Dig In: Chickpeas (Lime Chili Cilantro Roasted Chickpeas—the Perfect Finger Food)
Spring is here! Or should I say summer?! The ChowFamily enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather this weekend with a road trip to the Lakota Wolf Preserve in New Jersey. The only not-so-fun part was the nearly 2 hours in the car on the way there (luckily, the ChowBaby slept the whole way home). But I came prepared with lots of fun finger foods—they performed double duty as our picnic lunch and as a distraction in the car. On the menu? Lime Chili Cilantro Roasted Chickpeas.
What’s the scoop on chickpeas?
Chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) are a very versatile legume. And a great staple to keep around the house in canned form. In our family, we use them a ton. They are a great protein source and can be used to whip up a quick and nutritious family-friendly meal in minutes. For a few ideas, check out this roasted beet hummus, this chicken korma, or this feta chickpea salad.
Nutritionally speaking, these little beans are a powerhouse. Tons of cholesterol-lowering fiber, lots of iron for energy, a great blood-sugar stabilizer, manganese for antioxidants, and (when combined with a grain like rice) a virtually fat-free complete protein on par with meat. That last benefit is a big reason we turn to beans like these. They reduce our meat consumption! That’s good for the planet and good for the wallet (especially in in this economy when we’re trying to stretch a dollar).
Want the nutritional specifics?
According to World’s Healthiest Foods, chickpeas are an excellent source of:
- molybdenum (important for detoxifying sulfites)
- manganese (an antioxidant)
…a very good source of:
- folate
…and a good source of:
- dietary fiber
- tryptophan
- protein
- copper
- phosphorous
- iron
This recipe for roasted chickpeas is made with lime, chili, and cilantro. But there are infinite possible variations. Here are some other ideas:
- cumin and lemon
- curry
- lemon and pepper
- creole seasoning and lemon
- soy garlic ginger
- garam masala
- ginger maple
- maple cinnamon
Lime Chili Cilantro Roasted Chickpeas
(can be served to kids 12+ mos)
1 15-oz can organic chickpeas
3 tsp organic chili powder
1 tbsp organic olive oil
1 tbsp fresh squeezed organic lime juice
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp organic cilantro, finely chopped
1. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400 degrees.
2. Drain and rinse canned chickpeas.
3. In a large bowl combine chickpeas, chili powder, and, olive oil. Toss.
4. Spread chickpeas in a single layer on lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for ABOUT 45-50* minutes, lightly shaking the pan every 15 minutes or so. They’re done when the chickpeas are lightly brown and totally crunchy.
5. Remove from oven. Let cool completely. Toss with lime juice, cilantro, and sea salt. Serve. (If you have enough left to store overnight, you’ll probably need to recrisp them about 10 minutes in the oven.)
*Note: The cooking time really seems to vary depending on whether you use dry or canned chickpeas, even on the difference in chickpeas from can to can. So when they look done, I pull one chickpea out of the over, let it cool a couple of minutes, and then test it. If it isn’t crunchy enough, I leave them in about 5 minutes. And then repeat the test. Until the chickpea is really crunchy. Then (and only then) I remove them from the oven.
15 Responses to “Dig In: Chickpeas (Lime Chili Cilantro Roasted Chickpeas—the Perfect Finger Food)”
April 27th, 2009 saat: 2:55 pm
I cannot wait to make these!
April 27th, 2009 saat: 3:02 pm
Cool! Let me know if you try any variations. We’ve already eaten the second batch I made yesterday in order to take the picture you see in the post. Crunchy goodness. Yum.
April 27th, 2009 saat: 3:26 pm
I did a recipe similar to this a few months ago on Kaboose.com.
Once again…great minds think a like!
http://recipes.kaboose.com/spicy-roasted-chickpeas.html
April 27th, 2009 saat: 3:46 pm
that variation looks great, too, christina! they look like they might be spicy—are they? my ChowBaby has been a little less thrilled about spice lately. but the addition of fresh lime and fresh cilantro mellowed out the chili in my recipe just enough that he didn’t reject them. on the other hand, if the ChowPapa and I want more for ourselves, your recipe could do the trick! lol!
April 27th, 2009 saat: 4:18 pm
Hey. Stumbled upon your website while browsing Tastespotting. I’ve been looking for a recipe like this. In India, many of our sweet shops have a savoury eats section and they always store roasted/fried peas and nuts like these. I can’t wait to try making this myself! Thank you so much.
April 27th, 2009 saat: 4:34 pm
nithya: welcome! and please share any variations you have. i think i may make yet another batch this week.
April 27th, 2009 saat: 5:31 pm
they are a little spicy but not too bad. u can just omit the cayenne. I like to do just paprika and salt for an every day snack. makes a great figure friendly snack t pop while watching the TV. its less caloric than nuts and healthier than popcorn! YAY!
April 29th, 2009 saat: 3:16 pm
Hi there! I just started reading your site a few days ago and am really enjoying it. (Cheap Healthy Good blog pointed me your way.) I am very excited to try this recipe. I do have a question, though. Do you think I could use dried chickpeas that I soaked overnight? Would I need to cook them first? I am fairly new to the “dried beans and legumes” thing, so just trying to figure things out.
Thanks so much for all of the healthy recipes! I will definitely be adding you to my blog reader.
April 29th, 2009 saat: 3:43 pm
welcome kate e! we love cheap healthy good too! and thanks for adding us to your reader!
to answer your question, yes, you would have to cook them first. in fact, i’ve heard that they’ll be even better than canned and roasted since they have absorbed less liquid. but i haven’t tested that theory myself.
come back and comment again soon!
May 5th, 2009 saat: 9:41 am
I made this over the weekend with ginger, a little cinnamon and maple syrup before baking (nothing put on after). They came out nicely, but we didn’t finish them. I threw them in a sealed container for the next day, but they got really soggy overnight. Do you think they can be “recrisped” in the oven?
May 6th, 2009 saat: 1:06 pm
hi kate. truth be told, i never saved them overnight because i’ve never had any left! LOL! but i did a little research and discovered you are not alone in the soggy-day-old-roasted-chickpeas dilemma. it appears that if you throw them back in the oven for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees, they will crisp right back up. if you try that, please keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn (since that would be a waste and a bummer). and let us know if it works! if it does, i’ll add it to the post. with a credit to you, of course!
May 7th, 2009 saat: 2:43 am
I finally got a chance to make these. My little guy loves them, but they didn’t come out as crunchy as I had hoped. Any ideas on what I could have done wrong? I left them in the oven until they were good and brown. I only eyeballed the olive oil; could I have used too much?
May 7th, 2009 saat: 6:12 am
hi chrissy. depending on the state of your chickpeas, these seem to really vary in time. i’m going to add a note to the recipe about that. here’s what i do. when i think they are finished, i pull one chickpea out, let it cool, and test it. if it isn’t crunchy enough, i leave them in for another 5 minutes. test again, etc. hope that helps!
May 11th, 2009 saat: 6:31 am
[...] amounts) can be safely introduced to kids as early as 6-months-old. See how I’ve used it in Ginger Maple Roasted Chickpeas (scroll down for the variation) and in Warm Ginger Milk and Warm Ginger Lemonade in my post on hot [...]
June 8th, 2009 saat: 5:10 am
[...] and I usually dig in to ingredients. Like chickpeas or coconut water. But I’m going to dig in to spices today. Chinese Five Spice, to be [...]
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