White Bean

This recipe was created by chef Ryan Hardy of the Little Nell in Aspen, Colorado. It's part of a special menu he created for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program.

Bagged salad mix gets dressed up with a tangy lime dressing, spicy serrano chile, and crunchy pepitas.

Since the beans need to soak overnight, be sure to begin one day ahead. Spicy Italian sausage is a good substitute for the chorizo.

Cara Brunetti Hillyard of Hamilton, Virginia, writes: "I come from a long line of great cooks. My father owns an Italian market in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where my mother gets a lot of the ingredients she uses in her wonderful dishes. My mother-in-law is a recipe developer, and I've been known to sit next to my great-aunt Stella with a pen and paper as she details her amazing recipes. I live far from home now, but I reconnect with my family traditions every evening when I make dinner." Pureeing the soup gives it a smooth richness — without any cream.

A colorful and satisfying stew is priceless this time of year, and you can't do much better than a tomatoey broth full of hearty cannellini beans, baby greens, and cubes of baked ham.

This hearty stew is brightened by a sprinkling of lemon peel and chopped fresh parsley.

The colors are pale, but the flavors in this winter mix are vivid and fresh.

In this version of cassoulet, garlic-crumb topping is served on the side. Rather than acting as a thickener, the crumbs give our brothy version of the dish a crisp layer of texture.

Here's a hearty vegetable soup that doesn't take as long to make as the classic but is much better than what you'll find in a can.

Tender lima beans and fresh corn kernels straight off the cob team up to create a beautiful—and delicious—side dish that's perfect with almost any meal.

Tender chunks of lamb served kebab-style are paired with a traditional Mediterranean-inspired salad in this simple grilled dish.

This version of the Italian classic is an irresistible mix of crusty-chewy bread cubes and colorful roasted vegetables, all bathed in a lusty balsamic vinaigrette. Be sure to use a good-quality French-style baguette, as a lesser bread won't keep its texture.

Some say it isn't soul food unless it's mashed, creamed, candied, or deep-fried. But Southern cuisine needn't swim in saturated fat: Witness the recipes in Dr. Ro's Ten Secrets to Livin' Healthy (Bantam Dell Books) by nutritionist Rovenia Brock, Ph.D. With this delicious down-on-the-Delta dish, Brock slashes the fat while upping the nutritional ante with picks high in vitamin A, beta-carotene, and lycopene. You get a meal that's good for your heart and soul.

Round out your lunch: Add 1 small pear and 1 large hard pretzel.

Who you callin' shrimp? Livened up with garlic, naturally low-calorie shellfish delivers big-time flavor in this recipe adapted from Remi-to-Go restaurant in New York City. The cannellini beans and celery give the salad a fiber kick for a filling combo.

When the heat is on, veg out with this easy meal. With farmers' markets sprouting up everywhere, it's easy to feast on good veggies. How to prepare all that produce? Serve it on skewers with a side of hummus, says Daniel Orr, executive chef of Guastavino's in New York City. Not only are the vegetables healthy, but the creamy bean dip boasts plenty of protein, some heart-helping monounsaturated fat and rosemary for an added antioxidant punch.

A good-for-you French stew Low fat, flavorful — this soup will bowl you over. In France, where foie gras rules, this soup stands out: It's low fat and vegetarian. Suzanne Goin, chef and co-owner of Lucques in Los Angeles, first tasted it on a vacation. Years later, she put it on her menu. With salad and a baguette, the bean and veggie stew makes a fiber-rich meal. "Pistou" is its basil-based topping; Italians call it pesto. We call it delicious.

These cookies have a low-fat secret. They're full of beans! Idaho State University researchers in Pocatello replaced 75 percent of the butter with beans to create cookies with 105 calories and 3 fat grams (compared with 150 calories and 7 fat grams).