I have been checking out some recipes for you and have found some with the "salad" ingredients suzyq2 talked about. Were these two cans of veggies to be heated or to be served as is? Actually, the description at the beginning of this forum states: "Harvest Forum This forum covers everything you do with your bounty after you harvest..." then proceeds to mention canning, preserving, etc. I should think that first part of the sentence would allow non-canning recipe requests. I, too, have found some really great recipes on this site and do not object to someone making a request to see if anyone else here has a specific type of recipe. There are some very experienced cooks on this site and it's nice to be able to take advantage of their knowledge when in need. Responses can range from giving out a tried and true recipe which everyone can enjoy or directing towards a specific link.

I've been on a dried bean recipe kick this winter and have found some that we think are delicious! We're cutting back on salt and meat, looking for fla'vor and protein in other ingredients, so these recipes do it for us. For all these recipes, I do not add salt, believing that if salt is used at the table, people eat far less of it. The sprinkling of salt on the surface of fo'od seems to use a lot less than adding it "to taste" while cooking. The tongue is fooled into thinking the entire dish is salty. But I included salt as designated in the recipes, so you can do as you please. Greek Baked Beans With Honey and Dill These beans become creamy as they bake slowly in a sweet and sour broth flavored with honey and vinegar. 1 pound dried white beans, soaked if necessary for six hours or overnight in 2 quarts of water and drained 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 large onion, preferably a sweet red onion, finely chopped 1 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes 1 large bay leaf 3 tablespoons honey, such as clover or acacia 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1/4 cup red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste ~ (less than) 1/4 cup chopped dried dill (1/2 cup fresh) 1. Combine the drained beans and water to cover by 3 inches in a large, oven-proof casserole or Dutch o'ven, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, preheat the o'ven to 375 de'grees. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium size, heavy skillet over medium heat, and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender and lightly caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. 3. After 30 minutes, drain the beans and return them to the pot. Add the remaining olive oil, the tomatoes and the liquid in the can, bay leaf, honey, and 2 cups water or enough to just cover the beans. Stir in the onion, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover and place in the oven. Bake one hour, stirring often and adding water if necessary. 4. Add the tomato paste, vinegar, salt and pepper. Stir in the dill, cover and bake for 30 more minutes, until the beans are tender and the mixture is thick. 5. Remove from the o'ven and let sit 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with thick slices of Texas Toast. Yield: Serves six. Ultimate Great Northern Beans 16 ounces Great Northern Beans 30 ounces chicken broth (canned or home-made) 15 ounces diced tomatoes with green chilies (ro-tel) 1 large white onion, chopped 1 tablespoon cooking oil 6 ounces smoked pork jowl, cut into chunks 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 48 ounces water Directions 1. Soak the beans in cold water overnight. Make sure there is twice as much water as beans because they will swell up. 2. In a large cooking pot, pour in the cooking oil and toss in the smoked jowl pieces. Stir and allow them to sizzle over medium heat for 5 or 6 minutes. After they brown a bit, deglaze the pot with about 4 ounces of the chicken broth. 3. Add the onion and allow to simmer until the onion is tender, stirring often. 4. Rinse the beans in fresh water a final time and, after draining, add them, plus all the remaining ingredients into the pot. This should include the 48 ounces of water listed in the ingredients. 5. Simmer, covered, over low heat until beans are tender, stirring occasionally (about 2-3 hours). If you wish, you can use chunks of ham or bacon instead of pork jowl. Serves six to eight. Greek Black-Eyed Peas With Vegetables and Small Pasta Since black-eyed peas require no soaking, you can cook this after work so long as you have some vegetables around the house. It is an utterly simple. 2 lbs beef chunks (optional) 1 pound dried black-eyed peas, picked over and rinsed 2 large chopped onions 4 large chopped carrots 2 large red bell peppers, seeded and chopped 1/2 cup tomato paste (6 oz can okay) dissolved in 1/2 cup water 6 garlic cloves (to taste), minced 2 bay leaves 1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes 1/2 to 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 cup small dry pasta, such as elbow macaroni or tubettini, or small square Greek egg noodles 1-2 cups cooked & chopped kale 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, to taste 1. Cover the black-eyed peas with water, bring to a boil and then drain. 2. Brown meat & remove from grease in pan 3. Combine the drained black-eyed peas, onion, carrots, red bell pepper, dissolved tomato paste, garlic, bay leaf, hot pepper and 1/4 cup olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. 4. Set aside the pasta, kale, & red-wine vinegar. If including meat, soak it in vinegar to tenderize it as the rest cooks. 5. Cover with water by 2 inches, and bring to a gentle boil. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer 20 minutes. 6. Add meat and salt to taste; continue to simmer until the beans and vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes more. Taste and adjust salt. 7. Add the pasta, increase the heat to medium-high, and simmer five to 10 minutes, until the pasta is cooked and much of the liquid has been absorbed. 8. Stir in the greens and the vinegar. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Yield: Serves twelve. This is excellent when served meatless as well. Enjoy!

