Refreshing soup and salad: bean edition

With so many options to cook beans, these salad and soup recipes offer a fresh, yummy take on the classics.  A cheesy bean soup and a refreshing salad are excellent starters for lunchtime.

White beans are loaded with heart-healthy fibre and make an easy addition to steamed green beans in this salad. We use canned white beans for convenience and rinse them to reduce sodium. Fresh bell peppers and tomatoes add vitamin C, the antioxidant lycopene, and bright flavours.

Prep time: 10 minutes 
Cook time: 10 minutes 
Serves 8 

• 450 g (1 lb) green beans, trimmed and cut into 3.5 cm (1 1/2 in) pieces
• 30 mL (2 tbsp) cider vinegar
• 30 mL (2 tbsp) extra-virgin olive oil
• 10 mL (2 tsp) honey
• 2 mL (1/2 tsp) Dijon mustard
• 0.5 g (1/8 tsp) salt
• Pinch of ground black pepper
• 1 can (425 g/15 oz) small white beans, rinsed and drained
• 175 g (3/4 c) chopped red bell peppers
• 1 tomato, cored, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 large scallion (green and white parts), thinly sliced

• Set a steamer rack in a medium pot filled with 2.5 centimetres (one inch) of boiling water. Put the green beans in the rack, cover, and steam until the green beans are tender, eight to ten minutes.
• Rinse the green beans under cold running water to stop the cooking.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper.
• Add in the green beans, white beans, bell peppers, tomatoes, and scallions. Toss to mix.

Per Serving:

93 cal / 4 g fat (1 g sat) / 14 g carbs / 4 g protein / 4 g fibre / 0 mg chol / 181 mg sodium / 46 mg calcium

Garnish this winter soup with grated Parmesan cheese and serve with toasted Italian bread. Better yet, if you have the rind from a wedge of Parmesan lurking in your cheese drawer, toss it into the soup along with the broth. It seeps rich flavour throughout the simmering. To make the soup with canned beans, add them at the end of cooking, along with the kale.

• Quick tip: Add a second kind of dried bean — pinto or pigeon — into the mix for even greater fibre.

Prep time: 5 minutes (plus overnight soaking) 
Cook time: 1 hour, 15 minutes 
Serves 8 

• 450 g (1 lb) dried white beans (cannellini, great northern, or navy)
• 3 slices low-sodium turkey bacon, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 g (1/4 tsp) crushed red-pepper flakes
• 2.5 L (10 c) low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 6 fresh sage leaves or 3 g (3/4 tsp) dried sage
• 1 bay leaf
• 450 g (1 lb) kale, preferably lacinato, stemmed and coarsely chopped

1. Soak the beans overnight in enough water to cover by 2.5 centimetres (one inch). Drain. Cook the bacon in a large soup pot over medium heat until crisp, six to eight minutes. Add the onions and cook until soft, about four minutes. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper, and cook for one minute.
2. Add the drained beans, broth, sage, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the beans are almost tender, about 50 minutes.
3. Discard the bay leaf and fresh sage. Add the kale and cook until the beans and kale are tender, about 10 minutes.

Per Serving:

299 cal / 4 g fat (1 g sat) / 48 g carbs / 22 g protein / 16 g fibre / 110 mg chol / 194 mg sodium / 93 mg calcium