Sweet and Spicy Chickpeas: Part 1

I have a confession to make: I don't own a microwave.

Nope, no easy re-heating going on in this household. For starters, microwaves kind of freak me out. They zap most of the nutrition right out of what you're eating, and let's be honest, my blog is named Strictly Nutritious... I can't purposely sabotage my food like that!

Image via zoesays.com

But alas, without a microwave I can't indulge in one of my former favorites - kettle corn! (Well, I guess I could, but popping it myself on the stove top seems a bit retro). It's a shame really because kettle corn and I were besties back in college. It was the "bad boy" of my co-ed diet - a charming combination of sweet AND salty!

I love a good flavor combo!

I've been forced to get a little crafty in the absence of my darling kettle corn, and it seems chickpeas are taking center stage in my life these days (if only for their amazing nutritional benefits!). Chickpeas make a great jumping off point for lots of different snacks. This week, in tribute to the former bad boy snack of my college days, we're going to make another tantalizing combo - Spicy Wasabi Chickpeas AND Sweet Chickpea Cookie Dough.

Today, we'll start with the spicy...

You only need a few ingredients - coconut oil, canned chickpeas, sea salt and wasabi powder.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Thoroughly wash 2 cans of chickpeas and pat dry with a clean dish towel (as dry as possible).

In a gallon Ziploc bag, combine chickpeas with 2 Tbs. coconut oil and 2-3 Tbs. of wasabi powder (the more, the spicier).

Now add 1-2 tsp. of sea salt.

Seal the Ziploc bag and shake to coat.

Spread the chickpeas out on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 40 minutes, flipping 1-2 times in between, as they tend to crisp up fast!

Allow to cool fully, then put your snack face on!

Stay tuned next week as I show you how to make the sweet part of this yummy combo!

And now a few pics from the weekend starring my friend Sarah Kagan over at Beyond The Batter! We decided to CitiBike home on Friday evening and were met with rain the second we left work (boo!). But being the determined ladies that we are, we waited it out and the second the clouds parted, we pedaled our little hearts out. But turns out CitiBike and Mother Nature were against us from the start... leaving us stranded with technical issues and soaking wet when the bottom dropped out halfway home.

All in the name of adventure though!

Have a blessed week!