Spicy Roasted Sprouted Chickpeas

Do you find beans hard to digest? I do, even after years of cooking my own beans and following all the tips and tricks: Soak beans overnight and discard soaking water, boil with kombu, etc. Beano was never an option because it's expensive, especially if you take some every time you eat beans. I prefer a more holistic approach.

A couple of weeks ago I read about sprouting beans before cooking them, something that had never occurred to me. The method: Soak the chickpeas overnight, and then sprout them over a couple of days. Cook the sprouted chickpeas for about a hour. Wow, what a difference it made in their digestibility.

I had some leftover sprouted chickpeas (uncooked) and figured they'd be delicious roasted – and they are! A spicy, delectable treat for your salad. These sprouted chickpeas are much tastier than using canned or cooked. After baking them, they remind me of roasted potato.

For greater detail on sprouting and the digestibility of beans, read this ForTheLoveOfFood blog post. It may seem like a hassle to sprout before cooking but I'm here to tell you it's really not. I like to keep goodies sprouting all the time. It's like having a garden right next to the sink. It's cheap, easy, quick, and empowers you in your choices of what to eat.

Spicy Roasted Sprouted Chickpeas
1 cup dry chickpeas
 Avocado oil
Susitna Chili Blend

Cover chickpeas with water and soak overnight. Drain, rinse, and drain again and place in sprouting container. Rinse and drain 2-3 times a day until a tiny sprout starts to emerge from the peas. Rinse, drain, and pat dry.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss chickpeas in a bit of avocado oil, spicy chili blend to taste, and spread onto cookie sheet. I like to line the sheet with parchment paper. Stir chickpeas every 10 minutes until lightly browned. They take about 25 minutes to roast.