Bean and Legume

The delicate crunch of snow peas and the burst of flavor from lemon zest add interesting surprises to this creamy dish.

Colorful and quick, this stir-fry is tossed in hoisin sauce and toasted sesame oil, then served over brown rice and garnished with chopped nuts.

This recipe offers powerful nutrition, plus a pleasing mix of colors, shapes, and textures.

Stir-fry fresh albacore tuna, plump sugar snap peas, and thin slices of green onions, carrot, and red bell pepper, then serve over brown rice.

Curry powder provides a Middle Eastern twist for homey tuna casserole. Using cornstarch and milk instead of a canned cream soup really cuts the sodium in this comfort-food dish.

Using potatoes instead of tortilla chips as the base for beans, salsa, and other traditional nacho toppings helps you control your sodium intake. The potatoes are a good source of potassium, an important nutrient in helping lower blood pressure.

When it’s time to put logs in the fireplace, it’s also time to fire up a big pot of this chili, flavored with lots of cumin and brightened with lemon juice.

A citrusy aroma will fill your kitchen as fish fillets and a variety of vegetables bake in foil packets. Spoon on the sauce and enjoy!

No potluck meal or barbecue is complete without baked beans. These cook for a long time but need very little attention. The result is well worth the wait.

This pairing of two all-time favorite vegetables is simple but colorful.

Wrapping each person’s dinner individually in cooking parchment, or en papillote (en pah-pee-YOHT or PAH-peh-loht), gives the meal a special touch.

This dish is an excellent accompaniment to almost any Asian entrée, such as Chicken with Ginger and Snow Peas (page 157) or Pacific Rim Flank Steak (page 180). Add some chicken, shrimp, beef, or pork cooked without salt to transform this into a main dish.

Dinner is on the table in minutes when Pacific Rim Flank Steak (page 180) or other cooked steak becomes part of this entrée salad.

A popular dish in the Lone Star State, where it is called Texas Caviar, this flavorful salad is sure to become a favorite in your household, too.

Fresh sage garnish, lightly crisped on the stovetop, updates humble lima bean soup and gives it restaurant-like flair.

Lentils and potato provide wholesome fiber in this hearty main-dish soup. While it simmers, bake some Corn Muffins (page 286) and toss a salad with one of the vinaigrettes on pages 96–97.

Making this soup with roast beef you’ve saved from another meal (maybe Easy Roast Beef, page 170) cuts down on both prep time and cooking time. Even people who think they don’t like leftovers will enjoy this soup, which gets lots of flavor from fresh produce.

Curry powder and ground cumin add an unexpected flair to traditional split pea soup.

Here’s a good way to use up some of that leftover holiday turkey!

Enjoy a bowl of this soup for a light lunch, or pair it with a dark green or spinach salad or Balsamic-Marinated Vegetables (page 78) for a heartier meal.