Spicy Crunchy Chickpeas

Spicy Crunchy Chickpeas

by | Le Blog, Recipes and Culinary Nutrition

Spicy Crunchy Chickpeas

Spicy Crunchy Chickpeas with Sumac

Spicy Crunchy Chickpeas

This chickpea appetizer or snack creates bean lovers. The balanced spicy, citrusy and salty sensations with a crunchy bean exterior are crave-able features. The health benefits of the beans and spices are a bonus. Quick and easy to make, these can be made ahead of time or served hot and crunchy from the pan.

Spicy Crunchy Chickpeas

Ingredients

  • 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
  • 1 tsp sumac (see spice notes for options)
  • 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder or chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons of olive oil

Steps:

  1. Heat the oven to 425°F (218C) and arrange a rack in the middle position.
  2. Rinse chickpeas in a colander and let drain while preparing the spice mix.
  3. Add the dry spices to a bowl that is larger than needed to hold the chickpeas.
  4. Use a paper towel and gently pat the chickpeas to dry them further. The drier the chickpeas, the more crisp they will be.
  5. Add the chickpeas to the bowl. Shake them sauté style a few times until coated.
  6. Add the oil to the chickpeas and gently stir the chickpeas.
  7. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and add chickpeas in an even layer.
  8. Once or twice during the baking, gently shake the baking sheet for more even cooking. Chickpeas with high internal moisture content will pop like hot popcorn, so be careful to not get zinged by a hot bean.
  9. Chickpeas will become crisp between 18-24 minutes. Place two layers of paper toweling on a large plate and when chickpeas are done, pour them onto the paper towel to cool down, then move to a dry bowl or plate to stay crisp. Some brands of chickpeas get very crisp and stay crisp and others lose the texture in a few hours.

Nutrition Highlights:

  • Because of the fiber content, chickpeas are a high-satiety food–keeps you fuller for longer. One 15-ounce can provides about 25 grams of fiber.
  • High amounts of insoluble fiber that helps to create a health flora in your gut.
  • Fiber also helps control blood sugar changes and insulin secretion.

Fried Option: This adds calories but is an option for even crispier chickpeas

  1. Rinse chickpeas in a colander and let drain while preparing the spice mix.
  2. Add the dry spices to a bowl that is larger than needed to hold the chickpeas.
  3. Use a paper towel and gently pat the chickpeas to dry them further. The drier the chickpeas, the more crisp they will be.
  4. Add the chickpeas and give them a sauté style shake a few times until the chickpeas are coated.
  5. Heat a 10-12” skillet or sauté pan over medium high heat and add the oil. When the oil begins to shimmer, carefully add the chickpeas.

Spice Notes: The gorgeous purple-red spice mountain in the photo are dried and ground sumac berries. These add a tart-lemony element to dishes where lemon might be too strong or the moisture from lemon juice isn’t desired as in the case with these chickpeas. Sumac powder has increases your versatility in the kitchen, but if you don’t have it, go for a different spice profile and add some cumin or cumin plus coriander.

Ancho chile powder (the rusto-brown spice mountain in the photo) adds a hint of a fruity element where chili powder (a blend of herbs and chiles) not present in chili powder blends.

 

Spicy Crunchy Chickpeas with Sumac

Gimme your Garbanzos or Chuck me the Chickpeas—either way they’re the same bean!

    About Me

    The pleasure of food, good health and well-being through simple habits for eating well and flexitarian low-key cooking.
    Michele Redmond

    Michele Redmond

    French-trained Chef, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist & Food Enjoyment Activist

    It's about Making Food First

    Get Eat Well Academy periodic updates on easy ways to choose and cook foods that satisfy your appetite, nurture your body and make eating well a pleasure.

    Caramelized Carrot and Ginger Miso Soup with almonds and pomegranate

    Caramelized Carrot and Ginger Miso Soup with almonds and pomegranate

    by | Le Blog, Recipes and Culinary Nutrition

    Caramelized Carrot and Ginger Miso Soup with almonds and pomegranate

    Typically carrots are oven-roasted to develop caramelized sugars but pan roasting can create some of these flavor compounds in a one-pot dish—less washing and no hot oven! The garnishes add a crunchy almond texture and contrasting sweet-tart pomegranate seeds.

