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Oven-Roasted Chickpeas with Tomatoes & Cashew Cream Cheese

Name: Oven-Roasted Chickpeas with Tomatoes & Cashew Cream Cheese
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup cashew cheese; 1/2 cup vegan cream cheese; 1 tbsp. olive oil; dash of salt and pepper; 2 tsp Simply Organic Vanilla; 1 400 mL can of chickpeas (strained, washed and dried); 2 tbsp. olive oil; 4 garlic cloves; 1 tbsp. Simply Organic Garlic Powder; 2 tsp. Simply Organic Umami Powder (any will work perfectly); 2 tsp. Simply Organic Dried Rosemary; 1/4 tsp fresh red pepper chili flakes; 1 tsp sea salt; 1/2 fresh cracked pepper; 5 large tomatoes (scored or quartered); 2 tbsp. olive oil; 1 tsp sea salt; 1/2 fresh black pepper; fresh microgreens; fresh lemon; drizzling of olive oil; fresh cracked pepper

Last Updated: October 25, 2022

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oven-roasted chickpeas on a table in a white serving bowl

Prep

15 minutes

Cook

30 minutes

Yield

Inspired by my time in Israel, this Mediterranean dish of oven-roasted chickpeas with tomatoes and creamy cashew cream is perfect for brunch, lunch, or even a side dish.

Alright, buckle up friends, this oven-roasted chickpeas recipe with tomatoes and cashew cream is about to blow your socks off. This dish was inspired by a shareable, Mediterranean brunch. In 2019 I had the opportunity to eat my way through Israel, and I fell in love with their approach to brunch. To give you a little background, in the early days of Israel, residents ate their meals in a communal dining hall. It was common for them to eat light in the morning, go work in the fields, then come back for a big buffet meal mid-morning, similar to brunch. This quickly became a tradition and now can be found in many hotels across Israel.

What’s so great about Israeli breakfast is that it never traditionally includes meats, such as bacon, which is common in many other places. Since laws state that meat and dairy should never be served together, and pork is forbidden, you’ll usually find things like:

Cheeses
Fish
Egg dishes (we all know shakshuka)
Salads
Dips (HUMMUS!)
Fresh veggies

… and the list goes on. Israel knows how to do brunch, and this dish was inspired by the brunch culture there.

Why you’ll love these oven-roasted chickpeas:

They’re healthy
Lots of garlic
Crispy
Great for brunch, lunch, or anything in between
Vegan-friendly

How do you make oven-roasted chickpeas with tomatoes & cashew cream?

This recipe is really simple to whip together in only 45-minutes. One important step though before you do anything is to ensure that you soak your chickpeas unless of course, you opt to use chickpeas from a can as I did. Chickpeas are soaked to a) soften them before you boil them, and b) it helps make them more digestible.

Preheat the oven to 400F and grab two 8X8 baking dishes
To one baking dish, add all the chickpea ingredients and stir well using hands or a spoon
To the other baking dish, add all the ingredients for the tomatoes and stir to combine using hands or a spoon
Bake both for 30 minutes. Removing both halfway through to stir and make sure neither are burning
In the meantime, prepare the cashew cream cheese by adding all the ingredients below to a hand mixer bowl, cup, or jar and blend gently to combine
Once everything in the oven has baked, simply plate by starting with the cheese, then the chickpeas and pieces of tomato
Top with microgreens, more salt, lemon juice, oil, and enjoy with a fresh loaf of bread

Wait… vanilla?

Yep, you read that correctly, there is indeed vanilla in this oven-roasted chickpeas recipe. I bet you didn’t expect that twist? For the cashew cream cheese base, I add a bit of Simply Organic Vanilla Extract. This adds a little twist of flavor that you may not be expecting but works so well with the savory portion of this dish. People often only associate using vanilla in baking, but it is so versatile! You can use it for:

Barbecue recipes
Cocktails
Tomato sauce or other savory sauces (chefs often use vanilla to bring out rich, subtle flavors in savory dishes)
Fancy coffee drinks (say goodbye to Starbucks)
Smoothies

Simple Organic makes high-quality products, and their vanilla is awesome in recipes like this one. Their vanilla has a rich, naturally sweet, buttery smooth flavor. It is made from premium Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Beans and has no GMOs, sugar, or fake color or flavor. BONUS! They have relationships with small farmers who grow the vanilla to ensure it is grown and handled the right way, using ethical and sustainable practices. So not only does their vanilla taste great, but I can also feel confident about where it’s coming from too!

Other brunch recipes you’ll love:

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