Bachelor on the Cheap

By Mike Thayer

A good chip alternative?

To paraphrase AC/DC and the song "Whole Lotta Rosie"..... 

They ain't exactly pretty.....

They ain't exactly delicious.....

So on a whim while shopping at Costco today, I picked up a bag of Hippeas organic chickpeas puffs, white cheddar flavor.

I've been looking for an alternative to chips, something different, something a bit lower in carbs.

In reading the label, these seem to fit the bill.

But do they taste good?

If you're not familiar with chick peas, a.k.a., garbanzo beans, they are quite nutritional, popular in Mediterranean, Indian and Egyptian cuisines and for a plant, are a good source of protein.  When I was in the military and stationed in Turkey, dried/roasted chickpeas were THE snack of choice in bars and parties and if you like and/or have tried hummus, a popular dip typically eaten with pita bread, ground up chickpeas are the main ingredient.  Hummus is fantastic, thanks to other ingredients, such as lemon juice and olive oil.  The problem with chickpeas on their own when dried and/or roasted, they can be quite dry.

The upside to that from a bar owner's perspective is that a dry snack help sells more alcohol......

So enough with the chickpea history/tradition lesson, how are the Hippeas you ask?

OK.

They ain't exactly pretty.....

They ain't exactly delicious.....

At first bite, they're quite boring.  You get a nice crunch, the Hippeas live up to a respectable "puff" bite, but the flavor does NOT hit you right away, it's more like a Styrofoam experience, but the white cheddar does kick in on the back end.  Like traditional roasted or dried chickpeas at a Turkish bar, these things are quite DRY.  But at just 130 calories and 17 carbs per serving, if you're looking for a diet alternative, Hippeas chickpeas puffs are a smart choice, they are NOT however going to rock your world.  They're OK.  They are indeed something different from the ordinary chip, they deliver on crunch, but in a diet way, not a flavor way.  Costing me $6.99 for an 18 ounce bag, I'm giving Hippeas Chickpeas Puffs 3 out of 5 stars, they deliver to their target audience, those into organic/diet/low carb.  But are they a repeat buy?  Yes, if on a diet.

$pend Wisely My Friends.....