In my never ending quest for snacks with fewer calories and more protein, I was very happy to discover The Good Bean, a Berkeley based company that makes roasted garbanzo bean snacks.
Our introduction came from a free sample pack that appeared at our door right about the time Todd arrived home from work on Friday. He’s usually pretty hungry at that hour, but he must have been starving that day because when he tasted The Good Bean garbanzos he proclaimed them the second best product sample we’d ever received. Don’t ask me what the first one was, but I can tell you that these were a big hit with someone who’s pretty picky about snacks.
Over the weekend we tried a few more Good Bean flavors including Smoky Chili & Lime, Black Pepper and Sweet Cinnamon. Todd and I liked Sea Salt best, but I think Fuzz's choice would be the Smoky Chili & Lime seeing as how she finished up a whole bag. Luckily, they’re only 100 calories per ounce, have 6 grams of fiber, are low in fat and gluten-free.
Now if you’re in the mood for a sweet snack, the good bean also makes a variety of "Fruit & NO-NUT bars". There’s a Chocolate Berry, an Apricot and a Trail Mix. Todd’s not big on nutrition bars and Fuzz doesn’t like dried fruit, so these were all mine. I tried the Trail Mix flavor first and could definitely taste the garbanzo. It was quite different, but very good and less sweet than some other high protein, lower calorie bars. And while I do like nuts, I appreciated the fact that these were nut-free and lower in calories than some bars of the same size. So thumbs up to that!
Look for The Good Bean and leave a comment letting me know what you think. You can buy Good Bean snacks from their on-line store, but they also have a store locator in case you want to run out and find some right now. We put in our zip code and it recommended the nearest Whole Foods.
Update: Make sure to stop by on Friday for a Good Bean giveaway!
Aimee says
The chili lime are delicious. They sell them at Earthfare if you are near an earthfare. I want to try roasting them at home as they are quite pricey for what they are.
Katrina says
We do have a Sprouts closer than WF, but still 40 minutes away. I'll keep these in mind next time I'm near there. Thanks.
Anna says
Katrina, they are light and crispy and not hard one your teeth like Corn Nuts. Do you have a Sprouts nearby? They are now in various Sprouts.
Katrina says
Those do look good to try. Same for me, when I've roasted my own, I never feel like they are crunchy enough. I assume these are pretty crunchy, maybe like Corn Nuts? Wish Whole Foods wasn't an hour away. That does make me want to try roasting them a lot longer at a lower temperature though.
Alyson says
My closest Whole Foods sells these, according to their store locator. Yum! Can't wait to try. I've roasted my own chickpeas so it would be fun to see how they compare.
sassygirl says
i <3 the good bean!
especially the fruit & seeds trail mix. always in my bag, for hunger pangs averted.
but the chickpea snacks?? that's another story...until they get the sodium count waaaaay down (for only 1/4 C.. omg. chk it out!) i'll stick to my fav bar from
them!
Anna says
Jennifer, I vaguely remember trying it once and not being able to get the beans quite as crisp as I'd wanted. They went from being kind of soft to burnt. I think it's just a matter of playing with the oven temp and figuring out the best rack. Jaden at Steamy Kitchen has a recipe. I'm not sure about reducing the amount of olive oil, but it's probably doable. Another tool that might help is a dehydrator.
Jennifer says
Have you ever made roasted garbanzo beans (chickpeas) at home? I've tried a couple of recipes and they are good. Most recipes use a bit of olive oil, some spices, and roast them in the oven. I wonder if it'd be possible to roast them either oil-free or with a minimal amount of olive oil cooking spray.