Bean and Legume

Black beans are delicious with lots of garlic. This is one of my favorite ways to serve them.

This mild side dish complements vegetable curries as well as recipes made with hearty winter vegetables, as in the accompanying menu.

Bulgur is delicious with lightly browned onion and cabbage. The green beans add a companionable flavor and texture.

This mild rice dish can be used as a side dish, or, in larger portions, as an entrée, accompanied by a tossed salad and a variety of steamed or stir-fried vegetables.

This grain-and-bean duo makes a basic, hearty main dish. Some steamed broccoli or green beans and a colorful salad complete the meal.

Use hearty pasta from the frozen foods section for this filling dish. All you need to complete this meal is a bountiful salad and some fresh bread. If you’d like, add a steamed green vegetable as well.

Pasta isn’t customarily seasoned with curry, but I’ve long enjoyed this combination.

Salsa is an easy way to dress up pasta, resulting in an offbeat, festive dish.

The secret ingredient in this smooth sauce is silken tofu. Blended silken tofu makes a great base for sauces that seem creamy, but are actually pure soy goodness. Look for it in your supermarket’s produce section (as well as in natural foods stores). Complete this meal with some fresh bread and a bountiful tossed salad. Or serve it with any of the mixed greens salads on pages 50 to 53.

An exercise in elegant simplicity, this salad makes a delicious contribution to a buffet of room-temperature dishes for company.

In almost any barley dish I make, whether soup, salad, or pilaf, my flavoring of choice is nearly always dill. This duo seems to have a natural affinity for each other.

Avocado is one of the most sensuous foods I know. Don’t be afraid of its fat content—it’s the kind of fat that’s good for you. See the menu with Tomato and Green Chili Quesadillas or Soft Tacos (page 173).

The shape, texture, and unique flavor of chickpeas make them a perfect salad ingredient. I will often add chickpeas to a salad when the meal’s main dish is on the lighter side. See the menu accompanying Pasta with Asparagus (page 67).

Black beans and corn team up to create a substantial salad that’s a great potluck or party dish.

I often make this to serve with a light pasta dish such as Pasta with Asparagus (page 67).

A hefty salad like this one can easily share center stage with a grain or pasta dish as shown in the menus for Bulgur with Cabbage and Green Beans (page 109) and Summer Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes (page 64).

There’s something appropriate about pairing feta cheese and lentils—perhaps it’s the mingling of the salty and peppery flavors.

Here’s one of my favorites. Most any sort of bean takes well to embellishment with fresh herbs and a good vinaigrette. See the menu suggestion with Sweet Potato Soup (page 29).

This nicely flavored miso soup is made more substantial with the addition of tofu. Fresh shiitake mushrooms impart the best flavor to the broth. Follow with an Asian-style noodle dish, such as Asian Sesame-Soy Noodles (page 85).

This comforting classic thickens considerably as it stands, resulting in a generous quantity of soup. Each time you reheat it, thin it with additional water, and adjust the seasonings. Or, once your original batch cools, consider freezing half of it for later use. This soup is a meal in itself. All you need is a good bread and a salad—simple or bountiful, as you prefer.