Roasted Taco Flavored Chickpeas

I had tried roasting chickpeas in the oven several years ago. I thought they were rather disgusting. Of course this was before I incorporated beans into my regular diet and I was under the impression that I didn't like beans at all.  As my tastes have changed, I thought I should give roasting garbanzo beans a second chance.

There seem to be two schools of thought in roasting these beany little fellows: roasting with oil and roasting without oil.  Both methods require the chickpeas to be tossed in oil so the seasonings have some way of adhering to the bean. As less oil seems like it would result in a slightly healthier snack, I chose the no oil roasting method from Willow Bird Baking's Chili-lime roasted chickpea recipe.

For some reason, my chickpeas did not cook very evenly, even though I stirred them every 15 minutes.  I really liked the super crunchy ones, and only sorta kinda liked the not so crunchy ones.  I found these little guys quite addicting. I only made a half recipe, but I had to stop myself so I didn't eat the whole thing in one sitting.

Next time I plan on trying this out with dried chickpeas.  I think they will be slightly better tasting, as I've heard dried garbanzo beans are better than their canned cousins.

Chili-Lime Roasted Chickpeas from Willow Bird Baking
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed, and blotted dry. (I also popped the little skins off of mine) (Each can is about  1 1/2 c cooked garbanzo beans)
3-4 teaspoons chili powder (I used Penzeys Arizona Dreaming spice blend)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon lime juice (I didn't have any lime juice so I omitted this)
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1-2 teaspoons cumin
Pinch of dried herbs of your choice (I used a little rosemary and thyme) OR chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray it with cooking spray. Spread chickpeas out in a single layer over the foil. Once oven is preheated, bake chickpeas for 45-50 minutes, stirring and flipping every 15 minutes or so. To check for doneness,remove a few chickpeas, let them cool for a minute, and then bite into them. Take them out when they’re really crunchy.

Near the end of the chickpeas’ cooking time, combine oil, chili powder, lime juice, sea salt, and cumin in a medium bowl. Whisk to mix. When chickpeas are done, let them cool for just a minute before pouring them into the oil mixture. Stir to coat all the chickpeas well. Eat immediately, or store in an airtight container (after cooling completely) to eat later.