Roasted Chickpeas
( out of 5, with 4 votes)
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So roasted chickpeas have been all over the internet for a while now, but I never got around to trying them myself – and now that I have, I wonder why I waited so long! They are a delightfully crunchy, flavorful snack, perfect for packing in a lunch or to take on a hike. They are also easy and versatile – just drain and rinse a can or two of chickpeas (or soak dried ones overnight), toss them with whatever flavorings you like – I used salt, garlic powder, and paprika, but you can use tons of things. Chili powder, lemon juice and dill, onion, black pepper – they go well with almost anything so it’s a lot of fun to experiment and play with various flavors. Most of the recipes I saw called for oil but I didn’t use any and it worked great – just toss slightly damp chickpeas in with your seasonings and spread them out on a cookie sheet like so:
Pop them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 45-60 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes or so (this part is important – if you don’t stir them occasionally they won’t cook evenly and you want them all to be nice and crunchy but not burnt) and you’ll end up with something like this:
Not the most gorgeous thing in the world, but once you throw them in a little bowl they look just fine – kind of like nuts, really. It’s amazing how the chickpeas go from soft to crunchy, they really have a satisfying texture!
So if you haven’t tried these yet, please don’t be like me and wait forever! If you have, do you have any favorite seasoning combinations I should try?
Vegan, gluten free, soy free, low fat, refined sugar free
Feel free to play with the seasonings and try your own variations!
Ingredients:
- One can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (you can also use dried chickpeas, just soak them overnight first)
- 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss chickpeas, salt, and spices together in a small bowl until the chickpeas are evenly coated.
- Spread chickpeas evenly on a cookie sheet and bake for anywhere from 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally (this is important for even cooking!) until they get hard and crunchy. Serve immediately or allow to cool first, they are good both ways!
Quick Tip – Storing leafy greens
I buy and cook with enough produce that I feel like I’ve gotten a pretty good handle on how to store most things and how long they last (you’ve all been using my handy printable storage chart, right?) but I have to confess that lettuce and leafy greens in general were my biggest weak spot. I could not get them to last more than a few days, and I referred to my crisper drawer as “where greens go to die.” Not good.
I felt like my problem was two-fold. One, most of the stuff I’d read said to not wash or chop your greens until right before you eat them. Which made every salad seem like a little bit more of a chore than I really wanted it to be – it’s one thing to wash and chop a whole bunch of greens at once, it’s another to have to do it for each and every salad. At least if you’re as lazy as I am! The second problem was just that even unwashed greens seemed to wilt and get unappetizing remarkably quickly, or get completely forgotten in the depths of the crisper drawer.
So the first tip is to get a salad spinner
The secret to making it so useful is to really utilize all the functions – you can chop up a head or two of lettuce or other greens and rinse it right in the spinner’s colander, then spin it dry and just seal the lid on and keep the whole thing in the fridge. Greens stay fresh and crisp in there for up to a week! The best part is that it’s already chopped and rinsed so you can just grab a handful or two for any salads or other recipes and be good to go.
The only downside to this is that the salad spinner is a bit big so you may not have room in your fridge. But fear not, that’s where my next tip comes in! Did you know you can store leafy greens in glass jars? I saw this tip in a couple of places around the internet but for some reason was convinced that it wouldn’t work – I felt like my greens would wilt and get gross that way. But I was definitely wrong! It’s really that easy – you can chop, wash and dry most greens (I’ve done it with spinach, chard, kale, and iceberg so far) and then just shove a bunch of them into a mason jar – you can fit quite a bit into a quart sized jar, you’ll be surprised – and they honestly stay fresh and crisp for a long time. Mine look pretty much exactly the same a week after I put them in the jar!
So if you love spinach, kale, chard, and all those other fabulous leafy greens, but don’t like how quickly they wilt, try these tricks and let me know if they work for you!
Split Pea Soup
( out of 5, with 1 votes) Loading ...
I love soups, especially the kind where you can just throw a bunch of stuff in a pot and walk away, and come back to a flavorful and healthy dinner. This soup delivers admirably on that front – you just toss dried split peas, carrots, onions, celery, and maybe a potato or two into a pot:
Add some water and spices, and let the whole thing boil for about an hour or two and ta-da! You’ve got hearty and satisfying soup. If you’re feeling fancy, and want that smoky sweetness that ham adds to split pea soup (without the ham, of course), caramelizing the onions first is one way to add some of that flavor. You could also add a chipotle chili (the kind in adobo sauce) to give it a great kick and some fun depth. You’ll know it’s done once the peas have broken down and the whole thing looks like, well, split pea soup. I didn’t blend the soup or anything, it just softens and gets like that on its own with enough time.
Vegan, Gluten Free, Low Fat, Soy Free, Refined Sugar Free
Ingredients:
- 2 cups dried split peas
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 stalks of celery, diced
- 1 large onion, diced (caramelizing the onion before adding it to the soup adds a hint of sweetness, but is not necessary)
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 cups water
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
- Pinch black pepper
- One chipotle chili in adobo sauce, diced (optional)
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients in a large pot and boil over medium heat for about 2 hours, or until all the ingredients have broken down and the soup has a uniform consistency.
