Cook: Seasoned and Roasted Chickpeas

If you're searching for a healthy snack, look no further! 

Simply roasting chickpeas (garbanzo beans) with some olive oil and seasoning salt makes such a delicious snack! I had heard of this before but honestly was a little skeptical. But now, I wish I had made these ages ago!

For my book club meeting last weekend I wanted to make a little snack that everyone could enjoy. One lady is vegan, another eats gluten-free and everyone is pretty health conscious. I found the original recipe from Oh She Glows, a wonderful vegan lifestyle blog.  I took the basic concept but used different seasoning, while still keeping it basic. 

Overall this recipe is delicious and easy to make, but, it does take time. It's totally worth it, though.

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of garbanzo beans/chickpeas
• Seasoning salt
• Olive oil

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425. Boil the chickpeas for a few minutes then remove from the heat and let cool for about 30 minutes or until you can safely handle them.

Strain the chickpeas. You can run cool water over them if you're short on time. 

Get your seasonings out! You could do anything with this recipe! I using Seasoning Salt and olive oil but you could do just salt and pepper, Italian spices, cinnamon sugar...whatever your belly desires!

Lay some aluminum foil or parchment paper on your baking sheet and drizzle olive oil and sprinkle your seasonings. 

 Pour the chickpeas on top.

Then sprinkle and drizzle some more! Roll them around with your hands to make sure they get evenly coated with olive oil and your seasonings. 

Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, rolling them halfway through to ensure even baking.

Let cool and enjoy!

So delicious! 

If you've never had chickpeas, this is a great way to try them. I like them cold on my salad but this is the first time having them hot and it was so good! They were a hit at my book club meeting! I thought they would be a little messy because of the olive oil but they're not at all so it's no biggie to eat them by hand like popcorn! 

You can bet I'll be making more of them soon!

What seasoning(s) would you use? Do you prefer to call them chickpeas or garbanzo beans? I've always wondered, are they peas or beans? 

Till next time,
Catherine

Cook: Homemade Fruit Roll Ups

How would you like to give your family a fruit snack that actually has real fruit in it? I know I would. Almost every type of fruit snack on the market today is deceiving us all! They are made with artificial flavors and colors and are chock full of high fructose corn syrup. I originally found this recipe on Our Best Bites and you can find the recipe HERE. 

This recipe is extremely easy but it does take a long time. If you have a dehydrator you can use that but I used my oven on the lowest heat setting available. 

Ingredients:

• Whatever fruit it whatever combination you want! You can use fresh, frozen, or canned.
• Sweetener like honey or agave
• Lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat your oven to the lowest temperature. Some only go down to 170 but others go to 140. 

Pick out your favorite fruit(s). Wash them and cut them if necessary. 

Blend them in your blender or food processor (I used a blender). Add a couple spoonfuls of your favorite sweetener and lemon juice. Do some taste testing to find the right blend. 

Stretch out plastic wrap onto your baking sheets, or use a silicon baking mat. Pour the puree onto the baking sheet and spread it till it is even. Try to keep it from the edges. The top pan is strawberry-peach and the bottom is just strawberry. 

Bake in the oven for about 6-8 hours or until the center is no longer sticky. You want it to be solid but not brittle. You can see in the bottom of this picture that the edges were getting too thin and brittle. If this happens, brush a little water onto the areas that need it. 

Now go make more in other flavors! These are apple and peach mixes. 

Once it is done, simple cut strips with kitchen scissors and roll them up. If you want to get fancy you can lay them onto parchment paper, roll them, then tie them with a pretty bow. I wrapped mine while still on the plastic wrap and it works great...just be sure to remind people that it has the plastic on it! 

Trust me, you want to go make these! They're delicious! Experiment with different flavors and see what's best! I don't think you can go wrong, though! 

What flavor(s) would you make? Would you make the switch from store bought to home made?

Till next time,

Catherine