Challenges, Changes, and Chickpeas

So, I was about to call this whole blogging thing quits after all of one post. But I decided I should be honest with my readers (do I have any?). Like so many things in life, I was super excited to start something (in this case: a fashion and baking blog) but lost interest as challenges came up. Case in point, who is going to take pictures of me in my cute outfits? My husband is usually asleep when I leave for work. Another problem came up when I was taking pictures of my version of these yummy cookie dough rice krispie treats. My point-and-shoot camera takes awful pictures of food. Even though these treats tasted great; they looked like unapetizing oatmeal-colored blobs in my photos.

And to top off my frustration about how to proceed with the blog, I decided to go on a diet about 2 weeks ago. Not a great thing for someone who just started a blog about baking. But beyond the challenge a diet creates for my blog, going on a diet is crazy-hard for someone like me who considers baking a passion and a hobby. I truly look forward to researching, choosing, buying the ingredients for, baking, and tasting the perfect treat each and every weekend.

That said, the good news is that I've lost 9lbs in just over 2 weeks. I've had to completely change my typical high-school-boy diet. But I haven't stopped looking at recipes on Pinterest. Now I just try to look at healthy ones. I came across a recipe for honey and cinnamon roasted chickpeas, got excited, and made them that night. While they weren't awful, it's not something I'll be making again. The silver lining here is that I started thinking about other things I could do with chickpeas. I found various recipes for these guys online, but ultimately came up with my own very simple and tasty version of Crunchy Buffalo Roasted Chickpeas.

These were such a huge help in terms of curbing cravings and making me feel full, but most importantly they were YUMMY. Although the can says that it contains 3.5 servings, I would say that this recipe makes 2 servings. Sunday I ran out and bought 3 more cans of chickpeas to get me through the week. I have a new batch in the oven right now!

Crunchy Buffalo Roasted Chickpeas

Ingredients:
1 16oz can of reduced sodium chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
2+ tablespoons of your favorite pre-made buffalo sauce (not hot sauce), separated

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 370. Rinse and drain chickpeas and allow them to dry. In a small bowl, coat the chickpeas with approximately 1 tablespoon of buffalo sauce (just enough that they are completely covered and not much is left in the bowl). Spread chickpeas onto a cookie sheet and bake for about 20 minutes (or longer until chickpeas are dry). Carefully pour them back into the bowl and re-coat them in the remaining 1 tablespoon of buffalo sauce (or more, to taste). Pour the chickpeas back onto the cookie sheet and put them back in the oven. Cook for another 20+ minutes, rolling them around every so often so they cook evenly, until they reach your desired crunchiness.

Enjoy your guilt-free snack!