Baked Apples

One of my favorite things to see cooking when I was growing up were baked apples.  Contrary to their name, they're not actually baked - they're cooked in a frying pan!  When I was little I would sneak into the kitchen while these were cooking and steal the apples with the most brown sugar on them.  In all honestly, that's half the fun of making these - the snacking.

Ingredients
5 large apples (I used gala)
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions
Peel, core, and slice apples.  Add apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon to a large pan and stir until apples are coated.

Cook on medium for 15 or so minutes, stirring every few minutes, until apples are cooked through.

They're seriously good.  I especially like them served with pork.  Mmmmm...

Sweet and Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

Husband is a huge hummus fan.  When we first got a Costco membership, I quickly realized we were making up for the membership fee in the money we were saving on hummus alone.  He's a huuuuuge fan.  Since hummus is such a big hit with him, I decided to give roasted chickpeas a try this week.

Since I'm not normally a huge fan of spicy things (I'm a huge wimp), I decided to make two kinds of roasted chickpeas - one set spicy, one set sweet.  Besides being a fantastic snack (they're low in fat and high in fiber), these are awesome because of how easy they are to make.  It's just a mix, stir, and roast recipe, and could easily be thrown in the oven after dinner comes out.

Ingredients

Spicy Chickpeas

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1/2 tablespoon paprika

1/2 tablespoon hot Mexican-style chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

Large, 1 pound 13 ounce, can chickpeas (garbanzo beans) 

Sweet Roasted Chickpeas

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 teaspoons honey

Large, 1 pound 13 ounce, can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

Directions

Strain and rinse chickpeas, then transfer to a large bowl.  Pour wet ingredients (olive oil and/or honey, depending on which you're making) over chickpeas and gently toss lightly.

Mix spices in a small dish to combine.  

Spice mix for "Spicy Chickpeas"

Cinnamon/Sugar Mix for the "Sweet Chickpeas"

Sprinkle dry ingredients over chickpeas and gently toss until they're evenly covered.

Spicy Chickpeas

Sweet Chickpeas

Cover cookie sheet (with sides) with foil, then spread chickpeas evenly.  Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes, or until crispy and golden.  Toss chickpeas halfway through so they don't stick.

Enjoy!