I’m roasting…figuratively and literally.

Figuratively: It’s hotter than Hello Kitty in my neck of the woods. But since this isn’t a blog about the weather let’s talk about what I’m literally roasting these days…hello chickpeas, edamame, and soy beans! Once roasted, these high fiber and protein-rich wonders pack a nice crunch and a lot of flavor, perfect for snacking and topping salads.

To roast chickpeas, Carrie pointed me to this recipe on Allrecipes.com:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Drain chickpeas and blot with a paper towel to dry them (<–do not skip this step). In a bowl, toss chickpeas with olive oil, and season to taste with salt, garlic salt, and cayenne pepper, if using. Spread on a baking sheet, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until browned and crunchy. Stir every 10 minutes and watch carefully to avoid burning.

To make roasted edamame, I followed the same recipe but just replaced the chickpeas with shelled edamame. I used about 1/2 a package of frozen edamame, which I defrosted and blotted with a paper towel to remove excess moisture before roasting, and it worked like a champ!

Making soy nuts is a very similar process, but it just requires a few extra steps if you start from scratch like I did. I bought a bag of Bob’s Red Mill Soy Beans and followed the instructions on the package:

• Soak soy beans overnight
• Rinse and drain
• Add 3 cups of water for every 1 cup soy beans and bring to a boil
  
• Simmer for 3 hours

After draining and drying the soy beans well, I sprayed them down with Pam Olive Oil and seasoned them with salt. I tossed them in a roasting pan and baked them on 425 for about 20 minutes, stirring every 5-10 minutes. Ta-da! Perfect soy nuts.

I can’t decide which of the three recipes I like best, they are all healthy, inexpensive, and quite simple to make. I recommend you try them all!

Now I really must go grab some water…I hate to complain but I’m still soy hot!