• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• Coarse-grain salt
• 3/4 teaspoon cumin
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)
• 4 scallions , thinly sliced, white parts only
• 1 English cucumber , peeled, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes , halved
• 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas , drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped mint
• 1/2 bag salad greens , the healthiest kind you can stand
• 1/2 bag pre-washed baby spinach

In the bowl you'll serve the salad in, whisk together lemon juice, salt, cumin and olive oil. Add scallions, cucumbers, tomatoes, chickpeas, parsley and mint. Toss to combine. Add salad greens and spinach. Toss to combine, taste and adjust seasonings. Serve immediately.

Recommended accompaniments: If you want to up the good calories, shredded carrots and mango are really delicious in this salad. If you're serving this as an entrée and you've got a meat-eater to satisfy, this salad is wonderful with very thinly sliced grilled flank steak or chicken on top. Keep it vegetarian and serve it over bulgur.

Recommended substitution: This recipe doesn't suffer if you leave the oil out. If you can get your hands on sumac, sprinkle it over the salad just before you serve it. Sumac is a fruit that's dried and ground into a reddish powder. It's often combined with salt when you buy it. It's salty, tart and a little sour, and goes well with this dish.

From the book Cooking Thin with Chef Kathleen