London Pea Soup
Recipe by:
CANMAC2
A great soup to warm you on a cold, foggy night.
Four bean and sweetcorn salad
Recipe by:
Vickie de Vries
This salad is best served with cold meats or fish. To make it different every time, change your herbs and spices. It tastes really good the second day too, as the lemon juice has time to soak into the beans.
Easy Beansy Layered Nachos
Recipe by:
Layla Talula
A quick and easy non-meat version of the nachos, using refried beans, tomatoes and onion layered with cheese over tortilla chips. Ideal for anyone needing a quick nacho fix or when hungry guests turn up unanounced! Perfect for parties and BBQs too. Serve with guacamole, salsa and a side salad. It doesn't get better than this!
Minestra
Recipe by:
Melanie Booth
A vegetarian version of minestrone, bursting with flavour and healthiness. Goes great with crusty Italian bread.
Baked Bean Curry
Recipe by:
Miss S
A simple dish. The recipe consists of a tin of baked beans, fresh coriander, fresh chillies and a mixture of different Indian herbs. The spicy beans go well with roti, in a sandwich, in a bap or as a side dish. An easy dish for those who like Indian food!
Chunky Soup
Recipe by:
Sunflower1
My friend Kathy gave me this recipe, and it's great. So filling, easy to make and great in a thermos for lunch or school during the winter months. Use a small soup pasta for best results.
Black Bean and Vegetable Pasta
Recipe by:
RASPBERRYSWIRLS
An easy vegetarian pasta dish that's perfect for a quick weeknight supper. A hearty and delicious tomato, spinach and black bean sauce is served over whole wheat pasta. It's also great served with brown rice, and you can substitute tinned borlotti beans for the black beans.
Spicy Seven Layer Dip
Recipe by:
Liz
This spicy layered party dip looks great and tastes even better. Use a good quality salsa and serve with plenty of tortilla chips.
Chickpea soup with asparagus
Recipe by:
Norma MacMillan
This filling soup is easy to make, tasty and virtually fat-free. Offer crusty bread as an accompaniment. For a main meal, serve with a little strong-flavoured cheese, which tastes very good with the soup.
Radiatori with flageolet beans in tomato dressing
Recipe by:
Norma MacMillan
When beans and pasta are eaten together, the vegetable proteins combine to provide as good a source of protein as meat. Here, tender flageolet beans partner chunky pasta shapes in a salad with celery, red pepper and canned artichoke hearts. A well-flavoured dressing marries the ingredients perfectly.
Pasta with potato, beans and pesto
Recipe by:
Norma MacMillan
This is a traditional Ligurian dish that is usually made with potatoes, green beans and baby broad beans. Here, broccoli and courgettes boost the green vegetable content. The pesto sauce used to dress the pasta and vegetables is lighter than most, but still packs a wonderful flavoursome punch.
Macaroni and mushroom cheese
Recipe by:
Norma MacMillan
Introduce vegetables to old favourites for up-to-the-minute healthy family meals. This well-loved pasta dish is delicious with mushrooms, peas and peppers added. Using a small amount of powerful Roquefort cheese ensures that the sauce is creamy and full flavoured, but not too high in fat.
Egyptian lentils with macaroni
Recipe by:
Norma MacMillan
For Egypt's vegetarians this highly spiced dish is a protein staple. On their own, lentils do not contain a lot of protein, but combined with the wheat in the pasta, they make a good protein dish that is low in fat.
Gnocchi with sage and cinnamon
Recipe by:
Norma MacMillan
An Italian classic, traditional semolina gnocchi is served with generous amounts of cheese and butter. This healthier but equally delicious version is made with just a little butter, cheese and olive oil and flavoured with cinnamon and sage. Served with lightly cooked spinach and peas, this makes a great family meal.
Spicy filo triangles
Recipe by:
Norma MacMillan
Here's a quick version of the popular Indian samosas, baked rather than deep-fried for a healthy, light result. The crisp filo pastry parcels contain a curry-spiced vegetable filling, and they are served hot from the oven with a fresh mango and ginger salsa to make a scrumptious starter or light snack.
Eggs with spicy peas and lentils
Recipe by:
Norma MacMillan
A little spice can turn a few everyday ingredients into something special. This simple, satisfying dish provides a wealth of vital vitamins and minerals and the right balance of essential protein and fibre. Serve with basmati rice and/or warm naan bread for plenty of energy-giving starchy carbohydrate.
Sun-dried tomato and bean risotto
Recipe by:
Norma MacMillan
Moist risotto served with a simple side salad makes a satisfying carbohydrate-rich meal, and the risotto can be endlessly varied – all sorts of other vegetables (fresh, frozen, canned or dried) can be used instead of broad beans. To achieve the perfect texture, use risotto rice such as arborio and add the hot stock in stages.
Hummus salad
Recipe by:
Maggie Pannell
Homemade hummus only takes a few moments to whizz together and makes a perfect light lunch, served simply with pitta. But for a balanced meal, turn it into this more substantial salad with the addition of crisp salad vegetables.
Spicy rice with chickpeas
Recipe by:
Maggie Pannell
This lightly curried rice dish makes a simple yet satisfying vegetarian meal, with the chickpeas providing valuable protein. Serve with a yoghurt raita and mango chutney. A fresh, green, baby spinach leaf salad would also make a good accompaniment.