Sunday, December 11, 2011

Easy Chickpea appetizers

THE CHICKPEA....or a Garbanzo Bean; depending on where in the world you're from. Did you know that chickpeas are low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. They are  also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein and Copper, and a very good source of Folate and Manganese.

Besides that, they are a perfect protein all on their own; containing all 9 of the essential amino acids all by their little selves  :o)  Can I get an Amen!?

Here's an easy, healthy, delicious and addictive snack: 1 or more cans of Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) rinsed/drained well & put in a bowl.

Drizzle with a little olive oil, curry powder (I added some extra cumin also, optional), salt & pepper - all to taste - mix well to coat all of the chickpeas.

Uploaded from the Photobucket iPhone App

Bake @400* for 30 mins, stirring midway. They shrink by nearly half and get crunchy YUM!

I'm making a x4 batch for a party Saturday night for appetizer snacks. I'm also going to keep them on hand for salad toppers.

Play with these. You can make them even spicier by adding some cayenne pepper or you can make an herbed version by adding some Italian seasoning.  The possibilities are endless ~ limited only by your imagination and what's in your spice cabinet!

Enjoy :o)

To your health, Brenda