This bean and bread salad is a 15-minute meal, no chopping required

Deciding what to make for dinner is as much about the time and energy one can muster as it is about the ingredients on hand. That s why Yasmin Fahr s...

Deciding what to make for dinner is as much about the time and energy one can muster as it is about the ingredients on hand. That’s why Yasmin Fahr’s gorgeous new cookbook, "Cook Simply, Live Fully: Flexible, Flavorful recipes for Any Mood,” is divided into chapters based on levels of motivation to cook.

For "when you’re dead tired, don’t want to chop a thing, and are about to open that delivery app,” she offers a section of creative "lap dinners,” meant to easily scale down to serve one, and eat on the sofa while bingeing a favorite TV show. While I personally prefer to eat at a table, the whole chapter speaks to me. This recipe from the book is just one example of how little effort it can take to turn the most ordinary ingredients into a truly enticing meal.

It involves elements I nearly always have on hand, so common they might induce a yawn at first glance - a can of beans, some crusty bread, arugula. But culinary magic happens here when the bread is torn into craggy, bite-size pieces and toasted in olive oil, giving it a golden, crisp luxuriousness.

Next, the beans join the bread in the pan, where they warm through, and get seasoned with salt and crushed red pepper flakes. That warm, soft-and-crunchy duo is then tossed with a dressing of olive oil, lemon and mustard, absorbing the punchy flavors. A couple of handfuls of arugula join the party, and, voilà - dinner is ready.

It’s a meal that provides all the satisfaction and nourishment you could wish for, with no chopping required, and you can have it on the table - or your lap - in about 15 minutes.