Roasted Chickpea Salad with Lemon, Mint and Goat Cheese

 

I spent the last week in Portland with my sister and her sweet new baby. I was so grateful to be able to help, and it doesn't hurt that I got my baby fix in!

 

But after traveling and being a houseguest, and all of the eating that goes with it, I came home craving veggies in a major way. So dinner tonight was packed full of veggie goodness, beginning with this salad.

 

I roasted the chickpeas with garlic and olive oil, then stirred in some mint, crumbled goat cheese and lemon. Seriously delicious hot or cold.

 

 

Alongside I served a green salad with tomatoes, oranges, cranberries and sunflower seeds in a balsamic vinegar and some simple steamed green beans. Delicious and just what I needed to get my body back on track.

 

 

 

Ingredients:

2 cups (or two drained cans) of chickpeas

2-3Tbsp. olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup of chopped mint

juice of 1/2 a lemon

1/2 cup of crumbled feta or goat cheese

 

In a baking dish combine the beans, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly.

Bake for 15 minutes at 375. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.

Stir in the lemon juice, mint and cheese. Serve.

 

Finally, I leave you with a sweet picture of my new nephew Sabin, sleeping in my arms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Crunchy Chickpea Snacks

I came across a recipe for these years ago, made them, loved them, then promptly forgot about them. But today, while purusing the cupboards for something snacky and coming up short, I somehow remembered how good these were.

Crunchy little bite sized snacks that are so versatile and absolutely delicious. My kids quickly relieved us of any leftovers.

Ingredients:

2 cans chickpeas, drained well

olive oil

2 tbsp. multi-seasoning mix (like Mrs. Dash)

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp chili powder

In a bowl, combine the chickpeas and seasonings. Drizzle with enough olive oil to coat and toss well. Pour mixture onto a cookie sheet so that it sits in a single layer.  Bake at 400 degrees, turning occassionally, until crispy (about 45 minutes).

Other ideas I have but haven't yet tried:

BBQ: brown sugar, olive oil, mesquite seasoning

Spicy: red pepper flakes, oil, chili powder, cumin

honey mustard: oil, honey, mustard

Pizza: tomato sauce, oil, italian seasoning, parmesan cheese