— whollyKao

veggies & a recipe for baked curried chickpeas

About a month ago, I bought a Groupon for a farm share. It’s run by a local organization called Urban Acres. Their produce is organic, and they try to source it from local farms, although it’s difficult to do so in Texas since the growing season is funky. So the basket ends up being part local, part not. I bet the heat really messes with things!

Our first week brought a handful of veggies we weren’t sure what to do with. Luckily, the Urban Acres site features recipes that use the veggies that are offered in that week’s bin. Otherwise, how would we know what to do with fennel?

We’ve noticed how the produce from Urban Acres is so much more flavorful than what what we get at the supermarket. I guess its the benefits of buying what’s in season, too. And some of the veggies are just so pretty (for instance, the rainbow chard pictured above). Makes me appreciate my veggies!

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And now, since we’re talking veggies, I’d like to share a recipe for baked curried chickpeas. I got the recipe from a coworker, and am glad I tried it out. This is a healthy snack packed with crunch and flavor. Plus it keeps more more full than if you snacked on pretzels. Enjoy!

Baked Curried Chickpeas
(see the original recipe here)

Ingredients
2 cans (14 oz each) Chickpeas
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
3 tsp spice mix (recipe below)

Spice Mix
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground allspice (optional)
1/2 tsp salt

Steps
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Drain and wash the chickpeas. Place the clean chickpeas on a layer of paper towels and gently rub the tops of them with another paper towels. Some of the skins will peel away.

You want to get the chickpeas as dry as possible.

While the chickpeas are air drying further, make the spice mix. Pour all of the spices into a bowl and mix well.
*This recipe will not use all of the mix, so reserve the excess for later.

Place the clean and dry chickpeas in a bowl and toss them with the olive oil. Once coated with oil, sprinkle on the spice mix to taste.

Place the seasoned chickpeas on a lined cookie sheet (I used a Silpat) and put the sheet in the oven for 40-60 minutes. Mix them around about half way through.

Carefully watch the chickpeas at the end as they can quickly burn. Once done, the chickpeas will be browned and crunchy. As the chickpeas cool they will become even crunchier.