We LOVE watching movies in our house, especially on weekends and especially as part of our Family Fun Nights, nights we do regularly with the 4 of us to spend time together where we rotate the theme. Movie nights are for when we’ve had particularly busy or rough weeks. My kids are pretty tired by Friday night from a long week of school, activities and playdates. Some downtime is fit in here and there but the weekends are definitely for that kind of time: unwinding, slowing down, taking it in, and even getting bored; kids these days probably don’t get enough right?

Although we love Alton Brown’s pretzels for movie nights and of course a tub of good ole buttered popcorn, one day I fried up some chickpeas in a savory seasoning and found that the somewhat chewy little nuggets with a crispy exterior made for a great movie snack. They take 10 minutes to whip up, and you can use the leftovers for school snacks/lunchboxes or better yet, throw them in a salad like I did for my Meal Share Plan with 2 other families. The chickpeas are so tasty but not overly spicy or flavorful that the kids all loved ’em. They are a good intro to Indian food if you’re looking for a beginner’s taste (I like to recommend that for kids who aren’t used to Indian flavors)

I REALLY hope you try these!! And then, you won’t feel so bad having chocolate chip cookies as your THIRD movie snack of the night, like me! 🙂

The New Movie Snack: Fried Chickpeas

These savory fried chickpeas are packed with protein and can be eaten by themselves for a mid-day or anytime snack. Perfect for vegetarians and/or anyone with gluten intolerance, I find these a refreshing change from the everyday search for a snack for my vegetarian daughter. Besides, since they taste so good, the whole family loves them! Olive oil, when not cooked at high temperatures, is still a good oil to cook with and still will impart flavor and nutrition. However, if you don't want to use that, a good substitute with a neutral profile would be safflower or sunflower oil.

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Ingredients

one 29 ounce can 1 pound 13 ounces chickpeas, drained and patted dry
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

Instructions

Heat the oil in a wide shallow sauté pan over medium-low heat. You want the oil to be hot but not smoking at all.
Add the chickpeas that are fully drained and mostly dry (this will avoid oil splatter).
Increase the heat to high and fry for about 3-4 minutes, stirring regularly, until the chickpeas begin to brown. Some of the skins may begin peeling off by themselves too.
Stir in the salt, cumin, and ground coriander.
Turn heat to medium and continue to fry for 2-3 more minutes. The spices should NOT blacken.
Remove from heat and season further to taste.