French Market Bean Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/3 cup dried black beans
1/3 cup garbanzo beans
1/3 cup dried black-eyed peas
1/3 cup dried kidney beans
1/3 cup dried pinto bean
1/3 cup dried navy beans
1/3 cup dried lentils
1/3 cup split peas
1/3 cup lima beans
1 tablespoon salt
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 quart water
1 quart v-8 vegetable juice
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
6 stalks celery, with leaves,chopped
1 whole bell pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Tabasco sauce
1 lb smoked sausage (I prefer beef)
1/2 whole chicken

Preparation

Wash and sort beans.
Add water to cover beans and soak overnight with the 1 T salt.
Drain the beans.
Place in a large soup pot with 1 quart of water, bay leaves and thyme.
Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered for one to two hours.
Add all other ingredients except chicken and sausage.
Simmer one to one and a half hours uncovered.
Add chicken and cut up sausage.
Cover, and continue to cook until chicken is tender.
Skin and debone chicken 10 minutes before serving.
Add the reserved parsley.
Serve hot with your favorite bread.
This freezes beautifully.