In October, during Family Weekend, Logan and I went to the Boston Veg Food Festival, which is one of the largest Vegan Food Fests in the country. Besides loading up on many free samples and give-aways, we also tried some amazing dishes. One dish, which was some sort of bowl of grains with vegetables and a delicious sauce, was particularly memorable because of the crunchy garbanzo bean topping. We couldn’t get enough of them. They added a nice crunch and spicy touch to the dish.
Back at Logan’s dorm, which is an apartment-style dorm where she lives with four other roommates, we sorted through our freebie-haul. We were thrilled to find a recipe for the crunchy garbanzos in a little booklet that was a give-away from Dr. Bronner’s, which makes coconut oil, among other all-natural products. I knew that Logan didn’t have the exact ingredients in the recipe, in her very first apartment-kitchen… being a college student on a college student budget, but I figured I could make do using what she had, along with some creativity. I should also mention that the Whole Foods near Northeastern is the world’s smallest Whole Foods! It’s bigger than a convenient store, but not by much. There really isn’t a bulk spice section, so picking up a few ingredients to make one dish wasn’t really an option.
This post presents two versions of the crunchy garbanzos. One uses ingredients that I picked up at my local dollar store, as a nod to college students with limited kitchen supplies. The other version uses spices that I have in my pantry on a regular basis. The dollar-store version is a bit spicy, as the spice blends that I found have a bit of a kick. You can also mix-and-match, using spices you already have, and one or two that you add to your collection from the dollar store!
Ideas for Garbanzo Crunchies
- Top a salad
- Carry with you in a bag or container for a quick protein-filled snack on the go
- Add to a wrap filled with hummus or nut cheese spread and vegetables
- Top a bowl of soup
- Top a rice and vegetable bowl
Dollar Store Garbanzo Crunchies
- 29-oz can garbanzo beans (or 2 smaller cans)
- 1 tsp. herbs de provence
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
Lori’s Pantry Version Garbanzo Crunchies
- 29-oz. can garbanzo beans (or 2 smaller cans)
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric
- 1/2 tsp. ginger
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 1/4 tsp. curry powder
- 1/2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp. cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325 Farenheit. Drain garbanzo beans. Optional: save liquid from garbanzo beans (aquafaba) for future recipes.
- Combine garbanzo beans with all spices and stir in a pot.
- Add coconut oil. Stir over medium heat until coconut oil is melted and spices are evenly distributed.
- On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, bake for 90 minutes, rotating and stirring after each 30-minute segment.
