Roasted Indian Chickpeas

Happy 2011! Hope you had a great start to this year and it will bring you joy, love, good food and of course the company of great people. I welcomed 2011 in the company of Jenna and her friends. We ate, chatted, drank and watched the ball drop.

As my contribution to the party I brought dates stuffed with sharp cheddar, wrapped in bacon and then baked and broiled in the oven: it was quite a hit! But I also wanted to bring something new, slightly healthier, and something I've never made before: and that was Roasted Indian Chickpeas.

I absolutely love chickpeas: in salads, soups, hummus, or main dishes. They are healthy, versatile and so satisfying. This time I decided to flavor them with a few Indian spices and roast them.

Roasted Indian Chickpeas

Ingredients

3 cans chickpeas, rinsed, drained
salt
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon curry
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon coriander
olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450.
2. Combine all ingredients together.

{note the pretty Le Creuset orange spatula I have from freelancing for Robyn!}

3. Spread the chickpeas in a single layer on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet (you might have to use two cookie sheets).

4. Roast the chickpeas for about 35 minutes, shaking them up occasionally.

This little snack smelled amazing and left my lips tingling from cayenne. Of course I wanted to find a suitable bowl for these chickpeas and decided to use a pretty copper bowl my friend Radha gave me a while ago, which she found in an Indian store.

{love the detail on the handle}

Thoughts: the chickpeas were crunchy on the outside and still a bit tender on the inside. They are best eaten right away. By the time I got to Jenna's, the chickpeas were cold and we had to reheat them for 5 minutes in the oven. As they sit, however, they start to get a bit soggy. So make them and eat them fast!

Have you ever tried roasting chickpeas? If so, what spices did you use?