Crispy Chick Peas

For me, cooking is a way of life and it's something I really enjoy doing.  There's nothing quite like putting together a meal, chopping and cooking simple ingredients while listening to some of my favorite tunes or catching up on the day with my husband.  It's relaxing, it's enjoyable, and I always get excited when I discover a new recipe that I can't wait to share.

Although we cook at home several times a week, there's always the "leftovers" night, and this entails gathering up random leftover items and whatever greens we have and throwing them into what we call our "kitchen sink" salad.  I must say, to our amazement, these salads end up being some of our best!

This latest recipe started with half a can of leftover chick peas sitting in the fridge that I was staring at when I was putting together one of our meals of leftovers.  Although I love chick peas in flavourful dishes like curries and soups, I find them bland and boring on their own.   I wanted to jazz them up a little and that's when I thought back to an amazing dish I had in one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Vancouver.  The dish is made up of deep-fried chick peas tossed in arugula, mint, lemon zest, and chili flakes.  I have simplified the recipe and found a way to transform chick peas into an addictive snack and crunchy addition to my "kitchen sink" salad.

Here's how I made them:

1 cup Chick peas, rinsed and dried
2 - 3 tbsp Olive Oil
Zest of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat up oil on medium-low heat in a non-stick pan.  Add the chick peas and cook until golden brown (tossing gently every 5 minutes or so).  Add lemon zest, salt and pepper to taste and place chick peas onto paper towel and cool for a few minutes.

Go give them a try! Enjoy!

Photography by: Melissa LeBlanc