Thursday, March 7th, 2013

Good morning!  I know.  This photo is nothing to write home about.  but the meal I made last night was GREAT!  I tried something new - the Kasmati rice + the stewed lentil & tomato curry was not new - just as delicious but not new.  The topping, on the other hand, was new. 

I won't count it as one of my "15 new recipes" because it's not quite a "recipe."  I topped my stewed lentil, tomato, and carrot curry with oven-toasted chickpeas. 

I went on to eat the entire can of oven-toasted chickpeas.

They make a great topping for a whole range of things and I think they'd even be good as a little appetizer for a party.  They have a pleasant salty crunchiness to the shell and starchy on the inside - which is potato like and delicious.  Here's how you do it.  

Oven-Toasted Chickpeas:
Rinse canned chickpeas in a strainer
Place 2 paper towels down on an oven tray
Spread chickpeas on top of the oven tray and shake them around until they're mostly dry
Press down lightly on top of them with more paper towels to dry further
Top with olive oil or coconut oil and shake them around so they're all evenly coated
Top them with herbs & spices of your choice (this is where you can get a little creative - summer?  fresh thyme, rosemary, sage; in the mood for middle eastern? curry, turmeric; potato? salt and pepper)
I used a bit of salt + smoked paprika because i love both the color & taste & smell of smoked paprika
Roast at 400 for 15 minutes, shaking frequently until they're a bit browned and crispy on the outside.

Enjoy!

Carpe diem,

J