Healthy snack recipe: Salt and vinegar roasted chickpeas

I’m always on the lookout for healthy snack ideas that satisfy my cravings without destroying my healthy eating intentions. Growing up, I was a huge fan of salt and vinegar chips. My friends and I would often join my dad at local hockey games and we’d always each buy a bag of salt and vinegar chips and a few jumbo twizzlers for good measure. I loved crunching up the salty, tangy chips in the bottom of the bag, licking each finger as it came out. Nothing was better, in my 12-year-old mind.

These days, I like to take childhood favourites and make them into healthier versions in my own kitchen. When I found myself craving salt and vinegar chips one day, I decided to come up with a way to satisfy my craving without having to inhale a greasy bag of chips. I’ve always loved making roasted chickpeas and experimenting with different flavours, so I asked myself: why not make a salt and vinegar version of roasted chickpeas? If I could find a way to mimic the intense flavor, I just might have a go-to chip replacement whenever the craving strikes!

Lo and behold, it worked when I soaked the chickpeas in vinegar before baking. I used a similar method for making salt and vinegar chips, but the chickpeas are even easier than making the actual chips. I also love how crunchy they get too! Try them out and let me know if you enjoy them as much as I do.

Easy salt and vinegar roasted chickpeas

Just like my favourite salt and vinegar chips, but better. Enjoy these crispy chickpeas without any processed ingredients and a fraction of the fat.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 - 2 cups canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 4 cups white vinegar
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and set aside. Add the chickpeas, a pinch of salt, and vinegar into a medium sized pot. Bring to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Let chickpeas soak in the pot for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425F when you have 5 minutes left.

2. Drain chickpeas without rinsing. Place chickpeas on prepared baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and salt. Massage with fingers until fully coated.

3. Roast chickpeas for 45 minutes at 425F, stirring once half way through. Keep a careful eye on them after 35 minutes of cooking to ensure they don’t burn. The goal here is crispy and golden chickpeas. Cool and enjoy! These are best served immediately as they tend to get soft with time.

Please note: When I brought the cooked chickpeas to a boil, some of the peas split open and some of the skins came off. Not to worry if this happens, it will turn out regardless.

Angela Liddon is the creator of Oh She Glows — a popular healthy vegan recipe website receiving over 1.6 million page views a month — and one of Chatelaine's Women of the Year 2011. Angela’s passion for healthy vegan food is contagious and she’s eager to show others that vegan (and often gluten-free) food can blow your taste buds away.