Beans/Rice/Grains Recipes

• Curry Chicken and Rice Casserole

  Easy to prepare for a weekday meal or sophisticated enough for a weekend dinner party, this Curry Chicken and Rice Casserole is rich in fibre and full of delicious, wholesome flavours.

• Rice and Beef Burritos

  These tasty rice and beef burritos make a quick and easy dinner or a filling packed lunch.

• Warm Shiitake Walnut Salad with Quinoa

  Garlic, olive oil, shiitake mushrooms and walnuts…what could be a more perfect blend for a side dish? Add to that the combination of two superfoods in one salad – quinoa and walnuts – and the side dish becomes a star on its own.

• Barley-Mushroom Ragout

  More filling than a barley-mushroom soup, this vegetarian ragout will stick to the ribs.

• Sushi Pockets

  Sushi pockets are a quick lunch idea that also make an excellent appetizer or party canapé.

• Almond-Currant Couscous

  Crunchy toasted almonds add flavour and nutrition to this simple couscous dish with currants.

• Black-Eyed Pea and Walnut Lettuce Wraps

  Fibre-rich black-eyed peas and walnuts make this a very satisfying and nutrient-dense salad.

• Brown and Wild Rice, Walnut and Dried Cranberry Salad

  This festive brown and wild rice salad boasts sweet cranberries, heart-healthy walnuts and a splash of citrus flavour. Most of the salad can be prepared ahead of time—just add the chopped vegetables right before serving.

• Vegetable Couscous with Wild Blueberries

  This quick vegetable couscous with wild blueberries recipe makes a healthy and delicious side dish or light main meal.

• Multigrain Seeded Bread

  Along with adding flavour to this multigrain bread, seeds are a good source or potassium, vitamin E, protein and iron.

• Crusty French Loaves

  This crusty French bread has a chewy crust and is soft inside, just the way Grandma used to make it.

• Lentil-Tomato Stew with Browned Onions

  This hearty vegetarian lentil-tomato stew makes a great main course, is rich in dietary fibre, and offers more than 300 percent of the daily recommended intake for beta carotene.

• Grilled Vegetable & Bulgur Salad

  This seasonal twist on the Lebanese dish tabbouleh is made with bulgur, a processed form of whole wheat that is very high in protein and fibre. The grilled vegetables add great flavour to the bulgur salad; you can substitute whichever ones take your fancy.

• Homemade Low-Fat Granola

  Quick, simple and healthy, this versatile, homemade low-fat granola is more than just a breakfast cereal: add dried fruit for a portable snack, or combine with yogurt and berries for an amazing parfait.

• Slow-Braised Beef and Barley

  Here, beef is simmered until meltingly tender while nourishing pot barley thickens the gravy to make a hearty casserole and juniper berries add a distinctive flavor. Serve slow-braised beef and barley with mashed potatoes and a green vegetable, such as green beans or spring greens.

• Cod with Spicy Puy Lentils

  Dark-green Puy lentils, grown in the south of France, have a unique, peppery flavor that is enhanced by chile. They do not disintegrate during cooking and their texture is a perfect complement for the flakiness of fresh cod. Serve this cod with spicy Puy lentils dish with warm crusty bread.

• Bulgur Wheat and Shrimp Salad

  A coarsely ground wheat grain, bulgur has already been parboiled, so it’s quick to prepare and makes an ideal pantry standby to use in salads, as well as in hot dishes. This nutty-textured, colorful bulgur wheat and shrimp salad is full of goodness, and is very attractive to the eye.

• Tuscan Bean Crostini

  Here's an appetizing snack to be enjoyed hot or cold—toasted slices of baguette topped with a creamy white-bean puree flavored with garlic and thyme, and finished with tomato slices and arugula leaves. These Tuscan bean crostini are ideal to serve with pre-dinner drinks.

• Multi-Grain Seeded Loaf

  Serve this nutty-textured bread very fresh, cut into wedges. The multi-grain seeded loaf is good with a hearty bowl of soup or cheese and pickles. The mix of seeds can be varied to your own taste or you can use just one kind.

• Light Rye Bread

  Rye flour is lower in gluten than wheat, so it produces a close-textured, moist loaf. Caraway seeds are a traditional seasoning, complementing the nutty rye flavour to make an excellent light rye bread that goes well with soft cheeses.

