Roasting Chickpeas & Indulging In Your Comfy Place
Anytime I'm upset or frustrated I usually find myself in one of three places . . .
Vigorously cleaning.
Creating in the kitchen.
In bed eating chocolate while watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S reruns.
I'm curious...Where do you find yourself when feeling extremely frustrated, grumpy, sad or depressed? We all have our go-to activities when we are really going through the thick of it. I hope you aren't afraid to unveil your comfy go-to place when you feel like crap. It is perfectly OK to admit to having a terrible, awful day and then go do whatever it is that will make you feel better. (so long as it isn't bad for you) Sometimes I feel guilty about wanting to lay in bed or create in my kitchen for hours only to leave a giant mess. However, I am a big believer in letting your body recoup in ways that feel good so you can later be the best you can be.
These last few days have been extra hard for me. I've been rotating between my bed, cleaning the bathrooms and eating chocolate with my gal pal Rachel Green. I've let myself have a few days of letting my grief get the best of me and coping in the ways that I do. I'm tired of letting my grief make me feel defeated, rather than challenged. I know I'll be up for the challenge this grief gives me once I indulge in my comfy place and gain strength to do so.
So tell me, what is it you do to make yourself laugh and feel good?
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As mentioned above, one of the things I like to do to make myself feel better is recipe test ideas or things I've seen done that look delicious. I usually never have what I need so I substitute like crazy and leave my kitchen a giant mess. I've also been known to make a trek to the grocery store in yoga pants with a hole in the crotch and no bra, desperately in search of an ingredient. Anyways, I truly love recipes and learning new ones.
Roasting chickpeas has been around for quite some time, I know. However, I've recently learned how to roast chickpeas. They are pretty tasty for a quick and healthy snack and now I'm currently obsessed with creating different flavors. I posted this photo to Instagram and in true friend fashion you all started commenting your favorite flavors. Some of you like it hot and spicy, others like them sweet and a few of you out there just love it simple; olive oil and sea salt. For the record olive oil and sea salt is addicting!
What I hadn't seen done yet was combining these tasty little beans with one of my favorite flavors on the planet. Coconut. I decided to dream up a new flavor and share it with you all. Including a few helpful tips on how to achieve the best crunchy little chick peas known to man.
Tropical Roasted Chickpeas
What You Need
-one can of garbanzo beans.
-2 table spoons canola oil
-1 cup coconut flakes chopped fine
-1/2 cup dried pineapple chopped
-1 teaspoon raw sugar
-1 teaspoon sea salt
What You Do
- Open a can of chickpeas. (also known as Garbanzo beans) place them in a colander and rinse them real good with cold water. These beans are very soft and easy to crush. Rinsing them with cold water is important. Warm water can make them extra soft and smooshy which isn't great when roasting.
-Once they are rinsed keep them in the colander. Grab two other bowls. Now for the time consuming part. When you pick up the chickpea you'll notice a sheer skin that coats the outside. The skin can be easily removed by lightly pinching the chickpea between your fingers. Be careful not to pinch the chickpea to hard and crush it. Once you've removed the skin a few times you'll get the hang of it. Place the skinless chickpeas in one bowl, the skins in another bowl. The skins you will throw away and yes, they look gross. Get comfy, skinning these little guys takes some time.
-After the skins have been removed the beans have to fully dry. I like to place them on a baking sheet lined with a dish towel and cover then with another dish towel. I let them dry for a good hour or so because moving forward. If you roast them with out drying completely they won't get as crispy.
-Once the chickpeas are ready to roast, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicon pad. Bake the chickpeas naked (with nothing on them) at 400 degrees for ten minutes.
-Take the chickpeas out of the oven and coat them with the oil, sea salt and raw sugar. Use a rubber spatula to gently coat them evenly. Place back in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until dark brown and crispy. At about 2 minutes till they need to be taken out of the oven ... take the chickpeas out and toss with chopped coconut. Place them back in the oven to finish off and toast the coconut at the same time.
