Friday, June 11, 2010

a la MasterChef Roast Chickpeas and Cashews


So, this notion of eating smaller 'meals' throughout the day, as opposed to substantial breakfast, lunch and dinner - are you for it or are you against it?  The idea is reasonable, I suppose, as it may sate your hunger more consistently, but the temptation is there to increase the portion sizes regardless (that's what I'd probably do, anyway).

It also comes down to what you are actually eating - a handful of raw almonds every 2 hours would probably be better than a handful (or 2) of Tim Tams...

In an effort to eat more healthily, snack-wise, I was inspired by an idea in the first MasterChef Australia magazine, for some chickpea nibbles. The magazine had almonds and chickpeas, but I have substituted cashews.  I'm not really qualified, but in terms of nutrition, almonds would probably have more health benefits.

Roasted Chickpeas and Cashews
makes 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients
1 x 400g chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 tblsp olive oil
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sea salt flakes
2 sprigs fresh rosemary

Method
1.  Preheat oven to 200 deg C.
2.  Place the chickpeas on a paper towel and pat them dry.  Then put them in a baking tray with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and toss to coat.  Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, stirrring occasionally so they brown evenly.
3.  Reduce oven to 180 deg C.  Add the cashews to the baking tray together with remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, cumin and salt.  Roast for a further 10 minutes, until the cashews are golden brown and the chickpeas are crisp.
4.  Add the rosemary and roast for another 5 minutes.
5.  Set aside to cool before serving.

The chickpeas and nuts can be stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

Ingredients; chickpeas covered in oil before roasting

Fancy enough to serve at your next drinks party.
Or just grab a handful for a snack - much better for you than a Tim Tam!

14 comments:

  1. O Yum! Never thought of this combination before!! I'm all for small meals, I eat every 2 hours...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh cool! I'm a major chasew nut fiend! I can never stop at having just one handful :(

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey Bel, this sounds delicious, and I bet cashews have some good nutritious qualities that almonds and other foods don't. Maybe!?
    Your photos are so pretty as always, and I do want to have these with a nice drink!

    ReplyDelete
  4. That looks nice, Bel! I am dying to try the roast chickpeas

    ReplyDelete
  5. I remember seeing this in the magazine and thinking it was right up my alley! I definitely need smaller meals every few hours, I'm hungry all the time and often snack badly. These sound perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I just bought chickpeas last night because I wanted to try roasting them, then I saw your post on foodgawker and it was like fate :) They look great, can't wait to try them!

    ReplyDelete
  7. hi belle !! super these cashews for the apéritive time with friends !! tx for the tip!! Pierre de Paris

    ReplyDelete
  8. I've done nuts in rosemary, salt and chilli before but this recipe sounds delicious. Great beer food!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh Bel! Perhaps you will be my inspiration to eat healthier throughout the day. Please pry red frogs or red snakes out of my hand at 3pm on weekdays!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I can't really eat small meals- if I eat, I have to fill myself up completely, or else I don't really feel like I've eaten much at all =] But I can't just eat three meals a day......

    I love this idea! I've never had chickpeas before, but they looks nice- I love almonds though! I always have a jar of almonds next to me when I'm studying...teheh. I should try this instead!

    btw, I love that last photo!

    ReplyDelete
  11. i've been wok-frying tinned chickpeas with crushed garlic and a splash of fish sauce, but i do like the roasting idea: no need to stand there stirring, and no residual fish sauce smell on my clothes.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Yum! I just cooked the ragu alla bolognese from the masterchef magazine (in fact it's still simmering away on my stove as I type) tonight and the chickpea recipe caught my eye. I'm always snacking on almonds with banana and such, but I love how they've got a savoury twist in this recipe. Cooking day tomorrow!

    Love your blog, Em @ FoodRookie

    ReplyDelete
  13. Consider this recipe saved. Love chickpeas and love cashews, wholeheartedly approve of the almond substitute. Cashews kick almonds little arses.

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin