Fried chickpeas have been on my mind for nearly a month now. Something I never considered doing until I ate some at a restaurant in Belleville called Le Grand Bain. I remember crunching on this little pea that was mixed in with a salad that my gal pals and I ordered and thinking Yum, what is this crispy thing? Chickpeas are a favorite in our family but we usually make regular hummus, beetroot hummus or just have it whole as a snack or mixed in with salads.

I was just waiting for the right time to experiment...

All set up in my kitchen lab, I patted dry the chickpeas and placed them carefully into the frying pan. After 5 minutes of sizzling, they started to brown. I fished them out with a slotted spoon and let them cool down. Et voilà! Here we have some rather crispy tasting snacks with a creamy interior. You can shake these fried chickpeas up in a paper bag with some herbs and spices or for those with a sweet tooth just add some brown sugar to the mix.

I'm always looking for toppings that I can sprinkle and toss over a soup or a salad. This is at the top of my list for the moment so you'll be seeing it in my future posts.

Green Apple Leek Salad With Crispy Chickpeas

INGREDIENTS//Serves 4

• 3 leeks, julienned
• 2 Granny Smith apple, match sticks
• 1 cup chickpeas, fried
• 170 grams crab meat, shredded (6 ounce tin or 1/2 cup ), or smoked salmon (optional)

Vinaigrette:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• black pepper, adjust accordingly

PREPARATION

Cut the top green part of the leeks off. You can get rid of the outer stiff layer. Wash the rest of the greens and store for use another time (vegetable brouillon).

Cut the end of the leek off and then slit the leek down the middle to rinse out any dirt. Pat it dry.

To cut the leeks into fine julienne slices, fold the leek over in half (not lengthwise), press down and slice thinly lengthwise.

Prepare your steamer basket. Place the leeks, cover , and steam.

You want the leeks to be slightly soft but not completely.

Then take it out of the steamer and run under cold water.

Pat it dry with some paper towels or a clean tea towel.

Fried Chickpeas:

Add some olive oil up to an inch and a half in a medium size pan or pot. Turn on heat up to high. Drop in a chickpea to see if the oil is hot enough to fry in. The chickpea should sizzle. Add the rest of the chickpeas making sure not to crowd and fry them up for about 5 minutes or until they start turning brown. They should taste crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Use a slotted spoon to take them out and lay them over a fine wire rack (I used a mesh skimmer) or paper towels.

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large serving bowl add the vinaigrette to the leeks and mix thoroughly. Let it marinate for about 15 minutes.

Combine the apples and the chickpeas and toss. Add some black pepper accordingly.

Walking home one day with another mother after picking up my kids from school, thoughts of dinner started to arise. When I asked her what she was making, she told me: something very simple, vegetable soup. I am a big fan of vegetable soups and a big fan of simplicty so I asked her how she made hers, and it's true, it is so simple and so healthy that the most complicated part was to remember the list of the five veggies. After that, you just throw it all in a pot and toss in a bay leaf if you want. Great thing is that you've got five different veggies in it and you can add more or less of one or another to achieve a slightly different variation in its taste, texture, and color; my kids think they are getting a different soup when they see that it's green.

FIVE VEGGIE SOUP

INGREDIENTS//Serves 4

• 3 zucchinis, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 leek, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 potatoes, medium size and chopped
• 1 bay leaf (optional)
• Salt (adjusted to taste)
• 3.5 cups water
INSTRUCTIONS

In a large pot, add 3.5 cups of water (or about 1 litre for a thinner soup consistency) and the potatoes.

Bring it to a boil and then add the rest of the ingredients.

Cover the pot and simmer on low-medium heat until the vegetables soften.

Let it cool and then pour it into a blender to liquify.

If you need to re-heat the soup pour it back into the pot and re-heat on low heat.

NOTE

I added more carrots this particular time so the soup is more orange in color.
To adjust the consistency of your soup, you can first add all the vegetables into the blender, and liquify it by gradually adding the amount of liquid left in your pot until you achieve the consistency you like.