Thick, hearty bean soup accompanied by a salad makes for a warm and welcoming vegetarian dinner.

This soup freezes well, so double the recipe and you’ll have another meal ready.

The salad is especially refreshing. It features jicama, a root vegetable with a thin brown skin and crunchy white flesh. It can be eaten raw or cooked. Its crisp texture and nutty flavor perfectly balance the full-bodied soup.

THREE BEAN SOUP

• 1 cup diced red onion
• 1/2 cup diced carrots
• 1/2 cup diced parsnips
• 1 -1/4-cups water, divided
• 3/4 cup rinsed and drained reduced-sodium red kidney beans
• 3/4 cup rinsed and drained reduced-sodium chickpeas
• 1 cup frozen baby lima beans
• 4 cups reduced-sodium canned peeled tomatoes
• 1 cup no-salt-added vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 slices whole-wheat baguette

Place onion, carrots, parsnips and 1/4 cup water in large pot. Saute 5 minutes.

Add beans, chickpeas, lima beans, tomatoes, vegetable broth, remaining 1 cup water, cumin and chili powder. Break up tomatoes with a spoon or knife and bring to a simmer. Simmer 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper.

Warm bread in oven 5 minutes; serve with soup. Serves 2.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving: 586 calories, 6.9 g total fat, 0.9 g saturated fat, no cholesterol, 29.7 g protein, 111 g carbohydrates, 30.6 g fiber, 604 mg sodium.

CUCUMBER AND JICAMA SALAD

• 2 tablespoons vinaigrette
• 1 tablespoon diced red onion
• 2 teaspoons seeded, chopped jalapeno peppers
• 1 cup peeled, sliced cucumber
• 1 cup peeled and sliced jicama, (slice same size as cucumber)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Pour vinaigrette into a bowl. Stir in onion and jalapeno. Add cucumber and jicama; toss well. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 2.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving: 45 calories, 1.1 g total fat, 0.01 g saturated fat, 1 mg cholesterol, 1 g protein, 8.4 g carbohydrates, 3.8 g fiber, 8 mg sodium.