Post-Holiday Eating: Savory Roasted Chickpeas

My arteries wrote this morning, and they're pissed. Christmas in the Midwest means meat overload, appetizers infused with mayo and cream cheese, mixed nuts by the handful, cookies at every turn, and general overconsumption. I'm not a calorie counter and indulge in the foods I love without guilt, but by January every year I'm ready for salads, juice bars, whole grains, healthy oils. Etcetera. There's nothing like gluttony to make gluttony seem rather nasty.

Today I succeeded in remedying the nut craze that overtook me in recent days. Yes, I just said nut craze. And, yes, I know nuts are healthy. But not in the amounts consumed around these parts since the third week in December. I needed a nut cleanse.

(Yup. Just said nut cleanse.)

Okay, enough. Anyway. My solution? Roasted chickpeas. They're reminiscent of Soy Nuts, but crunchier, bigger, and more satisfying. And because you're making them, you can make executive decisions on flavor and healthiness. I chose rosemary/garlic as my main flavors, but you could go any direction, even sweet (cardamom/cinnamon/vanilla, anyone??).

Unless you hang out with crunchy folk, chances are you'll be the trick pony, so make sure you show up looking good. And make a double batch.

xxx+o,
Jess

Savory Roasted Chickpeas

• 1 cup dried or 1 can chickpeas/garbanzo beans
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• sea salt
• black pepper
• hot sauce (Sriracha, Tabasco, etc.)
• garlic powder
• rosemary

1. If you're using caned chickpeas, skip this step. Soak dried beans in cold water overnight, then drain and rinse. Don't skip the soaking- it gets rid of gas/bloating-causing simple sugars. In a pot of clean water, bring the beans to a boil, then turn down and simmer for 30-60 minutes, or until they're soft enough to easily chew but not so soft that they're in any way falling apart. You should be able to throw one in the sink without it breaking.
2. Preheat oven to 400F/210C.
3. In a large bowl, toss with the olive oil and remaining ingredients, to taste. I didn't include amounts so you'd follow your mouth.
4. Spread out the chickpeas in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
5. Bake for 35-45 minutes, checking and stirring every 10 minutes at first and every couple minutes at the end, until all the beans are evenly deep golden brown. Taste test the lightest colored one- it should be crunchy with no lingering chewiness. If you need to manually remove some of the darkest ones from the pan, do so before they burn.
6. Let cool completely, then serve immediately, or store in an airtight container.