When I visited Lebanon earlier this spring, fava beans were in season, so every place we stopped seemed to have a big basket of the green pods, ready for shucking and nibbling raw. My Lebanese hosts looked on with bemusement as I painstakingly peeled off and discarded the translucent skin from each individual bean. "We don't do that," they said. And, it turns out, neither does much of the rest of the world.

This six-ingredient salad right here has been my lunch for the past week — and it's looking highly likely that I will have it again next week! Made with a simple lemon-miso vinaigrette, this combination of tender kale, chewy farro, and nutty chickpeas holds up very well for several days in the fridge. All I have to do come lunchtime is scoop a portion into a bowl. With some orange segments and a slice of toast on the side, this easy lunch keeps me happy all afternoon.

Q: How can I recreate at home Heinz baked beans with the red tomato sauce, typical of english breakfasts? My little brother loves the taste.

Sent by Aurora

Q: What can I do with Adzuki beans? I bought a stockpile of them from the bulk section for no other reason than that they were new and unfamiliar. After getting home, I realized that they're the base for the red bean paste I know and love in Chinese and Japanese desserts, but I have far more than can be consumed through desserts alone.

My favorite part about the weather slowly turning warmer are more opportunities to eat together with friends, preferably outdoors. Potlucks are the easiest way to go about that, and lucky for us, there's a whole world out there beyond potato salad. 

You tried making socca and loved it, but now what? What else can you make with that big bag of chickpea flour now sitting in your cupboard? If you've fallen in love with this nutty, sweet flour, here are a few more ways to use it in your cooking.

Whether you choose the toppings or let your guests join in on the fun, pizzas and flatbreads are great crowd pleasers. I'm especially fond of socca, a chewy, crispy, gluten-free flatbread made from chickpea flour. As an appetizer or main course socca can be served plain or topped, like this one for spring. It features an herby, lemony pesto and fresh salad — plus it should even satisfy the worst dinner guest ever! 

Beans! Whether we're talking black beans, white beans, or even heirloom beans, beans make up some of the most satisfying meals in our repertoire. Add this to the fact that these humble legumes are packed with protein and cost much less than meat, and we have to wonder why we don't eat them more often. Well, here are 15 very tasty ways to stop wondering and start eating!

Even when warm weather is nigh, it's still nice to have a hot lunch at work. However, lots of people don't have access to a microwave or could use a healthy hot lunch option that doesn't involve the chronically-dirty-in-the-workplace small appliance. Cue the handy thermos! More

Some days we have our acts together. Some days we just plain don't. That's life. For the days when those good intentions to make lunch ahead don't go quite as planned, here are a few pantry staples that make a very good emergency lunch.