Fennel and Chilli Roasted Chickpeas

Ready in half an hour and healthy to boot, these Fennel and Chilli Roasted Chickpeas are perhaps the perfect snack. But beware, they’re also incredibly moreish; not even water is healthy when consumed in enormous quantities.

By their very definition, snacks should be low effort; something you can pluck from the cupboard and enjoy. The issue with shop bought snacks is that they’re usually unhealthy and the flavour you’d really like to try simply isn’t available. The solution? Make your own. It’s easy.

Don’t try to be clever and coat your legumes with the spice mix before roasting. Doing so will only lead to overcooked, burnt and bitter notes; not something you want accompanying an otherwise delightful snack.

Added at the very end of the cooking process, the inherent sweetness of the ground fennel and paprika combine beautifully for a delicate flavouring. Backed up by a measured punch from the chilli flakes, this is one snack you’ll want to keep coming back to.

Happily, for midriffs country-wide, one of the many great things about this simple recipe, is that it yields a snack both delicious and – relatively – healthy. Using only one tablespoon of olive oil – healthy in itself – the entire snack contains only 400 calories.

If you’re after another great and healthy snack idea, check out my recipe for Spicy Pumpkin Seed Popcorn…

Fennel and Chilli Roasted Chickpeas

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

• 400g tin chickpeas
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp fennel seeds, toasted and ground
• ½ tsp chilli flakes
• ½ tsp salt
• a pinch of smoked paprika

Method:

1. Drain your chickpeas and pat dry with a tea towel, or similar. Transfer to a baking tray and preheat your oven to 200C/180C(fan).
2. Drizzle the oil over the chickpeas and use your hands to coat thoroughly. Bake until browned and crisp; 30-40 minutes.
3. While your chickpeas are cooling, mix together the ground fennel, chilli flakes, salt and paprika. Thoroughly combine the chickpeas and spices in a bowl and serve.

Cost: A tin of chickpeas, some oil and a few scattered seeds; roasted chickpeas make for a low-cost snack. A mere 45p.