Bean and Legume

We tried this recipe with several brands and varieties of beans, and Goya's small white beans held their shape the best.

Potato salad gets perked up with herbs, vegetables and a terrific dressing. Serve the salad warm or at room temperature.

A wonderful first course, to be followed by roasted meat with vegetables. Pass some additional grated Parmesan cheese if you're not concerned about a few extra calories.

Though these bruschetta are a terrific first course for almost any meal. They'd actually make a great lunch as well—just think of them as open-faced sandwiches.

We tested this recipe in a traditional Italian terra-cotta bean pot (called a fagioliera) and in a heavy saucepan. We preferred the bean pot because it cooked the beans more gently, allowing them to retain their shape and texture (they seemed more flavorful as well). The slow, gentle cooking also makes it unnecessary to presoak the beans. In Italy, each serving of beans is dressed with oil at the table, and since leftover beans aren't dressed, they are used in the next day's soup or are reheated with more garlic and sage.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Soybeans in the Pod Sweet, delicious young soybeans, which appear fresh in markets in Japan throughout the summer (they are available frozen in the U.S.), make great hors d'oeuvres. They are packed with protein and fun to eat-the slightly fuzzy green pods tickle your lips as you gently suck the beans into your mouth. Provide bowls for the empty pods. This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

·Bear in mind you should only eat the flowering shoots of the garden pea, Pisum sativum. Don't try to cook with the flowering shoots of sweet peas from your flower garden — they're poisonous.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 25 min

This combination of white beans, tomatoes, and cipolline is exceptionally delicious. Letting your tomatoes cook to the point where they become caramelized and start to fall apart adds sweetness and a layer of deep flavor to the dish. Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 9 1/4 hr (includes soaking)

Serve this lowfat dip with healthy dippers, such as Armenian cracker bread, sliced red bell pepper, carrot sticks and cauliflower and broccoli florets.