I was going to post some canned salmon recipes, but I don't really like canned salmon all that well. I've always believed that it was good for us, especially if we ate the bones for the extra calcium, so for years I tried to eat it every couple of weeks, and my goal was to add enough stuff to it to get rid of the fishy taste. Sometimes I succeeded, and I have tons of recipes for salmon loaves and patties. For a quick meal when I was alone, I'd season it with ranch dressing and dill weed, some of that dry citrus sprinkle if I had it. Oh sure, I have recipes for fresh salmon, but this isn't about that.

What about canned spinach? Oh, nasty olive green stuff. There is a world of difference between canned and even frozen spinach. For cooking I think frozen chopped or whole leaf spinach is just fine. Mr. Kitchentales has a juicer that he used for a few months, making spinach/celery/carrot juice every morning. Then he went on cholesterol-lowering drugs so he lost the incentive to make the juice, mostly because it was hard to clean the machine. But it was wonderful to always have those fresh vegetables in the refrigerator for cooking. Anyhow, I never buy canned spinach.

Another food turned nasty by canning is green peas. They aren't quite as bad as canned spinach, but canning certainly changes the flavor and consistency from fresh or frozen. I don't think I've ever had a craving for canned peas. The only time I might use them would be if someone gave me a can, and I would put it in tuna noodle casserole because the peas might slightly cut the taste of the tuna.

Tuna Noodle

Cooked pasta (all we have right now is angel hair)
Can of Cream of Mushroom soup
Tarragon or thyme, about 1/4 teaspoon
Canned tuna, drained (one can for two people, two cans for three)
Peas if you have them
Grated cheddar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook up the pasta, be careful it doesn't get too done if its angel hair. Hopefully you've got something like wide noodles or macaroni or fettucine. Put half in the bottom of a casserole. Put some of the mushroom soup over it and the tuna and the peas. If your tuna is chunky in the can, leave it that way, don't mush it up.

Sprinkle lightly with the tarragon or whatever green herb you have. This will cut the fishy flavor. Sprinkle on a little bit of grated cheese. Don't get carried away. Put the rest of the pasta in now and top with rest of the soup and some cheese. Take a kitchen knife and kind of poke around to introduce the various layers to one another. Bake at least 20 minutes so it gets good and bubbly.

I don't like broccoli in this because it makes it too much like tetrazzini, not my favorite dish for some reason. I would consider using canned green beans, but would be more likely to serve them on the side because Mr. Kitchentales would look askance at them stirred in.

Yes, I do buy canned green beans and tomatoes all the time. They are my pantry staples, always on the shelf ready to fill out the meal. This recipe is a start on ratatouille, which would include green peppers, zucchini, and eggplant, maybe some chopped fresh parsley.

Olive Oil Green Beans

Olive oil, the more flavorful the better
Minced onion
Minced garlic
Canned green beans
1/2 can diced tomatoes or fresh tomatoes, diced
Salt and pepper

Saute the onion in the oil until transparent, stir in the garlic and cook for a bit without browning. Add the drained green beans and tomatoes. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper as needed. These are good the next day, too.

This particular recipe has been in my family for 52 years. We went to someone's house for a potluck picnic during the Greeley Stampede, which is a rodeo. There was a young lady from India there and she brought this green bean dish. I overheard one of the ladies asking her for the recipe "and you mean to tell me there's no curry powder in it?" So I told this to my mother (I was about 8) and the above is her guess at it that we have been making ever since.