(10 seconds each to read and are almost that quick to prepare)

By Lisa Messinger
Food and Cooking at Creators Syndicate

Don't let beans get the better of you this fall. The only thing that should spook you in the autumn is Halloween. Hearty cool-weather foods like beans and other legumes, though, have frightened more than a few cooks.           

Canned versions, though, mean that the daunting soaking process and cooking time can be things of the past. Filling, fiber-filled meals can be made in minutes - or even as single servings in kitchen mugs in the microwave - as Camilla Saulsbury proves in her ingenious "250 Best Meals in a Mug."           

From spiced lentils with fresh mint, to a succulent white bean and bacon soup, to a burrito-themed mug with pinto beans and rice, to a warm garlic bean spread, this winner on Food Network's "$25,000 Ultimate Recipe Showdown" is expert at showing how to pair and prepare beans.           

She makes it clear, too, why there's a lot to love about legumes if you want to nutritiously and economically watch out for your family.           

"With their high protein content, wide availability, low cost and convenience," she gushes. "Canned beans and lentils are ideal for a wide variety of hearty mug meals." 

Try these quick microwave mug versions from Saulsbury to give you courage to move on to slightly more advanced bean and legume recipes you might come across.           

Fun fare like this also proves food preparation can be easy, nutritious, inexpensive, fun - and fast. They take just 10 seconds each to read and are almost that quick to prepare. The creative combinations are delicious proof that everyone has time for creating homemade specialties and, more importantly, the healthy family togetherness that goes along with it!           

Another benefit: You effortlessly become a better cook, since these are virtually-can't-go-wrong combinations. They can't help but draw "wows" from family members and guests. These mug versions make convenient 1-serving meals. If you want to share the tasty treasures, fill a few mugs at once and microwave each separately.      


SPICED LENTILS WITH MINT

1 cup rinsed drained canned lentils (or black beans or pinto beans)
3/4 cup canned diced tomatoes (preferably with green chiles), with juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon chopped roasted salted almonds
2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint (or parsley, cilantro or chives)

Yields 1 serving.           
In a 16-ounce mug, combine lentils, tomatoes, cumin, ginger and hot pepper sauce.           
Microwave on high for 1& 1 / 2 to 2 & 1 / 2 minutes, or until hot.           
Top with yogurt and sprinkle with almonds and mint.


BEAN AND BACON SOUP

3/4 cup drained rinsed canned white beans (such as great Northern, cannellini or navy), divided
3 / 4 cup store-bought chicken broth
1 teaspoon packed dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon Dijon, coarse-grain or brown mustard
1 & 1/2 tablespoon store-bought bacon bits (preferably made with real bacon)
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
     
Yields 1 serving.           
In a 16-ounce mug, use a fork to coarsely mash 1 / 2 cup of the beans.
Stir in remaining beans, broth, brown sugar, mustard and bacon.           
Microwave on high for 1& 1 / 2 to 2 & 1 / 2 minutes, or until hot. Let stand for 1 minute.
Season with salt and pepper.           


QUICK TIP OF THE WEEK:  When a recipe calls for crumbled or crushed dried rosemary, don't attempt it between your fingers. The leaves can be too sharp. Do it instead in an herb grinder, with a mortar and pestle or the back of a spoon. If you don't have dried rosemary, dried thyme, sage or oregano usually are fine substitutes. 

Lisa Messinger is a first-place winner in food and nutrition writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the National Council Against Health Fraud and author of seven food books, including the best-selling The Tofu Book: The New American Cuisine with 150 Recipes (Avery/Penguin Putnam) and Turn Your Supermarket into a Health Food Store: The Brand-Name Guide to Shopping for a Better Diet(Pharos/Scripps Howard). She writes two nationally syndicated food and nutrition columns for Creators Syndicate and had been a longtime newspaper food and health section managing editor, as well as managing editor of Gayot/Gault Millau dining review company. Lisa traveled the globe writing about top chefs for Pulitzer Prize-winning Copley News Service and has written about health and nutrition for the Los Angeles Times Syndicate, Reader's Digest, Woman's World and Prevention Magazine Health Books. Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com.