Spicy Chickpea Spread

This is not a revolutionary recipe. (Truth be told, I made it one day because I didn’t have any tahini and was too lazy to use my blender.) But maybe you need a little something different. This chickpea spread reminds me of a Mahón & chickpea cheese spread that I used to buy at Stinky Brooklyn cheese shop over on Smith St. in Carroll Gardens. (Sadly, Stinky Brooklyn are no more). It comes together quickly and then you can enjoy it as a sandwich spread or a dip with substantial crackers.

Ingredients:

  • 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed, drained
  • 1-2 TB olive oil
  • 1 TB or so of Nutritional yeast (eyeball it)
  • Crushed red pepper flakes
  • Tajin

Put chickpeas in a bowl and mash up with a fork. You can leave slightly chunky; it doesn’t have to be a smooth paste. Add remaining ingredients and mix. Adjust spices to your liking.

I guessed on the measurements for olive oil and nutritional yeast and spices. You can make it super spicy, or not. It’s up to you. Trust yourself. There is really no way you can mess this up!

Roasted Chickpeas

Need a quick (and somewhat healthy) snack for yourself, or maybe your impending dinner party guests? Roast some chickpeas! This is a quick and easy recipe for the holidays, or, any time. I made mine a little garlicky and spicy, but, play around with the spices–herbs de Provence, crushed red pepper and curry, lemon pepper seasoning, or, whatever you like. There are endless flavor combinations.

  • 2 cans of chickpeas
  • 2 TB olive oil
  • 1 tsp crushed red pepper
  • 2 tsp hot paprika
  • dash or two of garlic salt

Line a rimmed baking sheet (or regular sheet) with parchment paper and set oven to 400 degrees. Rinse and drain chickpeas, pat dry with paper towels. Put chickpeas in medium sized bowl and fully coat with olive oil. Don’t add spices yet as they will burn in the oven. Roast for 20-30 minutes or, until the beans are crisp and browned. (Note: some may burst open and that’s totally fine). Get that bowl you previously used and pick up parchment/beans and transfer to the bowl. Add spices and stir with spoon until fully coated. These are good warm and will be crispy. They do tend to lose some crunch once they’re cooled. Enjoy!

roastedchickpeas2

roastedchickpeas

Baked Kale Chips

baked kale chips

baked kale chips—pretty good for my first try.

I’m not sure exactly how healthy these are…but hey, you gotta live a little, right? All things in moderation!

I used pre-packaged (washed) organic/local mixed kale. (Yes, I realize that I sound like a Brooklyn stereotype). I didn’t even bother to de-vein it or tear it up either.

  • 1 packaged kale, or 1 bunch of de-veined kale, torn into pieces
  • 1 1/2-2 TB extra virgin olive oil
  • Sprinkling of sea salt
  • 1 tsp of crushed red pepper

Put kale in appropriate sized bowl, add extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and crushed red pepper. (If you want spicier chips, use a mixture of chili powder and maybe some cumin). Massage oil and spices into kale until it’s well-coated. Evenly spread kale on baking sheet lined with parchment paper (hello? easier clean up) and bake at 275 degrees for about 20-25 min. About halfway through, turn kale over using tongs. It should be pretty crispy after 20 minutes, but keep an eye on it. What did I have for dinner? Um, possibly baked kale chips and beer. I’m not ashamed…it’s college football Saturday!