Crunchy Chickpea Salad Toppers

Healthy eating for me requires meals that can be eaten for more than one day. I just can’t be trusted to cook every single night. So my absolute favorite meals are things like veggie bowls, usually with quinoa, and with a leafy green like kale. When I make something like this it can actually last me all week, so I like to have different add ins to change it up day to day. Sometimes I’ll add some chopped hard boiled egg, sometimes some chicken–always cheese–and I do love legumes.

I definitely also like my salads to have a crunch, but croutons are not what I’m looking for.  So when I saw a bag of roasted chickpeas at my market, I knew exactly what I had to do.

Buy them? No, silly. That would be too easy and convenient. I bought a can of chickpeas and set out to make my very own crunchy salad topping.

Start with your can of chickpeas and after rinsing and draining them, be sure to dry them as much as possible. I patted and gently squeezed them with a paper towel. Many of their skins came off and I just discarded them. Then coat in them EVOO and lay out on a pan to roast at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.

After removing them from the oven, transfer to a bowl and mix with your spices.

Designing your own flavors is the best part of roasting chickpeas–except for actually eating them! I went with a paprika, garlic powder, and Italian blend, but really the possibilities are endless.

Mix your chickpeas in a bowl with your spice blend and use to top your favorite salad, or just pop as a snack.

It was really that easy.

Paired with bite size roasted asparagus and raw diced yellow peppers, this salad definitely packs a satisfying crunch. Salads built like this are a staple in my house and last for a few days of lunch and dinners. I often leave this separate like shown here, so everyone can combine ingredients to their taste.

What is your favorite roasted chickpea spice blend?

Do you cook every night, or rely on meals that can be leftover for lunches and dinners?

This post is linked up with Annmarie at The Fit Foodie Mama for Foodie Friday!