• Squash and Chickpea Stew

  The orange colour of squash signals beta carotene, a plant pigment that’s a potent disease-fighter. And this squash and chickpea stew is a meatless one, so the total fat content is minimal. Like all good stews, this is a fine make-ahead recipe.

• Falafel Pitas

  Falafels, the traditional Middle Eastern bean patties, are usually deep-fried. This updated version, delicately spiced and crunchy with grated carrot, is baked for a lower-fat result, but is just as delicious and is served as falafel pitas with salad.

• Millet with Spinach and Pine Nuts

  Bright green spinach and orange apricots add rich colour and flavour to this easy-to-make grain and vegetable side dish. Instead of potatoes or rice, serve millet with spinach and pine nuts alongside stews and casseroles that have plenty of sauce.

• Boston Baked Beans

  These oven-baked beans are cooked slowly to create a richly flavoured vegetable dish—a revelation if you’ve only ever eaten the canned variety. Serve Boston baked beans alongside grilled meat, together with potatoes or bread.

• Spiced Couscous Tomatoes

  Choose ripe, well-flavoured tomatoes for this dish. Hollowed out, tomatoes make the perfect container for a spicy eggplant, dried apricot and nut couscous. Serve the spiced couscous tomatoes with sesame breadsticks.

• Fruity Pasta Salad

  Pineapple and pear give this fruity pasta salad a sweet accent, while balsamic vinegar adds a delightful piquancy. With lean ham, cheese, fruit and vegetables all adding their own nutrients to balance the pasta, the result is a marvellous dish.

• Apple and Sprout Salad

  The dressing for this vibrant apple and sprout salad, with tones of ginger, complements the flavours of the fruit and vegetables.

• Roast Turkey with Lemon Couscous

  A small whole turkey is amazingly economical. It will give enough meat for at least 8 portions, or you can serve 4 people and have plenty of leftovers for sandwiches, salads and other dishes and make stock with the carcass. This roast turkey with lemon couscous is a wonderful pairing.

• Pan-Fried Turkey Escalopes with Citrus Honey Sauce

  The tanginess of citrus fruit marries well with poultry, especially turkey, which can sometimes be a little light on flavour. Here, pan-fried turkey escalopes are paired with a citrus honey sauce. For a simple accompaniment, steam some new potatoes.

• Spicy Chicken Tostadas

  “Tostadas” comes from the Spanish word for toasted. These flat, crisply toasted corn tortillas can be topped with all sorts of savoury things. Here a delicious spicy chicken, pepper, bean and tomato mixture is used.

• Coronation Chicken

  Specially created for Queen Elizabeth’s coronation, this curry-flavoured chicken salad with a fruity pilaf makes a lovely summer dish. Often made with cream and mayonnaise, this version cuts the fat content down significantly.

• Pesto Pork Chops

  Lean pork is now on the heart-healthy menu. To keep these pork chops healthy but succulent, top them with homemade pesto. It uses just a tiny bit of oil but seals in all the pork’s juices at the same time.

• Scallops with Noodles and Ginger

  This scallop salad is based on soba—Japanese buckwheat noodles. They are tossed with bean sprouts, bok choy, fresh coriander and an intensely flavoured ginger dressing, then topped with juicy soy-broiled scallops and mushrooms.

• Salmon with Tarragon Mayonnaise

  Fresh salmon is readily available all year round. This deliciously healthy dish with tarragon mayonnaise can be served warm or cold, with a green leaf salad tossed with snow peas or green beans, and some crusty whole-wheat bread.

• Japanese Sushi Rolls

  Japanese food tends to be low in fat, and these stylish sushi rolls are no exception. Now that the ingredients are available in grocery stores, it is easy to make them yourself. You must use sushi rice, which is sticky when cooked.

• Apricot Lamb with Shredded Cabbage

  Based on the Moroccan way of stewing meat with fruit, here lamb is marinated with mushrooms and herbs, then cooked slowly with dried apricots. Shredded cabbage and fresh mint enliven the couscous accompaniment.

• Cajun-Spiced Barley

  Barley is one of the crops that farmers love, due to its short growing season and hardy nature. We should love this nutty, wholesome grain too, since it is so good for us. Serve cajun-spiced barley with extra-lean beef sausages or lamb kebabs.

