Taking Chickpeas To The Next Level

Finished roasted chickpeas

I learned to make  Crispy Chickpeas with Garlic & Sage from my friend Michael Chiarello, we eat them all the time. We love the crunch and the chickpeas are a healthy fiber filled snack food for the kids. We love to do a quick version of his recipe by roasting them in the oven with rosemary and salt, they always get eaten up before they get to the table!  My daughter loves to go pick rosemary from the garden wash and cut it up using scissors The kids can season them and stir them, and be proud of their involvement in the dish.  

Tiny sorghum popcorn and chickpeas

Chickpeas can be great in rice, eaten cold or warm, with curry, in salad they go great in just about anything. If your kids are like my daughter they may not like humus but they may like chickpeas in a different form. I always try to serve up ingredients in various forms and sometimes it actually works! My child wont touch hummus but loves the crisp texture of baked chick peas!

I was looking for another way to serve up these power packed legumes. I came across a very cute video of two girls making a very yummy version of our favorite. Human Body Detectives  is an adorable series about body function written by Dr. Heather about her kids adventures in the human body.  Her girls also make videos about their favorite healthy recipes that they cook at home. I came across their recipe for a slightly sweeter version of crunchy chickpeas I really like it, I can use organic ingredients, raw honey and control the sweetness too.  You can use other spices, try adding pumpkin pie or nutmeg or some vanilla. 

Standard popcorn vs. Sorghum popcorn

One thing we came across recently is Sorghum popcorn, it is tiny tiny popped grains, the cutest thing you ever saw! We tossed it in with the cooked sweet chickpeas for a little texture and saltiness, it was a hit. If you can't find plain popped Sorghum just use regular popcorn it works just as well.

The winter holidays are on the way like a wave of sugar and glistening sparkles and you want to be armed with snacky food ideas, don't you?  Skip the chips and dip, instead put bowls of crunchy snacks all around the house. Surprise your kids and guests with these sweet gems, it's time to break out of the hummus rut.  I suggest making a double recipe....

Removing the tough skins

Butter cinnamon mixture

Roasted Honey Cinnamon Chickpeas

Ingredients:

1 15 oz. can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (or 2 cups cooked garbanzo beans)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 Tbs of canola oil or 1 1/2 Tbs of melted butter

1 Tbs of raw honey

1 cup tiny Sorghum or regular popcorn

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Place the beans between two paper towels and pat dry, loosening the outer skin of the

beans.

3. Remove the outer skins of the beans, and pat dry to remove any other excess water.

4. In a bowl, whisk together the oil or melted butter and cinnamon. Add the beans and

coat well. Place on a baking sheet.

5. Roast for 40 minutes.

6. Remove the beans from the oven, place in a glass bowl and toss with 1 Tbs of

honey.

7. Place back in the oven and roast for an additional 7 minutes. Cool completely add in popcorn and serve!

* Sorghum popcorn  http://www.minipopsinc.com/

Jessica Alba a Regular Mom: SPY KIDS: ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD.

SPY KIDS:  ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD IN 4D In theaters August 19th 

When we are in the kitchen we smell everything, I always ask the kids to tell me to describe the ingredients to me. We pick basil and rosemary and take big sniffs to get our creative juices flowing.  The new movie Spy Kids, All The Time In The World is in 4D has smell-a-vision or Aroma Scope, which means we get to smell what the actors are smelling! When you get to the theater you will get a scratch and sniff card, I know my generation will be excited. (I speak for all of us when I say we loved our scratch and sniff stickers)
 

Joel McHale, Jessica Alba, Mason Cook and Rowan Blanchard in "Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D"

Jessica Alba star of Spy Kids All The Time In The World was as sweet over the phone as she seems to be on the big screen. She is very down to earth and seems like a regular gal who has made quite a name for herself in Hollywood. She has a 3 year old girl and had her second daughter on August 13th and is absolutely thrilled. Although she says she can't imagine having them grow up or be teenagers, she says that gives her a panic attack!  I was invited in on a call where a number of Bloggers got to ask her a few questions about her new movie, SPY KIDS: ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD.  

 

There were some great questions about how she balances her time between family and work, what her favorite scene was and my question about feeding her toddler of course!

Chef Jen's question: Your new movie is called Spy Kids All The Time In The World. I am pretty sure that you don't feel like you have all the time in the world! Being a mom I want to know what your best go to snack is for your daughter? 

Jessica:

Although her daughter is picky at times she is a good eater. Her go to snack is fruit (I loved hearing this) 

On the run she grabs grapes. She says her daughter is all about being a big girl so when she gets a whole apple she is thrilled. Her daughter knows not to eat the seeds in the middle too.  She loves to eat peaches, mom says even though they are messy it's a big girl fruit that keeps her occupied!

JESSICA ALBA as Marissa Cortez Wilson in "Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D"

My friend Amy of the The Family Chef 

asked Jessica, "what is your family's favorite meal?" Jessica replied with some of our family favorites like rice, veggies and she says her husband makes great tacos. She also said her daughter changes her mind 40 times a night, sounds like a typical 3 year old to me! Her daughter is good eater even though she can be picky, again, a typical 3 year old. 

Although many would describe her as an exotic beauty, Alba was raised in a traditional hardworking American family in California. She said she and her brother were always made to feel like they were number one. Although her mom sometimes held 3 jobs she made time to make them feel important and took the time to check in and remind them they are a priority. Jessica talked about working less these days and prioritizing time to spend with her family, I like this idea, and I think I will try it.

So if you are looking for something to do on a hot summer day, cool off with this cool new movie.

Spy Kids All The Time In The World

Synopsis
On the surface, Marissa Cortez Wilson (Jessica Alba) has it all...married to a famous spy hunting television reporter, a new baby and intelligent twin step kids.  But in reality, trying to mother Rebecca (Rowan Blanchard) and Cecil (Mason Cook), who clearly don’t want her around, is her toughest challenge yet.  Also, her husband, Wilbur (Joel McHale), wouldn’t know a spy if he lived with one which is exactly the case - Marissa’s a retired secret agent...

(All images courtesy of the Weinstein Company)