I adore nuts. While nuts are good for you, they can also be bad for you… if you eat them like I do. I just can not eat them in moderation. I love peanuts, walnuts, pistachio nuts, hazelnuts, you name it, but most especially, I love macadamia nuts. To me, they taste like little salty, crunchy butter balls. They are quite simply divine! Once I start, I have a very hard time putting them away. I am also a total peanut butter addict. Yes, peanuts in butter form. What an invention!
The first time I saw this chickpea snack, it was on the Rachel Ray show. Rachel mentioned that these were a great alternative to nuts. Could this really be true? I was intrigued. Since then, I have seen them on many a blog, in loads of great variations. I thought I’d give them a try. I chose a sweet and spicy version (to remind you of your favourite housewife). I figure that maybe one out of twenty recipes I post here should have some sort of nutritional value… maybe.
If one of your New Years resolutions revolves around slimmer thighs, this could be the snack for you. Check this out:
100g of salted and roasted peanuts = 585 calories
100g of the chickpea recipe that follows = 390 calories
Chickpeas also happen to be high in protein and fibre.
Well my dears, I’m not going to start lying to you for the sake of a cool blog post. Despite the savings in calories, I’d definitely still go for the nuts. While there was a bit of nuttiness to them, they lacked the fatty goodness factor, if you know what I’m saying. Still, if you’d like to try them, one thing I did really like about this snack is that it is so customisable. There are so many variations of these all over the internet. You could try rosemary and sea salt, garam masala, sweet paprika, you could go for a Moroccan spice mix … the list is endless. It’s just that nuts they are not. I am also reminded why I am not a Rachel Ray fan (Martha is my homegirl daaaaaahlings).
I found this recipe on Cookin’ Canuck, and I have copied and pasted it below:
Spicy Roasted Chickpeas with Rosemary & Brown Sugar
2 (14 oz) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
2 tbsp plus 1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt, divided
2 tbsp (packed) brown sugar
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 – 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Drain chickpeas into a strainer. Rinse and drain very well. Dry the chickpeas on a large sheet of paper towel, with another sheet laid over top. Pat gently to remove excess water.
Toss chickpeas with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Roast for 40-50 minutes, or until chickpeas are golden brown and rattle when you shake the baking sheet.
While the chickpeas are roasting, combine brown sugar, rosemary, 1 teaspoon olive oil, cayenne pepper (the amount you use depends on your heat tolerance), and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt in a medium bowl. Pour the roasted chickpeas into the bowl and toss with the brown sugar mixture. Cool completely. Serve. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.
