Moroccan Munchies

Last night I was a guest at a traditional Henna ceremony in honour of my friend's recent nuptials to her Moroccan husband. Over the next five months, I have six weddings to go to and this one started off the wedding blitz with a bang.  

This was my first time attending a Henna marriage ceremony.  The girls were dressed in very ornate Moroccan robes and their hands were adorned with henna designs.  Moroccan music played throughout the night as people celebrated the happy couple.  And the Moroccan food was aplenty. 

I discovered Moroccan flavour fairly recently and the flavours from last night's North African fare reminded me of a great recipe I have for a Moroccan inspired snack. The below recipe is the perfect healthy alternative to chips or any other salty crunchy snack.  You can make the spice blend for this recipe and save the rest in an air tight container to use when making roasted vegetables or rice (it's especially great when roasting butternut squash and carrots)

Crispy Moroccan Chickpeas

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 tsp. Moroccan Spice Mix
• sea salt to taste

Moroccan Spice Mix:

• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you want it)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Drain and rinse chickpeas and pat dry with paper towel.  Toss chickpeas with olive oil, spice mix and salt. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for approx. 45 minutes or until they are slightly brown and rattle when you shake the baking sheet.  Let cool and serve.