This recipe has been lying in the draft section since the end of May. Our unexpected trip to Kolkata made me forget all about it. While reading through what I had typed in May, I realized exactly how susceptible to change life is. There I was making plans for long dreamy summer days while life had something else planned. The sudden loss of a dear one jolted us back to reality. But again, life is funny in so many ways. We were mourning the loss of my father-in-law yet we brought back some beautiful memories. The 6 year old (yeah he turned 6 last Sunday) bonded with his cousins all over again, I met with my family and friends, sampled all the street food and Kolkata style Biryani that I have been craving for and brought back half a suitcase full of food props.  

The husband came back after 3 weeks while the 6 yo and I flew back with my parents (their trip had already been planned few months back) after 5 weeks.

Anyways, coming back to the present – we love munching on this crunchy snack along with our evening cuppa of tea! Now that my parents are here, I bask in the luxury of being pampered with many cups of tea during the day! I just make my morning cup as they wake up after I do. I know that these days are short-lived (they leave in a month’s time) but I am going to make the most of it while I can!

Summer vacations are on! Days will be filled with outdoor play, pool-time and more play! Which means I have a growing boy who’s hungry every hour or so! Hence I need to have a constant supply of snacks! Few months back I had bought a box of almond samplers from Wholefoods. I saved the box, and filled each compartment with nuts and dates. I leave that out along with a big bottle of water. I cut up some apples in the morning and put it in a Ziploc bag (so that it stays fresh) along with a bag of berries (he loves blueberries and strawberries) and have it ready in the fridge. Bananas, cheese-sticks and cereal bars are great on-the-go snack ideas. But every now and then the 5.5 year old wants something new! 

As I prefer giving him more fresh fruits, nuts and homemade stuff than store-bought and processed, I am always looking for ideas. These are the times when the instant (the one-minute/two-minutes) cake or cookies in a mug come super handy! 

An active boy also needs a Mommy who can keep up! And with all the activities going on, I need my snack too! Many a times I find it easier to grab a cookie when I cannot find my bag of almonds and dates. Since I am allergic to most nuts, I can hardly ever find a suitable cereal bar! Then I found this recipe!

 

Ingredients:

• Chickpeas/Garbanzo beans – 2 Cups, cooked (you can use canned as well)
• Oil – 2 tbsp (I used canola oil)
• Cumin Powder – 1 tsp
• Smoked Paprika – 1/2 tsp (Use chili powder or cayenne pepper if you prefer heat)
• Chaat Masala – 1 tsp
• Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 F.

In a bowl toss the cooked chickpeas along with oil, salt and the spices. Feel free to use spices of your own choice. In a cookie sheet spread out the spice & oil coated garbanzo bean/chickpeas and bake until crisp for about 30 to 40 minutes or so. at the half way mark give the tray a shake. Check once after 30 minutes and then add on oven time accordingly but not more than few minutes at a time.
Cool down the beans completely and store in an airtight container.

Serve at room temperature with a squeeze of lime if you prefer.

Here’s another version from my friend’s blog – Chana Jor Garam