Salt & Vinegar Roasted Chickpeas

Chickpeas aren't just for hummus anymore. When roasted they turn into a crunchy golden delight. They remind of Miss Vickie's Sea Salt & Vinegar kettle cooked potato chips, way back in the day when I used to eat them. But these roasted chickepeas are very high in fiber, with 6 grams of protein in every 1/2 cup. They're also nice and low in fat department.

These Salt & Vinegar Roasted Chickpeas are one of my favourite things ever. Besides they're amazing flavour and texture, they're packed with so much goodness that they're supper filling. They're also portable and versatile. There really are no rules, you can:

• Eat them out of your hand.
• On salads (perfect for added protein).
• Sprinkled as a garnish on top of soups.
• Stir them into quinoa or pasta dishes.

...And one of my personal faves, crushing them up and using the crumbs as breading for various things. Roll with what works for you.

For this recipe I recommend you buy the no-salt added variety of canned chickpeas. This way you can actually control the amount that goes into them yourself. If you prefer a less crunchy chickpea just roast them for less time and check for doneness.

Salt & Vinegar Roasted Chickpeas

Cook Time: 25-30 minutes

Yeilds: 1.5 cups

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (one 14oz can) cooked unsalted chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2-3 cups white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 400F.

Add chickpeas into pot and add just enough vinegar to cover. Place the lid on the pot and bring to the beginning of a boil; remove from heat. Remove the lid from the pot and let the chickpeas sit for 15-20 minutes, uncovered.

Drain chickpeas in a strainer, discarding vinegar. Return to pot and drizzle with olive oil, sea salt and ground pepper to taste. Gently shake and toss until fully coated. Place chickpeas on lined baking sheet. Roast for 25-30 minutes, stirring once half way through. Keep your eye on them about halfway through cooking to make sure they don't burn.

Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet. They will crisp up as they cool, so don't be too quick to put them away for storing.

Gluten Free Banana Muffins + I'm Printed and Published!

Have you ever wondered how to make a really moist banana muffin that's both vegan and gluten-free? I certainly have. I actually started this recipe a few weeks ago. All I have to say is - a super dense muffin...not so good.

I didn't think what I had in mind could be done, but this recipe had definte potential so I didn't want to give up on it.

After tweaking a few of the ingredients I found just what I was looking for. The texture was light and the muffins were very fluffly and soft. Score! The added bonus is they aren't sickeningly sweet either.

To make these gluten free I used oat flour which I ground from gluten-free oats in my food processor. In my opinion the oat flour+mashed banana really are the stars here. It keeps these muffins nice and moist.

Even if you aren't vegan or gluten intolerant, you will love these! Whether it's for breakfast or a quick snack.

You can sink your teeth into these hearty wholesome banana muffins anytime. Incredibly moist and out of this world good!

Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread Muffins

by Jennifer Trennum

(makes 12 muffins)

Ingredients 

• 1 3/4 cup gluten-free oat flour
• 1/2 cup pure cane sugar, muscovado sugar or sucanat
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, or 2% milk
• 1/2 cup sunflower seed oil
• 1 cup mashed ripe banana (2-3 bananas)
• 1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400˚F. Line a muffin tin with with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, xanthan gum, and salt; set aside. In a second bowl mix together the milk and oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredient mixture and mix well. The batter will be fairly thick. Gently, fold in the mashed banana then let the batter rest for 10 minutes.
3. Evenly divide the batter between 12 muffin cups to about two-thirds of the way full. Top each muffin evenly with chopped dark chocolate. Bake for 20 minutes or until muffins are golden and a toothpick or knife inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean. No wet batter should be present.

Now for something I'm really excited about that I just had to share. Please excuse me while I freak out!

This week I got a lovely surprise. You see a few months ago I was contacted by the editor of a great magazine called Low Sugar Living. She was writing me to ask if I would like to be printed + featured for my recipes in their next issue! Well this week the magazine hit the shelves!

In the magazine are two of my own recipes along with my own photography!

You can find it on newstands and in most places that sell magazines, especially Chapters book stores if you live in Canada. Or if you'd like to buy it online you can get it here --> Low Sugar Living Magazine.

Have a wonderful Thursday!