Long time back in one of Rachel Ray’s show I saw her frying canned chickpea on stove top and she was mentioning that its a nice and crispy snack. I always thought that chickpeas and green peas were deep fried in oil to get that crunchiness. I used to love these while growing up. It was my grandmother’s favorite snack too but we never made it at home. We used to get it from Ambica Depot. After seeing the show I also wanted to prepare it but somehow did not get to it until last week. Instead of sauteeing it in a pan, I decided to roast it in the oven. Otherwise you would have to stand nearby and keep stirring it.

I immediately googled to see if somebody has already done that and found a lot of results. Here I thought I was the smart one, with this brilliant idea! So I was going through a lot of those recipes and found that the oven temperatures, time to roast were different in each case and the reviews of the result were also mixed. So I decided to follow my own method and was really surprised that it worked out very well. My son generally likes chickpea by itself, but he liked these roasted chickpeas even more.

The recipe is very simple, actually it’s not a recipe at all. You have to just keep in mind the oven temperature and the time to roast it. The amount of chickpeas you want to roast, the seasonings are truly your call. As mentioned before you can roast it in a frying pan on stove top itself.

This is my entry for
JFI – Chickpeas, hosted by MS. JFI created by Indira.
My Legume Affair hosted by Srivalli. The even originally created by Susan.

My son is in “pasta phase” now. For the past couple of days he has been eating pasta for lunch and dinner. Actually I have to prepare the same pasta dish everyday. So I was thrilled and relieved to see Bharti’s Pink Pasta. She uses roasted and finely chopped beets to make this attractive pasta dish. It’s an amazing beet recipe. It inspired me to create another version of the pink pasta.

My son doesn’t like to bite into pieces of veggies, with an exception to few vegetables. So instead of simply adding chopped beets and garlic to make the pink sauce, I pureed everything together including the ricotta cheese in my Magic Bullet blender. That’s the reason I chose to use garlic powder instead of whole garlic as well. Bharti has used heavy cream and I didn’t have it at home, so I went with the part skim ricotta cheese which was sitting in my fridge after using little for these breakfast cookies. The pink sauce tasted very good.

I was having my doubts whether he would eat it or not, because so far he has been eating pasta in white color. So I got him all excited as soon as got home from school. I told that I gave it to his friend R also and she liked it so much. To my surprise he ate it without any fuss and also told me he liked it very much. I really have to thank Bharti for inspiring me to create this beet recipe.

In Mexico these turnovers are also called Empanaditas.  This is a Mexican Appetizer.  I found this recipe in Better Homes and Gardens’ “Off the Shelf Baking” book.  The original recipe did not have a vegetarian filling.  So I decided to use black beans instead.  Added benefit, more fiber and protein than the original version.  My husband suggested to use soy granules, but what can be more Mexican than black beans?  I think I will try his suggestion the next time.

Dough for the outer cover:
Refrigerated Buttermilk biscuits 16.3 oz package(8 biscuits total) – 1

Ingredients for Filling (for 12 turnovers):

Black Beans 15.5 oz can – 1
Tomato Sauce/Crushed Tomatoes – 3 tablespoon
Chili Powder – ¼ teaspoon (I would increase a little bit the next time)
Salt – ¼ teaspoon (next time I would use even less)
Dried Oregano – ½ teaspoon
Garlic Powder – ½ teaspoon
Cilantro/Scallions – little
Oil – 1 tablespoon

Optional:
Milk for brushing
Salsa for dipping

Prepare the filling:
1.  Drain the beans from the can in a colander and wash it under running water.  Mash the beans with a potato masher or a fork.  My little helper was more than happy when I asked him to mash the beans for me. 

2.  In a skillet add the oil and after it heats add the mashed black beans, crushed tomatoes, chili powder, oregano and garlic powder. 

3.  Fry it for 2-3 minutes until all the ingredients combine well. 

4. Transfer it to a bowl and let it cool.  Stir in cilantro/scallions.  I didn’t have cilantro so I used scallions instead.  The filling tasted very good by itself.

Preparing the Empanadas:
1.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a large baking sheet.

2.  Remove the biscuits from the pack as the per the instructions and place them either on a floured surface or in the prepared baking sheet so that it doesn’t stick to the surface.

3.  The original recipe specifies to cut each biscuit in half horizontally (so you will have 16 circles for a box of 8 biscuits) and roll each piece of biscuit on a lightly floured surface into a 4-inch circle.  I did try this method but it was a bit difficult to get even shaped circles while cutting.

4.  Instead I cut each biscuit into 2 pieces using a pair of scissors and rolled them into balls.

5.  Then rolled it out into circles.

6.  I did have a doubt if handling the dough too much may make the end product very hard.  I tried with one turnover first to be sure and it baked very well and it had the same texture as the turnover which was cut horizontally.  So I followed the same method for the rest of the biscuits.  This method was so easy.

7.  Place about 1 tablespoon filling onto half of each circle.  Brush edges with very little milk.  Fold opposite side of circle up and over filling and seal edges with a fork.

8.  I also did not cut all the biscuits at once because I did not know if the filling would be sufficient.  So I dealt one by one.  I got 12 empanadas, for the filling, i.e., I used 6 full biscuits.  The remaining 2 biscuits I just baked it as it is.

9.  Place filled turnovers 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet, brush with milk.

10.  Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.   The aroma was so appetizing. Immediately remove from baking sheet.  Cool slightly on a wire rack.  Serving warm is key.  The turnovers tasted good later also, but it was best when warm.  We had store bought salsa at home and the turnovers tasted even better when dipped in salsa.

Freezing Tips:
These turnovers can be made ahead and frozen for later use.  Prepare it as per the above directions.  Let it cool completely on wire racks.  Place in an airtight freezer container; freeze for up to 3 months.  We ate only 6, so I froze the remaining 6 in Ziploc bags.  To reheat, transfer frozen turnovers to an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake, uncovered, in a 350F oven for 10-12 minutes or until heated through.

My Notes:
1.  Watch the amount of salt because the canned beans also has sodium and so does the refrigerated biscuits.  I used 1/4 teaspoon only, even then it was a bit salty.  Either I should have increased the chili powder or reduced the salt.
2.  I used reduced fat buttermilk biscuits.

I would like to send this recipe to DK’s AWED – Mexico event.  Thanks DK for giving us a nudge to experiment different cuisines.