Roasted Georgian Chickpeas & Avocado Toast
I’m not even kidding, there has been a can of chickpeas sitting in my kitchen cabinet for at least 2 years — I brought it with me when I moved in with Alan and forgot about it until this past weekend! Canned goods seriously last forever though because the expiration date wasn’t until 2022.
Although I could have saved these chickpeas for some future apocalypse, I decided to make a brunch toast with them instead. I also wanted to try this new Ajika Georgian seasoning blend that I got from Trader Joe’s so chickpeas and avocado seemed like a neutral enough base for it!
My first attempt was missing something 🤔
According to the bottle, it’s supposed to be “spicy, garlicky & deeply aromatic & savory.” I didn’t get a super spicy or savory taste from it, but it did taste a bit garlicky and it smells great! I also bought a bottle of the Trader Joe's Cuban Style Citrusy Garlic Seasoning Blend — let me know if you have suggestions for how I should use it.
Anyways, try this roasted chickpea toast! Plus, the tahini dressing recipe I included makes more than enough for multiple toasts, salads, grain bowls, etc. so you can go crazy with it.
Roasted Georgian Chickpeas & Avocado Toast
Makes 1 serving
Ingredients:
A generous ¼ cup of chickpeas, drained and patted dry
½ avocado
½ tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp Trader Joe’s Ajika Georgian seasoning blend
1 tbsp olive oil
Pickled onions/shallots for garnish
1 tbsp tahini dressing (recipe below)
Black pepper
Salt
1 slice of bread
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Toss the chickpeas in olive oil and with a pinch of salt, and spread them out on an aluminum foil-covered sheet pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until darker brown and crispy — careful, they will burn!
While the chickpeas are roasting, toast your bread and set it aside. Make the tahini dressing (instructions below) if you don’t have it already.
In a small bowl, mash up the avocado with a pinch of salt and the ½ tsp of lemon juice, and then spread it on top of the toast.
Once the chickpeas are done baking, toss them with the Ajika Georgian seasoning blend — feel free to use more if you don’t think 2 tablespoons is enough!
Scoop the chickpeas on top of the toast and garnish with some pickled onions/shallots depending on what you have on hand (really you just need something acidic to cut the richness).
Sprinkle a pinch more of salt, black pepper, and Ajika Georgian seasoning on top, and then drizzle the tahini dressing all over. Enjoy!
Lemon Tahini Dressing
Ingredients:
⅓ cup of tahini
Juice from ½ a lemon
1 tbsp honey
½ tsp salt
1 tsp minced garlic (about 2-3 cloves)
¼ cup cold water (or more if your dressing is too thick for your liking)
Instructions:
Blend everything but the water together and then gradually add the water to thin your mix out — it will look very thick at first but will thin out as everything combines into a sauce.
Taste the dressing and adjust by adding more salt, honey, or lemon juice to your taste.
