Crunchy Roasted Garbanzo Beans

Alright, folks, let me first warn you - these crunchy little snacks are more than just a little addictive! It was my intention to make these as a healthy snack for my girls - and, I guess one of them did eat a few - but, I ate the entire batch myself! If I'm going to eat an entire can of something, I suppose it's good I chose something low fat and high in protein, but still!

Not only is this snack healthy, but very frugal as well! I bought this can of garbanzo beans (also known as chickpeas) for $0.69. I used that one can and the ingredients I already had at home to whip up these beauties.

One can of beans is labeled to have 3 1/2 servings. Each serving size is about 1/2 cup, with only 120 calories and 2 grams of fat. BUT, with 6 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein per serving, this seems much healthier than much other crunchy snacks. Now, multiply all that by three to find out my intake numbers today - yikes! My daughter just said..."you ate the whole can of beans?" Uhuh...

I searched several recipes before trying one out for myself. And, actually, I ended up combining a few different recipes into one that sounded easy and appealing.

Ingredients:



1 15 oz can garbanzo beans
1 tbsp olive oil
sea salt to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. While oven is heating, drain the beans in a colander and rinse two or three times. Dry the rinsed beans between a few layers of paper towel. NOTE: The skins of the beans may come off. You can discard those skins, but I did not make a point to take the skins off all of them (and did not notice a difference between the 'skinned' and 'non-skinned' when they were done). Place the beans into a bowl and add olive oil and salt. Gently toss the mixture and spread in a single layer on cookie sheet. Place in oven and roast for approximately 30 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes. The beans are done when they are a crunchy, dark golden color. Cool completely before eating. And, if I were you, ration out your portion size before snacking.

You may also enjoy adding different spices to your roasted garbanzo beans. Try: paprika, garlic salt, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, curry, etc. I think I am going to make a sweet version next. That might go over better with the kiddos (and I might be less likely to eat them all - maybe).

There will be a corresponding picture of the finished product soon - after I make the next batch. I just have to make sure NOT to start eating them first!

UPDATE!  (1/5/12)  Here's the picture, as promised.  I made these again already!  I decided they might taste really great on a spinach salad I'm planning to make tonight.  Oooh, and maybe I'll throw some dried cranberries in there too.  Oh, but I digress...  These turned out just as great as they did the first time.  The only thing I'll mention is - after 30 minutes, I thought they could use a little more browning, so I put them in for 7 minutes longer.  I'm thinking it should have been 4 or 5 more minutes.  Nonetheless, they are still great (and maybe just a little more crunchy)!

Adapted from: FamilyFreshCooking