I can sometimes get myself in over my head when I think, "Oh, I can do that, no problem!" Sometimes I even have a healthy amount of doubt, outweighed by an unhealthy amount of optimism and think, "It'll be a good experience!"
For my food writing class, we were given a choice for our last assignment. We could either do a formal research paper, or we could undertake a serious food challenge. Since I didn't want to do anything stupid like eat a mountain of pancakes or suffer through scotch bonnet fritters, I went for altering my diet for a week. The biggest change I could think of for someone like me who can go accidentally vegetarian for days or live off of carbs indefinitely would be to take up Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet. Just a week so I could write about it, nothing more.
Well, I was right. I could do it, and it was a good experience. It reminded me that I had some bad dietary habits and helped me break them. But it also reminded me that if I'm not completely satisfied at meals, I need to snack between them unless I wanted to drive myself crazy. I'm not too much of a raw veggie person, so I finally got to try out a recipe I'd been wanting to try for roasted garbanzo beans.
Trust me, if you're picking up Phase 1, or even just trying to snack healthier, you'll be thankful for these sanity preserving roasted garbanzo beans.
Ingredients:
- 1 can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil (approximately)
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp kosher salt (to taste)
1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet (preferably with a rim) with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy cleanup.
2. Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans. Use a salad spinner or pat dry with paper towels to ensure the beans are completely dry.
3. In a medium sized bowl, add the beans, oil, and all spices except the salt. Toss together. Don't be afraid to use your hands, a little olive oil is good for them anyway.
4. Spread in a single layer on the covered baking sheet. Sprinkle with the salt to taste, more if you like a salty snack, less if you're not a fan.
5. Bake for approximately 50 minutes. Your oven and bean-doneness-preferences may vary. I like mine slightly dried and crispy on the outside, but still with some moisture on the inside.
That's it. There's no excuse to go hungry on a diet when a snack like this is so easy to make. I know it helped me last as long as I did so I could get my story.
Hint: Vary the spice blend. Like spicier? Make a purely pepper blend. Italian snacks in mind? Try an Italian blend and top it with some tasty parmesan cheese (low fat if you're Phase 1ing it). Really, the flavors you can use on these are only limited by your spice cabinet.
Hint: Double the recipe if you're satisfied with your spice blend. No use waiting around for your next snack fix when you can just as easily make twice as much.
Hint: These can (and at least a few should be) eaten fresh out of the oven, at room temperature, or even cold. I kept some on the counter and some in the fridge, both in air tight containers. Keep them in the containers when not fresh out of the oven or being eaten, otherwise they'll go kind of soft. Still tasty, just soft.
Hint: Put these on things. I was eating a ton of salad that week and was thankful for the kick of flavor these provided in my lunch. But these go amazingly in just about anything regular garbanzo beans go in, whether you're on a diet or not.