    Caramelized Carrot and Ginger Miso Soup with almonds and pomegranate

    Author: Chef Michele
    Ingredients
    • 1 Tablespoon olive oil or enough to coat the pot
    • 2 pounds of carrots, peeled, cut into 1 inch “cylinders”
    • ½ large yellow onion, cut into 8 wedges
    • ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
    • 4.5 cups vegetable broth
    • Big pinch of cayenne
    • 2” piece (2 heaping teaspoons) ginger root, peeled and chopped*
    • 1/3 cup of white or yellow miso or ¼ cup red miso
    • Fresh lemon juice from half a lemon
    • 1-2 tablespoons honey
    • Garnish Ingredients: Toasted almond slices and Pomegranite seeds
    Instructions
    1. Heat oil in a large stock pot on medium-high heat until oil is very hot but not smoking. Add carrots (should hear a sizzle). Every 5 minutes toss carrots to caramelize more areas and prevent burning.
    2. Sauté for about 14 minutes or until carrots have darkened in color. Pull out any small pieces that have burnt and nibble on as a snack (dark flecks are hard to blend out of a pureed soup).
    3. Lower heat to medium-low, sprinkle salt on carrots, add onions stir and cook until onions have softened.
    4. Add the broth, ginger and cayenne and cook 30-45 minutes on a simmer until carrots are tender enough for a knife blade to easily pass through the carrot.
    5. Add lemon juice and miso**. Use an emulsion blender to puree the soup or in a blender, puree in batches.
    6. If soup is too thick, add more broth or water and blend. Taste soup and add more honey and salt if desired.
    7. Serve in bowls and garnish with pomegranate seeds and toasted almond slices.
    8. *chopped into ⅛ inch pieces if the blending device is powerful, otherwise grate the ginger
    9. **miso has better flavor when not heated for long times or at high temperatures.

      About Me

      The pleasure of food, good health and well-being through simple habits for eating well and flexitarian low-key cooking.
      Michele Redmond

      Michele Redmond

      French-trained Chef, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist & Food Enjoyment Activist

      It's about Making Food First

      Get Eat Well Academy periodic updates on easy ways to choose and cook foods that satisfy your appetite, nurture your body and make eating well a pleasure.

      Black-eyed pea and Hominy Texas Caviar

      Black-eyed pea and Hominy Texas Caviar

      by | Le Blog, Recipes and Culinary Nutrition

      Black-eyed pea and Hominy Texas Caviar

      Black-eyed Pea and Hominy Texas Caviar

      This recipe highlights how canned beans can make you popular and happier. For happy, you can quickly toss together this dish as an appetizer, side dish or picnic nibble. It’s a popular party pleaser that also offers flavorful fiber and isn’t calorie dense—just nutrient dense. The recipe was inspired by a self-described “good ol’ boy from Texas” who made his version a popular office pot-luck contribution.

      Black-eyed Peas and Hominy Texas Caviar

       

      Ingredients:   

      1 can (4-ounce) diced roasted green chilies, diced 1 can (15-ounce) Black-eyed peas 1 can (15-ounce) Golden Hominy (white can work also) 1 red bell pepper, diced (about 1 ½ cup) 3 garlic cloves, minced ¼ cup apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt as needed (depends on the salt level of the canned ingredients)

      Steps: 

      1. Open cans, drain hominy and peas and add to a mixing bowl.
      2. Dice the red pepper and mince the garlic and add to the hominy mixture.
      3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dressing elements (garlic, vinegar, olive oil and salt). If you plan to store the bean caviar for 1-2 days before serving you can make a classic vinaigrette by adding all the ingredients except the olive oil and whisk it in slowly to make an emulsion that will hold.
      4. Add the dressing to the hominy mixture and gently mix together
      5. Adjust salt seasoning to taste if needed.
      • 4g of fiber—a flavorful addition to the goal of 25-30 grams of fiber per day
      • Can use green peppers also, red offers a nice color contrast to the chilies
      • Golden hominy tends to have fewer calories, fat and sodium than white hominy
      • Serve as a party topping for crackers (try whole wheat, Wasa rye or Bran crisp crackers).
      • For a side dish, can add crumbled feta or parmesan for additional flavor contrasts
      • Can make 1-2 days in advance, but 2 days causes the beans to soften more and have shed their “skin”

      “There are those who adore the black-eyed pea and those who deem it better suited to the provisioning of livestock”

      Courtney Bond

        About Me

        The pleasure of food, good health and well-being through simple habits for eating well and flexitarian low-key cooking.
        Michele Redmond

        Michele Redmond

        French-trained Chef, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist & Food Enjoyment Activist

        It's about Making Food First

        Get Eat Well Academy periodic updates on easy ways to choose and cook foods that satisfy your appetite, nurture your body and make eating well a pleasure.

        Catsup Chutney

        Catsup Chutney

        by | Recipes and Culinary Nutrition

        Catsup Chutney

        Chutneys are fruity, sweet, sour or tangy with some heat from spices and ingredients such as ginger. This fast chutney uses canned tomato sauce as the “fruit” source because it’s available all year round and luscious, sweet tasting tomatoes are hard to find.

        Because this chutney has the texture of traditional catsup, it’s an homage to the old word for ketchup. This chutney can serve many purposes and so it’s a make once, use several times item for your week!

        Use this chutney as a sauce to cook or serve with chicken and salmon or as a condiment on sandwiches or for dipping french fries or fritters into (see crispy chickpea flour shrimp fritters ).

