Chickpea freakin' nuggets!

What in the world?? In perhaps my boldest "I wonder if the family would eat these" moment so far, I set forth to make nuggets out of chickpeas. Pretty ridiculous, right? Before the plant-based experiment began, my children were big fans of the more traditional nuggets aka the ones made of chicken (or at least parts of chickens).

There are numerous products out there that pose as meat, including chicken-less nuggets,  but we haven't tried too many of those beyond the soy "crumbles" that we use for tacos and enchiladas.  These "pretend" meat options are often pretty processed, but they can be a great way to dabble in plant-based eating or are simple options for Meatless Mondays.  I was curious to see if I could make a truly plant-based nugget.

Before I go into specifics about the nuggets themselves, I'll say I have a love/like relationship with chickpeas aka garbanzo beans. I love LOVE hummus (especially when paired with baby cucumbers). I also enjoy chickpeas roasted until crispy, jazzed up with cumin, chili powder, salt & pepper. I do not, however, have a great affinity for plain 'ol chickpeas thrown into soup or a salad. I won't die if I eat them, but I find the mealy texture a little off-putting.

<$1 to around $2 (depending on if you want organic)

The nugget recipe was quite easy to throw together (and inexpensive).  The baking time was a little long at nearly 40 minutes, so you'll want to find something to keep you entertained for a while.

They look pretty nugget-like, right??

While baking, they smelled pretty delicious (seriously), but I was worried for the moment of truth when everyone prepared to taste them. I'm super excited to report that the family ate EVERY SINGLE ONE of the approximately two dozen nuggets...there was almost a skirmish over who would get the last one.  I knew attempting to create nuggets from chickpeas was a risk- and it could have resulted in a dinner of PB&Js- but it was ultimately an unexpected success.

Here is a link to the recipe. The only change I made was eliminating the turmeric and adding a little extra cumin. https://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes/chickpea-nuggets/#gs.Ib_xwrs

See you next time!