Here's one of my favourite Spanish dishes - Although I have been making it for years the way a Spanish cook once showed me, this time I followed the preparation seen recently on a Spanish Cooking TV channel. Their ingredients included a small piece of or pork fat and a stewing chorizo (chorizo para guisar). If choosing a chorizo for this dish, be sure it is the right type which has the red pimiento colour. The small piece of tocino can be seen just to the right of the sprig of rosemary. Stewed Lentils (Lentejas Estofadas) 350 grams (1 1/2 cups) of small dark lentils - put them to soak the night before in water to cover 100 grams (3.5 oz) red stewing chorizo sausage - lightly pricked over with tines of a fork 50 grams (1.7 oz) salted tocino pork fat - cut into large diced pieces 1 TBSP flour 2 carrots diced fine 2 medium leeks, using only white stems sliced finely in rounds 1 lg clove garlic (this was optional but I wouldn't leave it out) - pass through garlic press 2 cups beef broth (I used 2 Knorr cubes) 1 bay leaf fresh rosemary - small sprig olive oil - about 1/4 cup 2 cups extra water to add after 1st hour 1. Soak lentils the NIGHT BEFORE in water to cover. * Note this if now often unnecessary with newer fast cooking lentils. 2. Next day drain and rinse lentils, put aside. 3. Heat olive oil in heavy cooking pot. When sizzling, add carrots, garlic and leeks. Lightly brown while stirring. 4. Add 1 TBSP flour and keep stirring for about a minute. 5. Add lentils, beef broth, whole chorizo, tocino, laurel and rosemary 6. Put on lid and simmer very gently for 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Check after 1st hour and add up to 2 more cups water as needed. 7. Adjust seasoning and serve. ***************************************** Lentil & Potato Potaje (Potaje de Lentejas y Patatas) 3 cups of presoaked lentils 4 medium potatoes - cut into large dice 2 slices of stale bread 3 cloves garlic vinegar salt Put lentils in large pot, cover with water and begin to boil. As soon as lentils have begun to cook do the following: In a frying pan with 1/2 inch of oil brown the garlic and then add the bread and fry until brown. Remove garlic before it's too dark. Put browned bread and garlic into a mortar and grind to a paste. During the early part of cooking the lentils add the paste from the mortar to the lentils together with the oil that's left in the pan After about half an hour and before lentils are tender, add the diced or quartered potatoes, salt and finish cooking until all is tender. Check and correct salt and a dash of vinegar before serving. Source: A cook friend from Mallorca. *************************************** LENTIL & VEGETABLE SOUP Ingredients: lentils - 250 grams (slightly over 1 cup) garlic - one whole head onion - 1 large - quartered Kasseler smoked pork chop - 1 large (or 250 grams other smoked pork or bacon) ham or pork bone as for making stock 4 medium carrots - sliced into coins 2 stalks celery - diced 5 medium potatoes - peeled and cut into 8ths 6 flowerettes of cauliflower green beans - handful sliced tomato puré - small 4 oz tin olive oil - 4 TBS fresh garden herbs: 1 bay leaf, several sprigs thyme, Italian flatleaf parsley 2 or 3 sprigs chicken stock 1 liter (4 cups) or water and 3 Knorr chicken stock cubes salt & fesh ground pepper water to cook lentils vinegar - 1 teasp garlic croutons - optional garnish Method: 1) Turn on oven to 350F. Put lentils in large heavy bottomed stew pot with water to cover plus about 2 inches, bring to boil and simmer 45 minutes. Check water level and add more as needed. 2) Meanwhile put whole head of garlic into shallow baking pan together with quartered onion, Kasseler or smoked pork and ham or pork bone, drizzle with olive oil and roast in oven at medium heat about 45 minutes. 3) Remove baking tray from oven when all is nicely browned and cut meat into small dice and add to lentil pot along with onion. Squeeze garlic from skin into lentil pot, adding ham/pork bone along with oil and juices scraped from roasting pan. 4) Add rest of vegetables to lentils, chicken stock (or water and stock cubes), tomato puré, fresh herbs and bay leaf, parsley - reserving one sprig, fresh ground pepper. Bring to boil and simmer about 1 hour until vegetables are done, adding more water if needed. 5) When vegetables are tender, remove ham/pork bones and any bare thyme stems from pot, check for flavour and add salt as needed. Add vinegar and stir. 6) Serve with a bit of chopped parsley and more fresh ground pepper. Homemade garlic croutons are also nice as a garnish. Source: Recipe as I learned from a Mallorquin housewife years ago. ******************************* Lentil Purée Convert leftover stewed lentils into a delicious purée by putting them into a food processor and adding the following: 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth 2 lg cloves of garlic crushed and browned in 1/4 cup oil in small frypan 2 slices brown bread broken in small pieces and fried in the garlicky oil until brown Processed the above until smooth and then heat it gently. Dice more pieces of brown bread and toasted them in the frying pan with oil and garlic salt for the croutons. SharonCb

WAX BEAN SALAD: Ingredients: 1/2 lb. wax beans, cooked until crisp tender 3 green onions, chopped 1 sm. diced red or green sweet pepper 3 tbsp. oil 1 tbsp. wine vinegar 1/4 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. pepper 1 tbsp. chopped parsley 1/4 tsp. oregano Directions: Combine all ingredients, toss and refrigerate 1 hour at least.