Chipotle-Spiced Roasted Chickpeas

I made Indian spiced roasted chickpeas a few months ago, and quite literally devoured them almost immediately. I need to consider portion control when eating these as a snack, but my goodness, they are delicious, and can be made very cheaply especially if you use dried beans in place of canned.

Here is a handy-dandy conversion chart for most bigger beans like black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans and chick peas.


A standard can of beans is 15 ounces. Small bags of beans you get at the store are usually 1 pound, but sometimes 2.


1 (15-oz.) can of beans equals

• 1/2 cup dry beans, before cooking
  
• 1 1/2 cups beans, after cooking

1 (1-lb) bag of dry beans equals

• 2 cups dry beans, before cooking
  
• 6 cups beans, after cooking

OR

• 4 (15-oz) cans of beans

Chipotle-Spiced Roasted Chickpeas

Ingredients

• 1 28-oz can of chickpeas
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 teaspoons chipotle chili seasoning*
  
• sea salt
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
   
2. Drain the can of chickpeas into a colander and rinse very well under cold water.
3. Dry them thoroughly. I like to shake the colander a bit, and then let them sit for a while. Then when I am ready to season them I dry them even more with a paper towel.
4. In a large bowl, toss the chickpeas with olive oil, chipotle seasoning and salt, making sure that everything is coated nicely. You can taste to adjust the seasoning or wait until they are done to add more.
5. Spread onto the cookie sheet.
6. Roast for 30 minutes, then take them out and shake the pan to move them around a bit and then roast for 20-30 minutes more checking to be sure that they are not burning.
7. Add sea salt and taste to adjust seasoning if necessary.
8. Put in a large bowl and eat immediately.

* Chipotle Chili Seasoning

I made this to replace the sodium-laden packet of taco seasoning for that 7-layer Taco dip. It was so good, that I've decided to use it in everything that might be considered remotely Mexican.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder, or pulverized dried chipotle chili
  
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika - if you can find pimentón, smoked Spanish paprika, use this
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
  

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper.
   


2. Store in an airtight container, like an empty spice jar.