Kidney Bean

With some warm corn bread, this chili is a meal in itself. You wouldn't know there was chocolate in the recipe, but it adds a subtle depth of flavor to the dish.

This lively salad adds color, flavor and crunch to any grilled main course.

A hearty soup that tastes just as good when rewarmed the next day.

This main-course soup is ideal for winter evenings. It originated in Portugal's Ribatejo province, famed for its horses, bulls and bullfighters. The soup gets its name from the kidney beans, which are referred to as "stones" by the Portuguese.

Suitable accompaniments to this risotto-like dish are crusty bread, an avocado and orange salad with a cilantro vinaigrette and, to top it off, coconut pie.

This variation on the southern staple can be prepared easily with ingredients one usually has on hand. It's hearty, flavorful, and foolproof — a good choice when you come home from work and need supper in a hurry.

This recipe works best with ordinary chili powder, which typically includes not only ground dried chiles but other spices as well. Pure chile powder will be too strong.

Turn your leftover turkey into a warming, crowd-pleasing chili for dinner tonight.

(Gumbo with Mixed Greens and Red Beans) Louisiana's "gumbo z'herbes", from the French gumbo aux herbes, was developed in Roman Catholic communities as a meatless dish for Lent. Traditionally, the number of guests determines how many types of greens go into the pot, but, if you wish to use only a few greens, just increase their amounts to equal the total quantity called for. Red beans are added to make this gumbo a more complete vegetarian main course.

New herbed chicken broth is used in this soup; adding the cheese-garlic bread makes it a filling entrée. Serve with a salad of chopped tomato and herbed olives tossed in bottled or fresh balsamic vinaigrette with chopped fresh marjoram. End with slices of pound cake spread with bottled lemon curd and surrounded by tangerine sections.

Pasta Fazool is slang for the classic Italian pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans). This recipe includes Italian sausage and beef along with kidney beans and pasta. It's all topped with Fontina.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Corn tortillas and bottled salsa are great with the salad. For dessert, top purchased vanilla pudding with fresh blueberries and a touch of cinnamon.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Chris Gavenda, Wildwood, Mo.
For those of you who may not know, the tortilla chips form a crispy crust on the bottom of the casserole.

Garlic bread is perfect on the side. You can find Creole or Cajun seasoning in the spice section of most supermarkets.

Don't waste your time looking for green peas in this recipe. In Jamaica, you'll often hear kidney beans called peas. Locals consume "rice and peas" so frequently that some people say it should be on the nation's coat of arms. In this version — which Lezlene Brown, a cook at a villa in Ocho Rios, serves to guests and family — the Scotch bonnet chile is there to contribute only the merest hint of heat and to amplify the flavors of the other ingredients.

A colorful dish that has great texture and deep, rich flavors.

Serve this flavorful chili with chopped green onion, cilantro and red bell pepper.