I’m so excited to share this recipe for my Chickpea Salad with Lemon and Shallots! It is packed with protein, simple to make, keeps well in the fridge, is great served cold, and makes a perfect lunch! It is a copycat recipe of the chickpea salad I found at Brooklyn Fare in Brooklyn, NYC last month, and it could not be easier! PIN THIS RECIPE!!!

This post contains affiliate links.

A trip to the big city

Last month the 4 of us packed our bags and headed back to the east coast (my home coast!!!) for my youngest sister’s wedding. Like any good vegan//food allergy mom, I packed all kinds of snacks for the boys, and scouted out the nearest Whole Foods (conveniently just a few blocks from our hotel). Staying in downtown hipster Brooklyn, I had assumed that we would find vegan foods everywhere. Not even a whole vegan restaurant (which is often a no go for us due to nut contamination issues), but just regular restaurants that would offer a vegan dish. Boy were we wrong. We really struggled to find easy vegan options on our trip. And let me tell you, a soft pretzel from a street cart does not constitute a meal for two very hungry boys!

^^^ Check out the Brooklyn Bridge in my sunglasses reflection!!!

Gran Electrica

Our ONE really awesome meal of the trip was the dinner we were served at my sister’s wedding. The reception was held at Gran Electrica—a super cool, upscale Mexican restaurant, just blocks from the Brooklyn Bridge where the ceremony took place. The back patio had an amazing brick wall covered in ivy, with twinkle lights strung across. So beautiful. We feasted the night away with guacamole and house made chips, sweet plantains, black beans, nopales tacos, and even a delicious mango tart for dessert. The staff was super attentive, and kept coming over to check in with us. Sadly no pictures were taken of this delicious food, as there was an open margarita bar as well, and you know how that goes!!!

On our last day of our trip, just an hour before we needed to catch an Uber to the airport, Irving and I were trying to find a quick spot where we could grab some lunch for the boys. After two subway rides and some snippy exchanges, we had given up and were planning on buying chips at the airport. That’s when I remembered a spot I had seen on our first day, just a block from our hotel. The windows were mostly covered and dark, and I wondered if it might be closed? But it said organic and had piqued my interest. With nothing to lose we walked up the street and into the dark front doors of Brooklyn Fare. Once inside we were immediately surrounded by towering shelves of all of our favorite organic/vegan/healthy/allergy friendly foods that we knew and loved from home. There was even a deli bar, and that’s where I stumbled across this chickpea salad with lemon and shallots. I’m so glad I did, and so bummed we didn’t check this place out sooner. Next time!