Jessica Gordon Ryan/The Entertaining House

We adore roasted, spiced chickpeas.  Keeping myself healthy is one thing. Keeping my kids healthy is something else entirely. To find and give them nutritional snacks that can compete with the non-healthier ones out there is always a challenge. I try not to keep much junk in the house. We snack on lots of popcorn, crackers and cheese, yogurt and fruit. But after a while the kids get bored and need variety. "I'm sick of popcorn!" and "I'm not in the mood for fruit!" are words frequently whined in these parts. We are a home that needs variety. We happen to love chickpeas and when we roast them up I must make a double batch. There are rarely leftovers! Warm, soft yet crispy, salty and flavorful, they're a great wintertime snack.

Roasted, Spiced Chickpeas

Ingredients:
1 or 2 cans of chickpeas (garbanzos) rinsed and drained.
1 can of olive oil spray, such as Pam, or 1-2 tbs olive oil. (I find I use much less oil when I spray!)
Spices to taste:
Cumin
Sea Salt
Garlic Powder
Paprika -

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Pour chick peas onto a cookie sheet with sides or a jelly roll
Spray generously with olive oil spray. (If you don't have this you can coat them well in 1 - 2 tbs of olive oil)
Then generously shake your spices over the chickpeas so that they are well covered. Some of the seasonings will stick to the pan. This is why you will want to over-season!
Place your chick peas into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, gently shake the cookie sheet every 10 - 15 minutes so the brown evenly. They will turn a lovely golden brown. The skins will get nice and crunchy but the insides will stay soft.
Refrigerate any leftovers and then simply pop into the toaster oven and reheat for a few minutes for future snacking.

Jessica Gordon Ryan/The Entertaining House

Happy snacking!