• Herbed Polenta with Gorgonzola

  Broiled slices of herbed polenta topped with a creamy, melting mixture of Gorgonzola and ricotta cheeses is a delicious dish, ideal for a tempting starter. It is served hot with a garnish of salad greens.

• Rice with Shrimp and Dill

  In this good-looking salad, quickly seared tiger shrimp are served on a mixture of aromatic basmati and wild rice, crunchy broccoli, snow peas and yellow pepper tossed in a fresh dill and lime juice dressing.

• Risotto Primavera

  Yes, you can make creamy risotto the way they do in Italian restaurants! This risotto primavera recipe makes a delightful starter or main meal. Vegetables add vitamins A and C, and a small amount of Parmesan adds calcium, protein and a lot of flavour.

• Green Coriander Rice

  Toasting the rice, then cooking with a herb and vegetable paste before adding stock and simmering, develops and enriches the flavour of this dish. The coriander rice makes a great accompaniment to grilled or roast chicken.

• Fried Rice with Tofu and Vegetables

  Soy foods can lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease. If you’ve been looking for a tasty tofu recipe, your search is over. Here, tofu is marinated in a sweet and savoury sauce and stir-fried with rice and plenty of vegetables.

• Chicken Biryani with Cucumber Raita

  A biryani consists of curried meat, poultry, fish or vegetables combined with basmati rice to make a complete meal. Here chicken curry is layered with the rice and baked, then served with a fresh cucumber raita.

• Rice with Wild Mushrooms and Cheese

  A sturdy standby, rice can be flavoured in myriad ways. Brown rice, with its toasty taste and healthy fibre, is delicious with added wild mushrooms, sundried tomatoes and tasty cheese, and a little goes a long way.

• Stir-Fried Beef with Fine Noodles

  Tangy tamarind and lemongrass infuse a Thai-inspired sauce for tender strips of stir-fried beef and fine rice noodles. With snow peas and baby corn adding all-important vegetable balance, this is a quick and easy dish that is a meal in itself.

• Rice Croquettes with Mozzarella

  These rice croquettes are moulded around nuggets of mozzarella and rolled in breadcrumbs before cooking. Traditionally croquettes are deep-fried, but these are oven-baked for a modern streamlined version that is much healthier.

• Sesame Shrimp and Crab Toast

  This crispy sesame shrimp and crab toast can be served as a starter or as a good savoury snack to hand around with drinks. Traditionally the toast is deep-fried in oil, but in this healthy version it is baked in a hot oven until crisp and golden.

• Hot and Spicy Black Bean Dip

  Update your party menu with a chili-laced black bean dip that’s practically fat-free and an excellent source of fibre. The dip can also be spooned onto plates and served as a light lunch, accompanied by warm whole-wheat pita bread.

• Tuscan Mixed Bean Soup

  Tuscan cuisine focuses on fresh, healthy ingredients and uncomplicated cooking techniques to make traditionally delicious fare. These are dishes—like this colourful mixed bean soup—that you can easily duplicate in your own kitchen.

• Lima Beans and Bacon on Toast

  Here’s a new version of beans on toast, combining creamy lima beans with crisp bacon, cottage cheese and mustard. Accompanied by a fresh salad, this makes a fabulous meal that is ready to serve in about 15 minutes.

• Apricot and Pecan Muffins

  Packed with fresh fruit and nuts, and delicately spiced with cinnamon, these homemade apricot and pecan muffins are lower in fat and sugar than store-bought muffins, and contain no trans fats or preservatives.

• Muesli with Strawberries and Hazelnuts

  The original recipe for this nutritious breakfast cereal was developed more than a century ago, by Dr. Bircher-Benner at his clinic in Zurich. The technique of soaking the cereal, here using milk, makes the muesli easier to eat and digest.

• Fresh Fruit Muesli

  Fresh muesli, moist from soaking and rich with juicy fruit, is a revelation to those who have only eaten dried muesli. It has the consistency of oatmeal with the freshness of raw ingredients. This fresh fruit muesli makes a satisfying way to start the day.

• Noodle-Stuffed Thai Omelette

  For these delectable chili-flavoured Thai omelettes, the eggs are whisked with cornstarch to give them a slightly firmer texture, suitable for folding around a colourful filling of stir-fried rice noodles and vegetables.