        Catsup Chutney
        Recipe Type: Condiment or Sauce
        Author: Michele Redmond
        Ingredients
        • ½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
        • 1 1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
        • 1 teaspoon coriander seed, crushed fine (optional)
        • 1 14-ounce can tomato sauce (no herbal seasonings added)
        • 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
        • 1/3 cup sugar
        • 3 Tablespoons honey
        • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
        • ¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes
        • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
        Instructions
        1. Add the cumin and mustard seeds in a pot large enough to contain the recipe ingredients.
        2. Over medium heat, dry toast the seeds until you begin to smell the cumin and/or the mustard seeds may begin to pop—just 1-3 minutes.
        3. Then add the coriander, tomato sauce, ginger, sugar, honey, vinegar, pepper flakes and salt. Mix together.
        4. Turn down heat so that sauce gently simmers. Stir periodically to prevent from sticking. Cook for 40 minutes or until sauce has reduced and thickened.
        5. Adjust salt seasoning if needed (not to be salty but to balance and enhance the tomato flavor) and add more pepper flakes if a hotter version is desired.
        6. Pull off heat and place in a bowl to cool in the refrigerator if not using upon finishing. The chutney can store refrigerated for up to one week.

         

          About Me

          The pleasure of food, good health and well-being through simple habits for eating well and flexitarian low-key cooking.
          Michele Redmond

          Michele Redmond

          French-trained Chef, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist & Food Enjoyment Activist

          It's about Making Food First

          Get Eat Well Academy periodic updates on easy ways to choose and cook foods that satisfy your appetite, nurture your body and make eating well a pleasure.

          Cauliflower Broccoli Tabouli

          Cauliflower Broccoli Tabouli

          by | Le Blog, Recipes and Culinary Nutrition

          Cauliflower Broccoli Tabouli

          I prepared this at the Season for all Cooks 2015 Edible Education Series http://labellaterre.com/blogs/blog/17102032-a-season-for-all-cooks-the-2015-edible-education-series    A fellow from Lebanon commented that it made him think of his grandmother’s tabouli; I told him his grandmother must have liked spiced tabouli since this is an unusual version of the traditional dish.Califlower and broccoli tabouli

          Cauliflower and broccoli tabouli with pistachios and pomegranate seeds

           

          Cauliflower Broccoli Tabouli with Pistachios and Pomegranate
          Recipe Type: Salad
          Author: Chef Michele
          Serves: 4
          A salad of Lebanese origin traditionally made with cracked wheat (Bulgur), lots of parsley, mint, onions, tomatoes, lemon juice and olive oil. Here bulgur is replaced by cauliflower and broccoli and additional piquant spices are added along with crunchy nut element and a hint of sweet from pomegranate.
          Ingredients
          • 1 large cauliflower, base and leaves removed
          • 1 large broccoli stalk (about 1/3 the amount of the cauliflower)
          • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about one lemon)
          • 1 large cucumber, peeled, quartered, seeds removed, then cut into 8 strips and diced (about 1 ½ cups)
          • 5-6 springs parsley, minced (about ¼ cup)
          • 2 spring onions, sliced in thin rounds
          • Lemon zest from one lemon
          • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
          • [br]
          • [b]Spice and seasoning mix[/b]
          • 2 teaspoons coriander
          • ¼ teaspoon allspice berries (about 6 berries)
          • ½ teaspoon of cumin seed
          • ¼ teaspoon of Aleppo chile flakes or red pepper flakes
          • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
          • [br]
          • [b]Garnishes:[/b]
          • Seeds from ¼ of a pomegranate
          • 1/3 cup toasted, salted pistachios
          Instructions
          1. Cut the cauliflower in quarters. Add the lemon juice to a mixing bowl, then hold the cauliflower by the base and using a cheese grater over the bowl, grate the florets against the larger holes (the grated size should be pieces that are about ⅛ inch). Stop grating if the results look like grated cheese strips and use the remaining stalks for a soup base or to roast.
          2. Grate the broccoli into the bowl in the same manner.
          3. Prepare the cucumbers, herbs, onions, lemon zest and add to the cauliflower mixture.
          4. Grind together the coriander, allspice berries and cumin seeds and toss into the cauliflower mixture along with the chile flakes and salt.
          5. Add the olive oil and stir well, then top with half the pomegranate seeds and pistachios and give a quick stir then toss the rest on top.

           

            About Me

            The pleasure of food, good health and well-being through simple habits for eating well and flexitarian low-key cooking.
            Michele Redmond

            Michele Redmond

            French-trained Chef, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist & Food Enjoyment Activist

            It's about Making Food First

            Get Eat Well Academy periodic updates on easy ways to choose and cook foods that satisfy your appetite, nurture your body and make eating well a pleasure.

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