Going to a new place and exploring is an important part of our lives.  We love road trips! Being prepared for the open road is also an imperative, especially when you know you’ll be passing through hundreds of miles of desert.  You’d be lucky to find a gas station; let alone, a vegan meal.  So, I always pack a cooler with everything we’ll need before we go.  It saves time on the road, and it ensures that all our nutritional needs are met.

One of my favorite go-to vegan road trip recipes is Creamy Chickpea Salad.  I make it right before we go, so it’s fresh.  Then, I make individual wraps with it, and wrap them each in plastic wrap.  It makes an easy vegan on-the-go meal or snack that’s healthy, packed with protein, fiber, and crunchy, fresh vegetables.  As a variation, I like to add fresh herbs, like dill or tarragon.

Even if you are not going on a road trip, I love making this recipe for lunch, as a snack or even as a summer meal (when it’s blazing hot and I don’t feel like cooking at all).  Roll it in a wrap, and you’re good to go. Put it between two pieces of your favorite bread, and you’ve got a dreamy sandwich.  Or top your favorite crackers for a healthy, satisfying snack.  

Creamy Chickpea Salad

15 ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

¼-⅓ cup vegan mayonnaise

½-1 tsp dijon mustard

1 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1 Tbsp peperoncini rings, finely chopped

⅓ cup julienned carrots

1-2 scallions (green part only), chopped

2 Tbsp red pepper, finely chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

Squeeze of lemon juice

Black pepper and salt

1. Add the chickpeas to a food processor, and pulse 3 times.  They should be coarsely ground up, but also have some whole chickpeas in the mix (see photo above).  Add to a large mixing bowl.

2.  Add everything else listed in the recipe to the mixing bowl.  Combine, and taste.  Adjust seasonings, if needed.  Serve on a wrap, on a sandwich or on crackers as a snack.