Hi Everyone!  Welcome back to In the Kitchen with Caitlin, a blog series where I feature some lesser known ingredients and highlight ways to use them in delicious and healthy recipes. Today, I am going to show you how to make two delicious snack recipes that use the same ingredient in two very different ways. The featured ingredient is the garbanzo bean. You may already be familiar with garbanzo beans, but perhaps you aren’t aware of the many different ways you could use them. 

Garbanzo beans (also known as chickpeas) are an excellent source of plant protein, so they are a great choice for vegetarians, or people who are looking to reduce the amount of animal protein in their diet.  In just half a cup of cooked chickpeas, there are 7 grams of protein, with the added benefit of 6 grams of fiber, which you will not find in animal protein sources.  I also love how economical chickpeas are.  It can be challenging to afford the leanest cuts of animal protein on a regular basis, so chickpeas are an excellent way to meet your protein needs healthfully while sticking to your budget.

Today, I’ll show you how I use chickpeas in two of my go-to snack recipes—chipotle hummus and spicy roasted garbanzo beans.

Recipe #1—Chipotle Hummus

First up today is the chipotle hummus.  For this recipe, you will need a food processor or a blender to get a smooth consistency.

Ingredients:

  • 14 ½ oz. can of chickpeas drained and rinsed OR 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas (if preparing from dried beans)
  • 1 tbsp. adobo sauce
  • 1 chipotle pepper
  • Lemon juice
  • 1 clove of garlic, peeled
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup fresh basil (optional)
chipotle hummus.jpg

Directions:

  • Remove the seeds from the chipotle pepper. The seeds carry a lot of the spice, so if you are a fan of very spicy foods you can leave the seeds intact.
  • Add the pepper as well as 1 tablespoon of the adobo sauce to the food processor.
  • Next, rinse and drain one 14 ½ oz. can of chickpeas or use 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas if you are preparing from dried beans.
  • Add the beans, the juice of one lemon, 1 clove of garlic peeled, and ¼ cup olive oil to the food processor or blender.
  • Puree until a smooth consistency, about 2 minutes. You may need to stop the food processor or blender once to scrape the sides.
  • Garnish with ¼ cup fresh basil before serving if desired.
This hummus makes for a great vegetable dip or even as a sandwich spread! Don’t be afraid to make a large batch, it will keep in the refrigerator for about a week.  If you’re looking for a plain hummus base to experiment with different flavors, simply leave out the chipotle pepper and adobo sauce. chipotle hummus veggies.jpg

Recipe #2—Spicy Roasted Garbanzo Beans

Next, are the roasted spicy garbanzo beans! This is a great snack if you are looking for a crunchy replacement for chips or crackers, and it couldn’t be simpler to make.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
  • 1 ½ tsp. olive oil
  • ½ tsp. ground cumin
  • ½ tsp. ground coriander
  • ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
  • Black pepper to taste
spicy chickpeas.jpg

Directions:

  • Preheat your oven to 400°F.
  • Next, rinse and drain 2 cups of cooked beans, and then dry them will with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.
  • Toss the beans in 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon ground coriander, ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and black pepper to taste if desired.
  • You can do this in a mixing bowl, or if you’re like me and don’t want something extra to clean, you can do this right on the baking sheet.
  • Bake in a single layer for 30-40 minutes until crispy and golden. (You may want to toss them around half way through.)
When finished, these will be crunchy on the outside with a chewy inside. If you want them really crispy, bake for an extra ten minutes.  This is another great base recipe, so feel free to play around with different flavors! spicy chickpeas complete.jpg

While these snacks are totally different, they are both delicious and a great way to stay on track when you want a snack.  If you have any favorite uses for chickpeas, please share in the comments section!

See you in the kitchen!

In good health,
Caitlin