pasta. This one was a curly veggie version, and it was pretty good! You wouldn’t know the difference from wheat-based, in my opinion. I just added a quick tomato sauce with my butternut squash base, greens, “fried” sliced turnips, chickpeas, and green olives. I would have loved a bit of tuna in this dish, but I didn’t have any at the time. I did have some roasted chickpeas that day, so I processed some to make a breadcrumb-like topping. They are now my new breadcrumb substitute! I have also seen them replace traditional salad croutons.

Please try out the roasted chickpeas recipe if you are so inclined! The flavor combinations are endless and even a small portion is quite a filling and satisfying snack.

WhirlwinDISH 15

I wanted dessert, so I started to make a summer berry crumble with an oat topping. I decided to go with a quinoa granola (quinola) instead. I made it my favorite way with a mixture of agave syrup (sometimes I use honey), unsweetened coconut, cinnamon, vanilla, a touch of oil, and a bit of salt. Well, my other favorite way is to also use a nut butter. I baked it in the oven on a low heat setting (stirring every now and then) until it was browned. I used the quinola to top berries macerated in agave and balsamic vinegar and then baked it off in the oven. It satisfied my sweet tooth, and I felt like it was on the healthier side (as far as desserts go). I didn’t even need any cream! I made a second batch with tri-colored quinoa the same way, but added some tropical fruits & nuts: dates, dried papayas, and macadamias. Oats are a great addition, but this day I made it with just the quinoa. I like it for snacking, as well as a quick fruit crumble topping.