Crunchy Chick Peas

Do you notice there are sometimes trends in the food blogging world? A recipe or food will be "in style" for a while and everyone makes it and posts about their version. I saw many crunchy chick pea recipes online a while back and bookmarked them to make sometime. I may be behind the curve posting these photos but you can get on the bandwagon too and whip these up in no time flat.

What appealed to me was that they were a healthy snack to satisfy that crunchy/salty addiction so many of us have. There are lots of recipes online for crunchy snacky chick peas, including one for Chickpeas with Thai Chiles from the Food section of the New York Times.

This is super easy to make. Start with one can of chick peas and pour into a colander and drain and rinse very well under running water.

Pat dry.

You’ll see that some of the beans have a thin skin on them…you can leave them on, or use the paper towel to rub them off.

Toss the chickpeas with the about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and spread out on a large cookie sheet. Roast at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until brown and crispy. Turn and stir every ten minutes so they don't burn.

Take out of the oven and toss to taste with salt and spices.

The variations on spice combinations are endless. Here are some great flavor ideas I found online:

• 1 tablespoon chunky sea salt and 2 teaspoons spice like garam masala
• Sprinkled with Creole seasoning
• 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 2 tablespoons of dry ranch dip
• 3 teaspoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon Asian Sea Salt or sea salt
• thyme, pepper and lemon zest