Thyme roasted olives and chickpeas

Since we live pretty central here in Kelowna, it’s easy to invite friends over for a glass of wine before going out to dinner at a restaurant nearby. This was impossible to do in Calgary as we lived out of town on an acreage and it was too far out of the way for dropping by before dinner. So I started thinking of a few simple appetizers to serve that are not too heavy and will hold us off until dinner is served.

I often make these easy cheesesticks and today have added roasted olives and roasted chickpeas to go with a glass of wine before dinner. The warm, tangy olives are drizzled with olive oil, thyme and lemon zest and roasted in the oven for a few minutes. The chickpeas (I use canned) are drizzled with olive oil, paprika and herbs and roasted until crisp tender. The cheesesticks can also be cut into small shapes with a cookie cutter, they are delicious either way.

enjoy.

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Roasted olives:

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1 cup mixed olives

1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes

1/4 cup pickled small onions

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons thyme leaves

Grated zest of 1 lemons

Combine all ingredients, place in a shallow baking dish and roast in 400F oven about 10 minutes.

Serve warm.

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Roasted chickpeas:

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1 large can chickpeas

1/4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons coarse salt

A few grinds of pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

3 tablespoons mixed dried herbs (thyme, oregano)

Rinse the chickpeas and let dry on paper towels.

Once dried, place on a baking sheet, drizzle with oil and toss to coat them with the oil.

Add salt, pepper, paprika and dried herbs and shake the pan to coat the chickpeas with everything.

Roast in 400F oven for about 30 minutes until crisp-tender, being careful not to burn them.

Serve at room temperature

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See recipe for Easy Cheese Sticks here.

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