Beans and Legumes

If you have never tried farro, this is a great way to start. Farro gives this salad a wonderful texture.

This dish resembles Raasam a Southern Indian soup. However, we have adapted this to be made with ingredients more common to American kitchens.

This salad is actually a main dish with whole grain, vegetables, beans, and nuts. It keeps for several days and actually is better after a day or so. Exact proportions are not critical so don’t worry if you have more tomatoes or less cucumber.

Burrito bowls have become a staple for many people – they are quick, tasty, and versatile. Use whatever leftovers, frozen, or fresh ingredients you have laying around.

This delightfully simple lentil soup is light and spicy with a bold red color. Best of all it is ready to enjoy in about an hour, with very little hands-on time. The lemon adds a delicious balance to the hearty cumin.

Lentils are a quick alternative to dried beans. No soaking required and cook in a very short time.

This is an interesting main-dish salad that, thanks to canned beets, is really quick. It is a great use for leftover lentils, you could even use other beans. You can use any salad green, however, arugula, gives a nice spice to the salad. The cumin vinaigrette is great with other salads as well or just as a dressing for lentils.

This is a great side dish or can be a main dish if added to a large vegetable salad.

This is an example of a recipe that can be made literally hundreds of ways. Add one or two vegetables, one or two fruits, a grain, a bean, and dress with citrus vinaigrette. This recipe uses avocado and orange. You could use cucumber, tomato, onion, or shredded squash – really any vegetable. For the fruit component, any citrus, mango, or pineapple works well. Choose any whole grain and any canned bean. This is a great way to use up leftover grains from other meals. This can be a side dish or served on top of a mixed green salad.

This salsa is great on a salad, as a dip, or with your favorite taco. Vary the ingredients as you like for your taste. If you like it spicy, you can add jalapeno or other chili peppers. You can add different spices to your taste, such as cumin or coriander.