Here's a hearty cold-weather soup that makes use of some of the best convenience products: canned organic vegetarian lentils, frozen chopped kale, and soy sausage. Everyday, it seems, there are new versions of soy sausage in the supermarket. If the one you're using has a casing, remove and discard it. And in most cases, the 8 ounces called for in the recipe will not use a whole package, so you'll have some left over. Nutritionally the soup delivers 16 grams of protein per serving and 8 grams of fiber, along with only 200 calories and 1 gram saturated fat.

This is the kind of recipe that invites endless variation. You could add frozen corn kernels, frozen peas, a splash of balsamic vinegar, cannellini beans instead of lentils, and on and on.