These spiced chickpeas are the perfect snack or salad topper

These chickpea crunchies make a healthy, moreish snack and are delicious with a hint of Indian spice. The turmeric turns them a wonderful colour, but be wary of golden fingers. They also make a great topping for salads or savoury bowls. Peeling off the skins of the chickpeas can seem like an arduous task, but it is worth it for removing extra lectins – plant proteins that can cause inflammation – produced by the skins. It is also strangely therapeutic!

Golden Chickpea Crunchies

Prep and cook: 50 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients
500g tinned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp sea salt
pinch of black pepper

To serve (optional)
mixed green salad leaves
Root Spiced Salad Dressing (see below)

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Line 2 large baking pans with parchment paper.

Dry the chickpeas well with paper towels, rubbing off the skins if preferred.

Mix the olive oil, spices, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Add the chickpeas and turn them until coated in the spice oil.

Tip the chickpeas onto the baking pans and spread out evenly. Roast for 40 minutes, occasionally shaking the pans to make sure the chickpeas cook evenly, until golden and crisp. Leave to cool and crisp up further.

Serve the chickpeas as a snack or scattered over a green leaf salad with the root spiced salad dressing.

Root Spiced Salad Dressing

Loaded with the benefits of valerian and horseradish root, this salad dressing also features heart-friendly apple cider vinegar. The floral tones of the valerian make it a perfect addition to most salads, particularly those containing spicy leaves such as rocket or watercress. Valerian is renowned for its ability to relax and aid sleep. Horseradish is a natural antibiotic and helps to ward off common colds and flu, so this is a salad dressing that will boost your health in more ways than one.

Prep: 5 minutes

Makes 5 tbsp

Ingredients
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp runny honey
3 tbsp raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar
1 tsp valerian root powder
1 tsp horseradish root powder
pinch of black pepper
1 garlic clove, finely diced
juice of 1 lemon

Method
Put all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until well combined. Serve straightaway or store in a jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Extract from Super Root Spices by Zoë Lind van’t Hof and Tom Smale of Wunder Workshop (Pavilion Books, approx €11.50). Photograph by Dan Jones.