Wednesday, May 02, 2012

Chicktons



Is that the worst name ever? I know. I’m sorry--I just couldn't resist the whole chickpea/crouton thing, plus it does have a certain Cajun ring to it, no? I’m also sorry that we’re going to skate abruptly here from the wild and icy canal of pink-haired gender politics into the placid rink of salad toppings. But you already knew it was like .

Chicktons! 
I love, love, love roasted chickpeas, and lately I’ve been adding them to salads instead of croutons. (Adding chickpeas, instead of croutons, to salad, that is. Not adding chickpeas to salads instead of adding them to croutons.) I crave the salt and crunch of croutons (which I have only ever made when we’re eating Caesar salad), but I’m so happy to be adding protein and B vitamins instead of grody dust and oil (the packaged kind of croutons) or yummy bread and oil (the homemade kind). These chickpeas can single-handedly (single-beanedly?) turn a salad into an actual meal. Plus, they’re ready in the time it takes me to wash and prep the lettuce, cukes, and radishes. Or, if we’re having Caesar salad, to sliver the romaine, grate the parmesan, and whisk together the mayo, garlic, lemon juice, pepper, salt, and Worcestershire sauce.

Romaine, arugula, radishes, cukes, feta, chicktons. Yum.
I am still using the odd tin of beans, despite my ongoing love affair with cooking them from scratch in my pressure cooker, which I do at least weekly. But I take seriously the worries, like Stephany's, about canned beans and the BPA (bisphenol A, an endocrine disrupting chemical) that leaches out of the can lining, and I would like to stop using them altogether. Food for thought. Speaking of which: how do we feel about dentists telling us to “coat” our kids’ teeth? Thoughts? Sorry. Salad. I’m sticking with the topic at hand. I am.

Edited to add: Eden Organics has no BPA in the linings of their bean cans. Thanks so much, rebecca, for mentioning that. Trader Joe's also appears to have no BPA in their cans, although they seem somewhat inconsistent about it. And Campbell's has pledged, somewhat nebulously, but still, to get the BPA out of their cans too. Way to go Stefany! But the teeth. . . the whole "my dentist says it's safe thing" doesn't move me, cynic that I am. That recent NYT article on early puberty in girls did mention, in passing, the BPA risk of dental sealants.

Chicktons
For general snacking, I do love getting them really crisp in the oven. But for salads, I love the softer crunch of these, done on the stovetop. Use a nonstick or well-seasoned pan, if you’ve got one.

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and spread to dry on a double thickness of paper towels
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt, to taste (but lots—like a teaspoon)
Garlic powder (optional)

Heat the oil in a medium pan over medium heat until it is medium hot. Add the chickpeas in a single layer, salt them liberally, and leave them for a few minutes, unmolested by you and your spatula, so they can start to turn a bit golden on the bottom. Now start flipping and turning them every so often, shaking the pan around, until the chickpeas are as crisp and brown as they could be without burning. This will take 10-15 minutes. Add a sprinkle of garlic powder, if you’re using it, then taste for salt and remove the chickpeas to a paper-towel lined dish to cool a bit before their introduction to the salad.

That's it! Except for the kind of grody-looking bottle of garlic powder I seem to be using and didn't photograph. Garlic powder gives me a little flush of shame. Thanks for loving me through it.

Nature's Promise to disrupt your endocrine function! Look at all those chubby little buttpeas.

They're crowded in the pan at first.

But they lose volume as they roast.

You'll need to taste them very many times to determine when they're done. Very many times.

Close up, they're kind of terrifying.

But look at them on that salad! Gorgeous.

I was feeding lunch to my friend Jennifer, hence the rings and pretty hands. Don't worry, my hands still look like your grandpa's.

25 comments:

  1. I can see why you went with Chicktons over Croupeas. :) They look like a perfect Mama lunch addition.

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  2. See, close up I think they're beautiful. That's how all my food looks, slightly charred. Mmmmm.

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  3. Also, I love that ring in the last pic! I wonder where she got it.

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  4. This is a great tip/recipe! I am much more likely to whip some of these up if I can do it on the stovetop instead of in the oven. Thanks!

    Also...I have been doing some reading about BPA in the linings of cans and am interested to know...you obviously still use them sometimes? Do you cook large batches of chickpeas to keep on hand to try to avoid using the canned? I have a hard time with the foresight of this so I'm looking for some ideas. Also, when you pressure-cook your chickpeas, do you soak them first? Have you noticed a difference between soaked and unsoaked? Maybe I've had repeated bad luck with old beans, but mine always seem a little underdone in the center no matter how long I cook them (without soaking)!

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  5. I saw a sweet cinnamon-y version of roasted Chickpeas in Cookie mag long ago. I liked the idea of them but wanted them to be crispier so something was amiss in my execution.

    In the classroom we used dried garbanzos as math manipulatives and my students called them chicken brains. So there you go.

