I’ve been eating a lot of beans. Shocking. I must begin these blog posts with that line at least 3x a week. And, being as my life goal is to make a bean cookbook before I die or head to some sort of after life where I pray (as much as I love beans) that I can eat more cannoli’s than beans without feeling the wrath of sugar ills and where I can drink more Negroni’s than I do water without ever experiencing dehydration or a hangover … It’s still earthling life in my kitchen and, with that, I’ll continue to experiment with beans, vegetables, emotional eating, dating, hating men, loving men, waking up, eating alone and craving an egg and cheese sandwich after said gentleman caller leaves.

That always happens. The post egg and cheese sandwich. I wonder why? Carb/protein re-fuel? Anyway.

Lately I’ve noticed that I’d been hitting nuts and seeds hard. Easy and portable for work snacks, healthy and filled with goodness, they’re also sorta addictive (for me) and calorically dense. Nuts and seeds are not a free-for-all snack but some days I am fisting them like no one’s business and mindless seed fisting and feeling my best - they don’t mix.

Enter the roasted chickpea. Why? I’m not going to overeat a chickpea, well, I don’t think so. Sure, there are brands on the shelf that you can purchase and they’re pretty tasty but I found it super satisfying to make my own. It wasn’t satisfying in that “I do everything Martha Stewart” kinda way, but in a legit, “this is a fun experiment and I enjoy learning new things” kinda way. There’s a difference. That’s how I frame cooking. I don’t pretend to be perfect, I eat beans, I make them in big pots, this week I roasted them and everyday I try a little bit more to understand me, food, my relationship to it, cooking and how I want to feel.

And, honestly, these little suckers made me feel good! Spiced with smoked paprika and cumin, they were sorta earthy and stinky, but not overpowering. Subtle in flavor, with a little salt, they made for a crunchy substitute for my nuts and seeds. It felt good to make them, share and eat them. There was no chickpea fisting happening, although I did finish a batch in a day. One can is honestly not a lot and I think my boss had a few … maybe …

I’m working on shit. Ok? We’re all working on ourselves. And, the best thing we can ever do is openly admit something (hi I’m Tina, I sometimes still stress and worry fist foods) and continue to grow from learning - in whatever way it presents itself.

Here’s to beans, personal growth, sharing, habits and eventually not overeating while sitting at home or a desk. We can do it. Or try. Let’s start there. Whatever, just roast the chickpeas and stop complaining it’s all too much work.

Recipe below!

XO

Spiced Chickpeas

1 can of chickpeas drained + dried
½ teaspoon of cumin
½ teaspoon of garlic powder
½ teaspoon of smoked paprika
½ teaspoon of salt
A few turns of freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon of olive oil

To dry, place paper towels on a large sheet pan and spread chickpeas. Set aside and allow to dry for an hour. Pat with more paper towels, until chickpeas appear mostly dry. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss chickpeas with all spices and olive oil until completely coated. Spread chickpeas across a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 20 minutes, checking at the 10 minute mark to move the chickpeas around and to be sure the spices aren’t burning. Roast for another 10-15 minutes and remove from the oven. Chickpeas should be quite cooked and some may even appear split open. Turn off the oven, leave the chickpeas on their pan and place in the oven so the chickpeas continue to dry but not cook. Do this for at least 1 hour and up to overnight. Store chickpeas in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. I love these with soup, salad or as an afternoon snack.