A Legume by Any Other Name…

Chick Peas, Garbanzo beans, the mysterious, round, beige beans at the salad bar. Whatever you call them, those little legumes are having a resurgence.

Chick peas are chockfull of nutrients, protein and fiber. They are a great addition to salads and pastas. They are the base of delicious creamy hummus. They are extremely versatile.

I did not grow up eating chick peas. I think they are a love ’em or hate ’em kind of thing and my Mom hates them, so we never had them. But as my little family began to eat healthier, I started to experiment with these funny little beans.

We love them in hummus, and you can find my recipe here. I have put them in curries, pasta salads, green salads, but had yet to conquer roasting them.

Why would I bother? Crunchy seasoned chick peas make a lovely alternative to savory snacks like chips or crackers. They contain more protein than your average potato chip and are very filling and satiate your appetite for longer.

Also, I have these teenagers that have suddenly gone off typical lunch foods and make packing a lunch box with satisfying and sustaining foods very difficult. Roasted chick peas make them think they are just snacking and sneak some protein in at the same time.

I had tried once before and they never got fully crispy. Then I found the cookbook “Siriously Delicious” at the library. Yes, I know, I may be the only person I know who checks out cookbooks from the library. In fact, I have fallen madly in love with Siri Daly’s cookbook and I may never return it to the library. (I’m kidding of course, though I have renewed it 3 times already.)

She has a recipe for Crispy Garbanzo Beans that finally cracked the code for me. I made her recipe straight up, then tweaked it ever so slightly, natch.

It turns out that the secret is allowing the beans to fully dry, which takes longer than you would first imagine. Once I figured that out, I went hunting for additional flavor options. I plan on trying more, and continuing to tweak but I will only bore you with 2 variations today – a savory mix and a sweet, honey roasted variety.

For the savory mix, I stuck very closely to Siri Daly’s recipe, but I tried one batch with dried minced garlic and one with garlic powder. I found that I liked the garlic powder better because it stinks to the chick peas better than the minced garlic and blends more evenly.

I also tried roasting the chick peas with the skins on and then with the skins off. In hummus, it definitely makes a difference when you remove the skins, but I did not really see the point in this step for roasting chick peas. I think that will come down to personal preference.

The honey roasted chick peas follow a slightly different process, so the honey doesn’t burn on the chick peas. Roast the chick peas unadorned until they are dry and then stir them into the honey mixture and roast again for 10 minutes or so to caramelize them.

A note on the honey roasted – they are best enjoyed right away. I did store some in an airtight container, but they still softened over time. Of course, it has been raining in North Carolina for 40 days and 40 nights, so that might affect them as well.

While experimenting with all of these chick peas, I used about 6 cans of beans. I used a couple of different brands, so I have decided on a clear favorite. I like Goya. They are a superior bean and cheaper than most brands. If you cannot find them with the other canned beans in the grocery store, try looking in the Hispanic section.

Chick peas may just not be your thing, I get that. I brought some over to my parents to try and they dutifully attempted them and promptly but politely returned them. But if you are up for an inexpensive, healthy food experiment, give them a try soon and let me know what you think.

Recipe adapted from Siriously Delicious

Recipe adapted from PopSugar