Swap out those bags of chips for these crunchy and zesty Lemon Pepper Roasted Chickpeas. They make the perfect snack option or a great addition to salad or soup for a bit of extra crunch! Just 5 ingredients and you’re ready to go.
I know what you’re thinking…today’s post is an ode to The Spice Girls.
I wish.
While I am a classic Spice Girls obsessed 90s baby (yes, I attended the reunion concert), today’s post is unfortunately not about the greatest girls group of all time.
In fact, it’s about a group that poses real competition to The Spice Girls…the Spice Right Everyday Blends!
I get a lot of questions about where to start when it comes to healthy cooking and I always tell people the same thing- invest in spices!
My friend DK was over while I was making these Lemon Pepper Roasted Chickpeas (she’s the hand model in this post) and we spent a good 10 minutes discussing this topic. Healthy food gets a bad rap because there are people out there who equate healthy food with bland food, but that simply does not need to be the case.
Speaking of simply, my absolute favorite brand of spices, Simply Organic is all about educating people on how to incorporate spices and spice blends to quite literally, spice up their food.
It may require an initial investment in the spices, but without a doubt the easiest way to transform a plain old healthy dish is to top it with a spice blend.
What I love most about spices is their versatility. You can pair them in so many different ways to transform a dish and best of all, they keep for a super long time so you can have them on hand without having to worry about them going bad (we’re talking 8-12 months!).
I am all about the mix-and-match with my spice rack, but if you’re new to the world of spices, Simply Organic has developed the Spice Right Everyday Blends, a set of 5 spice mixtures to help you kick things up a notch in your kitchen without requiring you to invest in a zillion spices
Today I wanted to share some tips with you on how you can spice up your life, or more specifically, your diet. I use all of these tips and tricks on the daily to help boost the flavor in my healthy dishes and disprove the idea that healthy food has to taste bland. From popcorn, to soup to potatoes, these spices have got you covered to help amp up your meal, the healthy way.
The perfect example would be these Lemon Pepper Roasted Chickpeas. Just 5 simple ingredients (2 of them are spices) and you have yourself a crispy and spicy snack alternative to chips. They’re packed full of protein and fiber but without all of the gunk that comes along with deep-fried potato chips.
Today I wanted to share some tips with you on how you can spice up your life, or more specifically, your diet. I use all of these tips and tricks on the daily to help boost the flavor in my healthy dishes and disprove the idea that healthy food has to taste bland. From popcorn, to soup to potatoes, these spices have got you covered to help amp up your meal, the healthy way.
1. Add the Cinnamon Sugar Trio to popcorn for a sweet and salty snack.
2. Add the Garlic Herb to your vegetable soup for a big flavor punch.
3. Add Pepper and More to your salads to take your dressing up a notch.
4. Add All-Purpose Seasoning to your potatoes to give flavor without overloading on salt.
5. Add Peppercorn Ranch to your eggs to change up your usual breakfast routine.
OR when in doubt, try these Lemon Pepper Roasted Chickpeas. A snack you can eat the whole batch of and not feel guilty!
PrintLemon Pepper Roasted Chickpeas
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings as a snack 1x
Ingredients
- 2 15 oz can of chickpeas, rinsed well and drained
- 2 lemons, juice and zest
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1–2 tsp Pepper and More (depending upon how spicy you want them)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Dry chickpeas REALLY WELL and remove outer skins. Rolling them between two paper towels easily removes skins.
- In a large bowl combine lemon juice, zest, and olive oil.
- Add chickpeas to bowl and coat well.
- Top with salt and pepper.
- Spread evenly on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes. Check at 20 and if they’re beginning to burn remove from oven.
- Let cool completely on tray. This is when they will crisp up.
- Store in an airtight container (may not stay crispy after a few days).
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Simply Organic for their #SpiceRight Campaign. I was compensated and all opinions are my own.
What are your favorite ways to incorporate spices into your diet? What’s your favorite spice? I LOVE pepper and cumin!
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18 Comments
Beverley Cheng
September 25, 2015 at 10:55 amroasted chickpeas are such a good snack! i never feel bad when i eat like 100 of them.
Davida Kugelmass
September 27, 2015 at 9:02 amExactly!!!
Dani @ Dani California Cooks
September 24, 2015 at 12:50 pmI’ve recently started incorporating more spices and fresh herbs into my omelets in the morning. I didn’t realize how big of a difference they made until I started using them! Even the smallest amounts.
Davida Kugelmass
September 27, 2015 at 9:07 amTry adding the pepper and more to your omelettes! I seriously died the first time I tried it. Makes SUCH a difference!
She Rocks Fitness
September 24, 2015 at 8:45 amI LOVE Simply Organic spices and I have a bunch of them that I use ALL the time…and not surpassingly it is the ones that you have mentioned. WAHOO! Do you know that I have never had roasted chickpeas??? HAHA! I’ll be right over…I can bring the wine!
Davida Kugelmass
September 27, 2015 at 9:06 amWell we need to change that! Also did someone say wine AND chickpeas. A girl after my own heart 😉
Ashley @ Fit Mitten Kitchen
September 24, 2015 at 7:47 amYES to spices!! I tell everyone who says “I don’t really care for veggies…” to spice it up! Makes a world of a difference.
I’ve only roasted chickpeas once and while it was a little time consuming (damn paper towel rolling and skin removing) they were so good! I put them on my salad 🙂
Saving this recipe for when I get around to making these again!
Davida Kugelmass
September 27, 2015 at 9:05 amUgh I know. The paper towel rolling is a bit of a pain in the butt, but so worth it! And I completely agree. Anyone who claims to not like veggies clearly has not explored their spice cabinet!
Jen @ Chase the Red Grape
September 24, 2015 at 12:04 amMy favourite way to use spices is roasted a bucket load of veg in the oven – toss over some dried herbs and spices along with a glug of olive oil. its hard to go wrong!
My favourite spice in the world is smoked paprika – the best on roasted sweet potatoes!
Davida Kugelmass
September 27, 2015 at 9:04 amI totally agree! I love adding paprika and cumin to roasted sweet potatoes. Something about the sweet and savoury combo!
Whitney @ To Live & Diet in L.A.
September 23, 2015 at 5:27 pmI’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want…some of these chickpeas 🙂
Davida Kugelmass
September 23, 2015 at 9:55 pmLoLz you so clever 😉
athletic avocado
September 23, 2015 at 5:18 pmthese look like an amazing snack! i love to season chicken with lemon and pepper so i would LOVE this!
Davida Kugelmass
September 23, 2015 at 9:55 pmMe too! I love seasoning broccoli with lemon pepper too!
Emilie @ Emilie Eats
September 23, 2015 at 2:08 pmThese pictures are GORGEOUS! Chickpeas are basically their own food group for me so I’ll definitely be adding this new way to eat them. Thanks!
Davida Kugelmass
September 23, 2015 at 9:54 pmI totally agree that chickpeas are their own food group! They make up at least a 1/4 of my diet!
Kristina
September 23, 2015 at 5:13 amRoasted chickpeas are THE best snack. You can make them sweet or savoury and they are great because you get in some extra protein. Yours look delicious, I have to try this flavour combination.
Davida Kugelmass
September 23, 2015 at 10:21 amI totally agree! Glad you like them 🙂