Green Beans as Dippers

• Lightly simmered or steamed green beans make excellent dippers for salad dressings or thin vegetable dips. Blanch the beans by cooking them for 2 to 3 minutes, then plunging them into cold water to stop the cooking and brighten the green color. For a portable snack, place the dressing or dip in the bottom of a cup and stand whole, lightly cooked green beans in the cup. Choose a buttermilk-herb dip, green goddess or Caesar dressing, hummus, a sun-dried tomato dip or yogurt-based dip complement the fresh crispy flavor of green beans. You can also serve green beans along with other vegetable crudites.

Dips

• Your food processor turns beans into a smooth, flavorful bean dip. Hummus, made from garbanzo beans, is available in the deli section of your supermarket, or make your own. Blend pinto beans or black beans with salsa for an easy bean dip without all the fat. Pair white beans such as cannellini beans with garlic and fresh rosemary. Many recipes call for the addition of tahini or olive oil to make the beans smooth, but these high-fat ingredients are not necessary for a tasty dip; instead, replace the oil with a flavorful liquid, such as chicken broth, lemon or lime juice or a juicy salsa. Serve bean dips with vegetable crudites, baked tortilla or pita chips. Bean dips also serve as a healthy sandwich spread.

Roasted Beans

• Many different beans can be roasted and spiced for an easy and portable snack. Use fresh, canned or pre-cooked beans, a little olive oil, and the spices of your choice. Roast them for 30 to 40 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring them once or twice. Garbanzo beans, black beans, navy beans, cannellini, fava beans, lentils and mung beans are all suitable for roasted bean snacks. Black beans tend to burst open during roasting, but the flavor is excellent. Season the beans simply with salt and pepper, lemon pepper or your favorite rub. Spice them with garlic, cumin, chili powder or curry powder. For a sweeter roasted bean, toss them with cinnamon sugar or maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and apple cider vinegar. You can roast the beans with the spices sprinkled on prior to baking or toss them in spices after cooking.

Salsas

• Beans are excellent in vegetable salsas recipes, sometimes called "country caviar." A mixture of corn, black beans or black-eyed peas, diced bell pepper, chopped celery and sliced green onion tossed in a little oil and vinegar dressing make a chunky salsa. You can use any cooked or canned bean, such as black beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans and black-eye peas, but any bean or a mixture of beans can be used. Add other vegetables and herbs, such as avocado, diced tomatoes, parsley, cilantro and sliced or minced hot peppers. Serve bean salsa on baked tortillas or pita chips for a healthy snack.