Hello and happy Monday, friends and foodies!
You know what I love? Well, I love a great many a things but food-wise what I really love is chickpeas. They are versatile, they hold flavor really well and they not something I grew up eating. At all.
In fact, the very first time I had chickpeas I was about 22 or 23, fresh from graduate school and heading to D.C. for a training week for a new job and we ate at this Indian restaurant (another first for me) and…I hated it. The food was flavorless and that’s about all I can say about that.
Needless to say I was bummed out and it was another couple of years when I was about 25 or 26 and living in Los Angeles that I tried chickpeas and Indian food again. And…I LOVED it. No, that’s a massive understatement because I didn’t just love it because that would be too simple and I’m not a simple woman. I loved it so much that it has become one of my favorite cuisines. I was already a fan of Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese and loads of others, so it’s safe to say that many of my favorite dishes hail from the Asian continent.
Annnnd…back to chickpeas.
They are delicious and full of nutrients and really easy to cook. So yeah, I love’em. But they also work great as an easy vegan snack, just crisp’em up in the oven or an air fryer and it’s like nuts but without the fat and calories.
So anytime I see a chickpea recipe, I’m eager to check it out and when I saw this sticky sesame chickpea recipe, my eyes went wide and I said “bet, coming right up.”
And here we are.
This is an easy vegan recipe for any meal, but it also makes a really good side dish if that’s what you’re after. But I’m thinking of using this recipe again and adding potatoes because who are better friends than chickpeas and potatoes?
Whether you’re looking for an easy vegan dish for dinner, or something flavorful o bring to a potluck, this is the easy vegan recipe for you.
Kitchen Tools:
*Baking mat
*Mixing bowl
*Grater or microplane
Ingredients:
*Chickpeas (I cooked from dry in a crockpot, if you use canned, drain & rinse)
*Garlic (minced)
*Ginger (grated)
*Gochujang
*Soy sauce
*Rice vinegar
*Agave or maple syrup
*Sesame oil
*Sesame seeds
*Salt & pepper
Instructions:
*In a mixing bowl, combined ginger, garlic, Gochujang, soy sauce, rice vinegar and agave syrup. Whisk until combined.
*In another mixing bowl, add the chickpeas and season with salt and pepper. Pour half the ginger-garlic mixture over the chickpeas and toss until well coated.
*Lay the chickpeas in one layer on a baking sheet and bake in the oven (180C/375F) for 12 minutes.
*Remove the tray from the oven and add the second half of the ginger-garlic sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds. If you prefer, you can garnish with sesame seeds just before serving but this way they get a little warm and nutty.
*Drizzle with a few drops of sesame oil (optional) and serve. I made crispy TVP and roasted broccoli on the side, but this would be a great addition to your favorite vegan salad recipe, or with nothing but a side of rice.
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The Spicy Spatula 
Whatcha think?