Name: Easy Roasted Chickpeas
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 29oz can Organic Garbanzo Beans (Eden Organic brand preferred); 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil; 1/2 tsp sea salt (more or less to taste)

I’m always looking for an easy healthy snack for me and the kids after school. A few weeks ago, I purchased some roasted chickpeas out of the bag and they were so dry I almost choked on them! No kidding. After that I was afraid to give them to my kids and upon closer inspection they were roasted with some cheap industrialized vegetable oil which is inflammatory and toxic to our cells. Definitely not what I want when looking for a healthy snack. So I decided to roast my own using organic beans and a high quality olive oil. Because I did it myself, I was able to control just how roasted they got and left mine a little soft and chewy in the center so that they didn’t get so dry. The perfect snack! And strangely addicting too.

The Health Benefits of Chickpeas

Also known as garbanzo beans, they are one of the oldest consumed crops in the world. They have been eaten in traditional diets for 7,500 years! Chickpeas are considered a “slow carb” meaning that they don’t spike your blood sugar but instead give you sustained fuel.

They also:

Increase satiety and help with weight loss
Help to regulate blood sugar
Protect against metabolic syndrome
Improve digestion thanks to their fiber content
Protect against heart disease
Considered alkalizing
Are a good source of plant based protein, folate and zinc
Are frequently used in Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine

Concerns Regarding Chickpeas

These delicious little beans are not without some concern. For example, they have several compounds, including protease inhibitors, phytic acid, lectins, oligosaccharides, and some phenolic compounds that may impair the absorption of the nutrients by people. We call these things “anti-nutrients.”

In order to best absorb what you are eating (especially if you eat a lot of legumes), it is preferred that you buy the dry beans and soak them overnight before cooking. This helps to reduce the anti-nutrient content, increase digestibility and shorten cooking time from 2 hours to about 30 minutes. If you cook them in an instant pot, you get bonus points because the high heat will help to destroy the lectins as well.

I know this can be time consuming, so frequently I just purchase a can of organic garbanzo beans in a BPA free can, drain and rinse them well. Just be aware that you may not be absorbing all the nutrients from the beans when you do this.

I highly recommend Eden Organic Chickpeas. Eden Organic is one of the few companies that soaks, rinses and pressure cooks the beans for you. So you get the health benefits without the work. Oh and their cans are also BPA, BPS and phthalate free.

Easy Roasted Chickpeas

Super simple healthy snack for the whole family.

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Total Time 30

Course Snack

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

1 29oz can Organic Garbanzo Beans Eden Organic brand preferred
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt more or less to taste

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Rinse and drain your beans in a colander.
Spread them evenly on a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over them, tossing to coat evenly. Sprinkle with salt.
Roast for 20-40 minutes depending on how you like them. I roasted mine about 30 minutes where they were brown and toasty on the outside but still soft on the inside. The more you cook them the drier they become.