Chickpea & Spinach Salad With Cumin Dressing & Yogurt Sauce

2 (15oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
4 cups baby spinach leaves
Yogurt with Orange Essence, recipe below, optional
2 Tbs coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves, optional

* In a medium bowl combine the chickpeas, parsley and onion. In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, zest, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the chickpea mixture and toss to combine. Serve the chickpea salad over a bed of spinach leaves. Top with the yogurt sauce and a sprinkle of mint, if using.

Yogurt with Orange Essence:
1/3 cup lowfat plain yogurt
1/4 tsp orange zest
2 Tbs orange juice
1/2 tsp honey

* In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, orange zest, orange juice and honey.

Review: I left out the lemon ingredients, which is typical for me. :) I also did not use mint.  This was super yummy, though. I really liked the yogurt sauce and believe it’d be a great dressing on any type of salad. It wasn’t too sweet and had just a subtle hint of orange flavor.