Chile Lime Toasted Garbanzos

I confess, I am a nervous snacker. I prefer crunchy or savory snacks rather than sweets and candy. This garbanzo snack is one of my favorites, since it is both crunchy and spicy! Toasted garbanzos are a nice change of pace when crunchy veggies or popcorn won't do. Serve them on your next party with a cold beer instead of peanuts. This snack is also relatively healthy since it is baked, not fried, and it provides protein and fiber. I generally don't like cooking out of cans, but in this case I made an exception, since it is hard to find fresh garbanzos like the ones in the picture. To make this recipe you'll need the following ingredients:

• Two cans of organic garbanzo beans
• One tablespoon of olive oil
• Juice of half a lime
• salt to taste
• Powdered chile to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Rinse the garbanzos under running water and drain them in a colander. Once they are well drained trasfer them to a plate and pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper napkins.

Grease a cookie sheet or a flat pan with a tablespoon of olive oil. Spread the oil around all over the sheet and transfer the garbanzos, making sure to spread them around evenly.




Bake the garbanzos at 350 degrees for about 25 five minutes. Oven temperatures vary, so keep an eye on them. Keep the garbanzos from burning by turning them around with a spoon, or shaking and rotating the tray.

After 25 minutes turn the heat off and let the garbanzos sit and cool for another twenty minutes inside the oven. After that time most of the garbanzos should be chewy. To season your garbanzos put them inside a bag, squeeze some lime juice on them and add salt and powdered chile, about a teaspoon each. Shake the bag to coat the garbanzos evenly. Return them to the tray and toast them under a hot broiler for about ten more minutes, just so the lime juice dries and for some extra crunch. Check often and shake the tray so they don't burn.

You can also vary the seasonings and experiment by adding powder garlic, lemon pepper or any other seasoning of your choice. Enjoy! Toasted garbanzos will keep in a hermetically covered plastic container for up to a week.