Cajun Spice Roasted Chickpeas

       How many times have you heard people say, "A peanut is not a nut, it is a legume"? Personally, whether someone says it aloud or not I always say it to myself while eating peanuts. Sometimes I annoy myself, but usually I'm entertained by the word "legume."  Anyway, just like peanuts, chickpeas (garbonzo beans) are legumes! And when you roast chickpeas they become hard--like peanuts! Just one big legume-loving family. So today when I wanted something salty like peanuts and found a can of chickpeas in my pantry, I decided to roast and salt them. At the last minute, though, I figured something spicy sounded good too. Hence, Cajun Spice Roasted Chickpeas. They're crunchy, salty, spicy, satisfying, and (with only three ingredients) super easy to make. You can eat them alone, put them on salads, or enjoy 'em with a cold one--they're perfect for that.



Cajun Spice Roasted Chickpeas

Ingredients

• 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (I used Tony's)

Directions
--Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

--Drain chickpeas in a colander and rinse them with water to get all the can-juice off of them.

--Dry the chickpeas thoroughly with a kitchen towl. You may notice that shells are coming off some of the chickpeas, you can leave these on or take them off, it doesn't really matter. I like to take mine off when I'm roasting small batches.

--Transfer the chickpeas to a smallish bowl, and toss them in the olive oil until completely coated. Then sprinkle on the seasoning and toss them again until evenly coated.

--Place the coated chickpeas onto a small jelly roll pan (or as I like to call it, "a cookie sheet with edges") and then put the pan in the oven.

--Bake for 40-45 minutes. Stir them a couple of times during baking. The chickpeas should be crunchy and have a bite to them. If they're still soft, keep them in the oven a little bit longer, about 5 minutes at a time.

--When done, let cool completely so you don't burn your mouth.

--Put them in a small dish and enjoy!




Happy Baking!
--H