Quick & Healthy Recipes: Oven-Roasted Chickpeas

With their sparkling nutritional profile, chickpeas -- and all their wonderful phytonutrients -- are a wonderful addition to salads, casseroles, and pilafs.

This recipe changes up their usual texture, creating a savory and delicious side dish that also makes for a fun finger food.

YIELDS: 3 servings (1/2 cup each)

INGREDIENTS:

1 15.5 ounce can chickpeas (drained and rinsed; preferably low sodium)
1.5 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon chili powder (for an extra kick, try 1/2 teaspoon)
1/8 teaspoon salt

NOTE: This is only one variety. I encourage you to experiment with different spices and flavorings (i.e.: curry powder, ground ginger, black pepper, tamari, thyme, oregano, cumin, etc.)

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Transfer mixture to roasting pan and heat in oven for 20 minutes.

NUTRITION INFORMATION (per serving):

253 calories
330 milligrams sodium
5.5 grams fiber
6 grams protein

Excellent Source of: Vitamin B6, folate, manganese

Good Source of: fiber, iron, monounsaturated fats

You Ask, I Answer: Hummus

Like a lot of other vegetarians, I love hummus, and always thought it was a really good source of protein since it is made from chickpeas.

[However,] I just looked at the nutrition facts for a container of hummus I bought and see that each serving only has one gram of protein.

That doesn't seem right to me. Aren't chickpeas pretty high in protein?

-- Marcus (last name withheld)
Baltimore, MD

I often hear people erroneously refer to hummus as a "protein-packed" spread.

Although it is a decent -- and delicious -- source of heart-healthy fats, it is no protein powerhouse.

You are right -- chickpeas deliver quite a bit of protein. A mere half cup of them adds six grams of protein to your meal.

How, then, do two tablespoons of hummus only add up to one gram?

Simple -- hummus is more than just mashed chickpeas. Garlic, lemon juice, tahini (sesame seed paste), salt, and olive oil round out traditional recipes.

Thus, two tablespoons of hummus contain approximately one tenth of a cup of actual chickpeas!

To get the six grams of protein in a half cup of chickpeas, you would need to eat approximately one cup of hummus.

If adding some protein to your day is a priority, you are better off adding half a cup of chickpeas to your salad (6 grams of protein, 143 calories) than using a cup of hummus as a dip (6 grams of protein, 410 calories).