Bean and Legume

Serve this newfangled main-course salad with a crisp flatbread, such as lavash, and white wine or rosé spritzers.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Components of this salad can be prepared one day ahead, then tossed together at the last minute. Offer white wine spritzers and iced tea with lunch. Colorful ornamental kale can be found at some supermarkets and specialty foods stores.

This thick and comforting dish is delicious sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

At Aruns in Chicago, owner and chef Arun Sampanthavivat has come up with this fresh take on a traditional Thai recipe.

Look for rice vinegar in the Asian foods section of your market.

The dressing is packed with intense flavors, so only a limited amount of oil is necessary.

This main-course soup is ideal for winter evenings. It originated in Portugal's Ribatejo province, famed for its horses, bulls and bullfighters. The soup gets its name from the kidney beans, which are referred to as "stones" by the Portuguese.

Pasta Fazool is slang for the classic Italian pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans). This recipe includes Italian sausage and beef along with kidney beans and pasta. It's all topped with Fontina.

Top with sour cream and chopped cilantro.

Risotto de Bulgour aux Pois et Asperges At the restaurant, this is made with spelt, a chewy grain that requires much longer cooking than does the more readily available bulgur called for here.

This dish is equally delicious prepared with turkey, seafood, beef, or pork.