Gonzo Garbanzos

I have seen roasted garbanzo beans popping up all over the place in the blogging world. I thought this particular recipe looked really good with the combination of spices and pistachios. And it was.

Does anyone else think it is funny how some cans/brands of garbanzo beans contain really small beans and other cans/brands of them contain huge beans? I think it is a little wierd, but obviously you can see that these were on the smaller side. They also get smaller as they are roasting.

I reduced the amount of olive oil that the chickpeas were tossed with, just because I think you can often reduce the fat content in recipes and still get a great result.

This is a healthy snack, that is really great to grab a handful of as you are busy doing whatever throughout your day. I am going to make this again!

Gonzo Garbanzos Nick Mautone From Every Day with Rachael RayDecember-January 2007

MAKES 2 3/4 CUPS

Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 35 min
Two 15.5-ounce cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans)--drained, rinsed and patted dry
1/4 cup olive oil ( I only used 1-2 Tbls)
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 cup shelled pistachios (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400°. Place the chickpeas in a medium bowl and discard any loose skins. Toss with the olive oil, salt, black pepper, cumin and cayenne until evenly coated. Spread the chickpeas on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and quickly stir in the thyme and pistachios, if using. Bake until crunchy, about 10 minutes more. Let cool and serve at room temperature.

Coming Tomorrow- Cooking Light Night- Chinese New Year!