Curried Chickpea Salad

In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, curry powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper; mix well.

Add the chickpeas, diced carrot, scallions and raisins; stir to combine.

Transfer to an airtight container and keep chilled until ready to eat.

Serve as a salad or sandwich spread.

Recipe by: Aimee Trudeau, Emily Nielson, Mai-Yan Kwan from their cookbook "Dirty Gourmet – Food for Your Outdoor Adventures."

MORE FROM THE AUTHORS: 

For vegans with an active lifestyle, try these recipes for your next bike ride or hike

In 1990, I was training hard for my first RAGBRAI bike ride, and my small hometown of Primghar, Iowa, was on the route.

On the first day riding out of Sioux Center, I met a young man named Gordon. We started pedaling toward Primghar. Hungry for food, we were eager to eat pork sandwiches served by my mother and father at a church stand.

That RAGBRAI was one of the longest at 495 miles. On Wednesday, we faced a 20-plus mph headwind, making the 86-mile day from Hampton to Oelwein one of the toughest ever. Thursday was no better, with even stronger headwinds followed by heavy rain, which washed out the Cedar Rapids RAGBRAI festivities. But I did not quit, and Gordon and I made a deal to finish the week bicycling to the Mississippi River … together.

Fourteen months later, we got married. Gordon had found his “Iowa farm girl.”

Growing up as a daughter of a hog producer, I ate a lot of pork — but also plenty of vegetables — since Dad had a large garden. I went to college and became a registered dietitian.

Gordon and I raised two children. Our daughter, Alison, first became a pescatarian and then a vegan.

We watched documentaries together ("What the Health," "Forks over Knives," "Game Changers"). The books "The China Study" and "How Not to Die" were powerful with convincing research on the link between nutrition and human health.

With my 4-H family as hog producers, I knew the horrors of factory farming. Adding to my concern for our planet and the effect of global warming, becoming vegan was for us a lifestyle that fit with our values — improved health, compassion for animals, and environmental concern for our earthly home.

My husband and I still enjoy being active with bicycling and hiking trips. As vegans, we can pack BBQ tofu sandwiches and curried chickpea salad in a bike pannier or hiking backpack. The date quinoa power bars are great energy boosters and taste better than any commercial vegan energy bar.

If you plan ahead, you can enjoy these recipes for your next bike ride or hike!