LOL...

Pasta Fagioli - A traditional Italian soup. Serve with a crisp salad and a hot loaf of garlic bread and you have a meal! Serve with grated Parmesan cheese on top."

look up trattoria recipes... quick & easy & nourishing. ceci in a tomato base soup with rosemary. broad beans simmered with finely sliced fennel or just the leafy tops, smoked ham optional.

the one legume I have a problem with is fava... genetics there, so I just do without.

Lentil soup was a standard, love the smokey flavor of the ham. Lentils are also prominant in Indian dishes. And you don't need to soak them overnight.

Once I decided that I wasn't risking hellfire for eating meat, I only go vegetarian if it's a normal part of the dish I'm having... and a little meat on the side helps keep it all in balance.

That's my motto... keep it all in balance and moderation. And avoid the artificial krap - period...