Curry Roasted Chickpeas

I made these curry roasted chickpeas the other day.  I have occasionally seen recipes for other varieties of roasted chickpeas, some seasoned with hot pepper, cumin, chili powder, etc., but decided on curry to try to help Hey, Babe out.  Recently, his TMJ has gotten very bad  (stress will do that to you and new babies, no matter how good they may be, are definitely stressful).  He found that eating curry daily helps with his TMJ but since I don't cook much with curry (certainly not daily) he mixes it in a glass of water, chugs it down, and then shudders like crazy.  Apparently it isn't all that great by itself.  So I thought that these would be a nice but still healthy alternative. Unfortunately Hey, Babe only thought that these were so-so and that they needed more seasonings.  I happen to agree with him about the seasonings and might go as much as double on the curry next time, however, I thought that these roasted chickpeas were overall pretty tasty.  They'd make a nice healthy crunchy snack and would be great to set out on a table at a gathering.  I liked them best while they were still kind of warm from the oven but they will keep in a sealed container for several days.  Feel free to experiment with your seasonings.  I'm wondering how a sweet version would taste and am thinking something along the lines of honey roasted peanuts or kettle corn for the next time I try these, maybe even some cocoa, mmm.  If anyone experiments with this, let me know how it turns out! Curry Roasted Chickpeas Ingredients 1 (12 oz.) can chickpeas drained and rinsed 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 clove garlic crushed 1 tsp salt 2 tsp curry powder (or more! I'll probably double this next time)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Pat them dry on a couple of dish towels.
Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and gently saute the garlic until it softens, being careful it doesn't brown.
Mix in the salt and curry powder. Toss in the chickpeas and continue to cook for 2 or 3 minutes.
Spread the hot chickpeas on a rimmed cookie sheet or in a baking pan. (I actually used the same cast iron skillet that I had cooked them stove-top with, but the spices that were cooked to the pan began to burn so not a great idea, but that handle was really useful!)
Cook 30 to 35 minutes, shaking the pan every ten minutes. Keep your eye on them for the last few minutes as they will change from golden, crunchy and delicious to crispy, burned garbage in minutes.  When you think they are done, take one or two out to taste if they are crunchy enough (careful they're hot!).  If they aren't fully cooked, they won't be as pleasant so remember to cook them until they are crunchy, and if you took them out too soon, pop them back in for another minute or two.

Yields: 1 1/2 Cups