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  6. rebecca5:52 PM

    I use Eden canned beans. No BPA. A little more expensive, but worth it for my peace of mind. Also, the sealants my kid's dentist uses does not have BPA (I asked after the fact, since I was clueless when I had them done) Dear god is there nothing in this world that is safe anymore??!!!!

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    1. actually some countries are more discerning than ours... many countries turned their noses at all the GMO's we are currently feeding our children. If you are interested, do a search on food labeling in California, trying very hard to get labeling mandated.

      and if you don't know... a GMO is a genetically modified food; currently in U.S.- corn, soy, and canola are genetically engineered, and many others are slowly creeping into our food supply. Catherine, you are the writer here, help us out a bit if you can....

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  7. Ha, ha! Your statement about your hands looking like my grandpa's is so funny!

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  8. No shame in garlic powder. None! It's just dried, pulverized garlic. :-)

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  9. Re: endocrine disruptors. It's not just BPA. Parabens have also found to be endocrine disruptors. These are often found in cosmetics, including most brand name hair products. After researching EWG and their Safe Cosmetics list, I have approximately 0 hair products that I can use, besides shampoo and conditioner that I get from Whole Foods. Fortunately, the frizzy look I'm rockin' now does not greatly contrast with the frizzy look I had before I knew about parabens.

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  10. Forgot to specify with regards to hair products: 0 hair products that I can use *and afford.* Crucial qualifier there, as I am both discerning and cheap. Not a good combo.

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    1. Erin K.8:02 PM

      Have you tried the poo-free thing? http://simplemom.net/how-to-clean-your-hair-without-shampoo/

      I've been trying it out this week as a test run - it seems fine, very soft, - I can't tell if I think my hair looks dull - because I thought it was looking dull before I started...I'm using a tiny bit of coconut oil whipped with some essential oil rubbed between my hands to tame frizzies. My hair's just in a simple chin length bob

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  11. The whole sealants thing is totally creepy to me. I talked to my dentist about it and said something like, "didn't a bunch of kids get cavities under their sealants" - it was something of an epidemic in my old town? And her reply was not reassuring... "yes, that was a big problem when they started. But we've got it fixed now." Basically they were sealing in the germs (or whatever - what eats teeth anyway?) and then there was no way to clean or brush them off! Google it. I know this is very vague.

    Aaaannnnnyyywayyyy..... your kids eat reasonably healthy. Brush twice a day and floss - that will go very far toward keeping their teeth healthy, without the weird sealant thing.

    In related news, I'm making homemade marshmallows today...

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  12. Kathy Cornett8:39 AM

    Just made your chocolate cake and Asian salad (the one with the miso dressing last night). So good. Thought this might interest you - the Gin Joint in Charleston, SC has Pad Thai Popcorn on the menu http://theginjoint.com/menu.html

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    1. In the 15 seconds since you posted this comment, I've already googled it and even found a copy-cat recipe! Can't wait. xo

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    2. Kathy Cornett4:26 PM

      Will you please share it? I live 3 hours from Charleston, SC and am contemplating a trip just to try it. Dragging my two kids to yet another bar. Really, I'm not that bad...

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  13. These look super tasty (though a little like alien heads), and as much as I love salad as just a heap of greens with dressing. the kids need more enticement to get excited about salads.

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  14. Love these. I throw my chick peas in the oven (still tossed in olive oil with salt, pepper, and sometimes curry powder) for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees. They never make it into a salad though . . . my kids eat them like they are going out of style! Sometimes I make a batch in the morning and throw them into the kids lunches for a crunch snack. So yummy and healthy!

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  15. I never post comments; I always read: Please see about finding a way to adding an option to print your recipes in a friendly style minus cutesy pictures. I appreciate them, but my recipe bookthingy does not.

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    1. Anonymous12:31 PM

      I second that, Kim. It would help to have the option to print these wonderful recipes with/without images.

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  16. I have been afraid to return to your site after that whole "The Cake You Want" post, which I cannot seem to stop eating (hint: adding chocolate chips makes it The Cake I Want Even MORE).

    But these look awesome. I may even find away to incorporate them into The Cake. Or *sigh* on salad.

    Dental sealants freak me out, BPA or no BPA. I don't understand them. In my day, we just chewed on a stick and were happy with the 3 or 4 teeth we still had by age 30, you know?

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  17. It's the cake I can't stop eating, by the way, not the post.

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  18. Also: I made them last night, but used curry instead of garlic powder. I put some on my salad last night and today and then my two-year-old ate the rest of them. Damn kids.

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  19. I decided to have these tonight for dinner. Just these. I'm the only one to cook for tonight (hubby and kids out for the night--yay!) and this sounds like the perfect snacky supper. They had better be good, or I'll be mad at you because I'm hungry. :)

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  20. I really truly hate canned garbanzo beans on salad bars but these look VERY intriguing. Might just have to try! :)

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