Snack Attack #2: Chili-Lime Roasted Chickpeas

You’ve had sweet (with a little tart thrown in for good measure). Now it’s time for the other side of the snacking coin: salty. Salty, spicy, tangy, bright, crunchy, provocative. Wait, can food be provocative?

I think so. Especially if the words chili-lime are involved.

I’ve seen roasted chickpeas cropping up all over the interwebs and have been all in a tizzy wanting to try them. They just look so scrumptious and snackable. I headed over to The Kitchn where there are about a billion (okay, fifteen) seasoning suggestions for roasted chickpeas. I needed some inspiration.

And oh, did I find inspiration! The Kitchn lists Garlic, Pepper, Rosemary chickpeas; Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil, Chili Powder chickpeas; and Brown Sugar, Rosemary, Cayenne Pepper chickpeas, just to name a few.

Chili powder, cumin, and lime all seemed like popular seasoning components, though I couldn’t seem to find a recipe that put them all together. They’re a match made in tex-mexy heaven, though, so I threw them all in my chickpea seasoning mix. Sure enough, the finished product tasted exactly like I’d imagined — spicy and addictive. I crunched down chickpea after chickpea while watching the first few episodes of America’s Got Talent on Hulu (no spoilers, please — except one. Feel free to tell me if anyone knocks Piers Morgan’s block off after a particularly snotty critique).

Are you in a snacky mood? These are so simple to make and they taste better than those greasy potato chips. The spice flavoring would also be wonderful on popcorn. What’s your go-to salty snack?

Chili-Lime Roasted Chickpeas

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Recipe by: Adapted from chowmama
Yields: about 1.5 cups roasted chickpeas

Ingredients:
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed, and blotted dry
3-4 teaspoons chili powder*
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon lime juice
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1-2 teaspoons cumin*
Pinch of dried herbs of your choice (I used a little rosemary and thyme) OR chopped fresh cilantro

*Note: start with the lowest amount of spice, then add more to taste.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray it with cooking spray. Spread chickpeas out in a single layer over the foil. Once oven is preheated, bake chickpeas for 45-50 minutes, stirring and flipping every 15 minutes or so. Chowmama includes a note saying that the cooking times can very; the way she looked for (and thus the way I looked for) doneness is taking a few chickpeas out, letting them cool for a minute, and then biting into them. Take them out when they’re really crunchy.

Near the end of the chickpeas’ cooking time, combine oil, chili powder, lime juice, sea salt, and cumin in a medium bowl. Whisk to mix. When chickpeas are done, let them cool for just a minute before pouring them into the oil mixture. Stir to coat all the chickpeas well. Eat immediately, or store in an airtight container (after cooling completely) to eat later.

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