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Vegetarian Supplement
to
Scientific Feeding

By MRS. DORA C. C. L. ROPER, D. O.

Oakland, California.

Buckner Printing Co., Printers.

1915

COPYRIGHTED, 1915,

By

DORA C. C. L. ROPER

All Rights Reserved.

DEDICATION.

THESE PAGES ARE DEDICATED TO ALL WHO READ THEM,

WITH THE EARNEST DESIRE TO MAINTAIN HEALTH

AND PREVENT DISEASES WHICH ARE CREATED

BY WRONG AND INTEMPERATE EATING

AND DRINKING

Eat not to dullness;

Drink not to elevation.

—Benjamin Franklin.

Man is composed of what he has

assimilated from his spiritual

mental and physical

food

CONTENTS

PART I.

Classification and Function of Food.

Recipes of Cooked and Raw Foods, with Foot Notes Referring to

Correct Chemical Combinations.

100 Simple and Fancy Menus.

Sandwiches.

Right and Wrong Food Mixtures.

Hygiene, Economy and Sanitation.

PART II.

Anatomy and Physiology of Brain and Nervous System.

Circulation.

Care of the Body.

Stimulants; Their Effects on the Body.

Constipation.

Obesity (Causes and Treatment).

Psychotherapy.

Menus for Acute Convalescents.

Table of Food giving Caloric Value.

INTRODUCTION

This book has been prepared to meet the needs of a constantly increasing number who for various reasons have adopted a vegetarian or near vegetarian diet.

My experiences first as a nurse, later as a physician, have brought me in contact with many different nationalities, and from them has been gleaned much valuable information which has been used in the hope of aiding all who are earnestly seeking a safe and sane method of living, simple and rational methods of using vegetarian foods.

It has been my special object to eliminate artificial sugar in the recipes as much as possible, also to pay special attention to correct chemical food combinations which are as important as their proper selection and preparation.

My endeavor has been to perfect a system of hygienic feeding which avoids all such mixtures as tend to over-load the system with excess of starch and soft nitrogenous foods—an excess which results in malnutrition and dangerous diseases.

The book is designed for all who do not desire meat in their bill of fare. It will serve as a handbook for summer cookery, containing menus and recipes which are in harmony with the laws of health.

In adopting a raw food diet, or in reducing heat-giving elements, such as artificial sugars and hot drinks, it is important to apply more external heat to the body for a while, or else have the morning meal served in a sunny room. Plenty of outdoor exercise is necessary to properly utilize a vegetarian diet.

In the preparation of this volume I have been assisted by several friends who are interested in the publication of such a work.

It is my hope that this book will be instrumental in reducing the high cost of living as well as in lessening women’s work and worry.

PART
I.

CHAPTER I.
“THE BLOOD IS THE LIFE.”

Its Structure and Function Depend on the Building Material.

Foods are substances which, when introduced into the system, supply the necessary material for growth, renewal and maintenance of the vital structures. Food is anything that nourishes.

Foods must contain the same elements found in our bodies. The body requires a combination of different food elements in proper proportion to produce a suitable diet. Foods are divided into five classes: water, protein, fats, carbohydrates and mineral matters.

Air and sun are also foods, but are not generally spoken of as nutrient.

WATER.

Our bodies consist of about two-thirds water. It helps to regulate the body processes, and supplies building material. Watery fruits and vegetables contain pure distilled water. The amount of water required for the average individual differs greatly. If water is added to our foods in the cooking process, a lesser amount is required for drinking. Wholesome, non-stimulating food will call for a normal supply of water between meals.

Pure water is as important as pure food. If you boil your water the minerals are deposited on the bottom of the kettle instead of in the system for bone-making material.

PROTEINS.

These are sometimes called albumen, and they supply the body with nitrogen, sulphur and phosphorus. They are great tissue builders; they also furnish energy and heat, in combination with fats and carbohydrates.

Sources of Proteins:

Legumes, lean meats, nuts, cheese, whites of eggs, fish, and the glutens of the grains. Milk contains proteins in the right proportion with fats and sugars to make it suitable as a food for infants. Oats, wheat, and rye contain more protein than other grains, and if no other protein foods are on hand, these can maintain health for a long time without harm.

FATS.

They are obtained from the vegetable and animal kingdoms. They supply heat and energy in the most concentrated form, and are also flesh-builders. In diseased conditions, where economy of nerve force is required, fats in combination with acids, minerals and gelatine can form a substitute for part of the protein foods.

CARBOHYDRATES.

These are found in large percentage in cereals and in fruits which contain stones and seeds, and in underground vegetables, including the lighter starches, such as sago, agar agar, sea moss and gum. Milk can serve as a carbohydrate for special conditions, being evenly proportioned with fats and protein it contains little waste. A certain amount of carbohydrate foods in the form of cereals is necessary in our daily diet, as they are rich in lime and fat—yielding material which is required for ligamentous and other elastic tissue. People who live on fruits, greens and nuts, or on fruits, greens and meats only, require a larger amount of protein food, in order to make up for the loss of cereals.

Teach a growing child that selecting and preparing his food is an important occupation. Do not allow a child to fill his body with trash.

MINERAL MATTER.

In an organic form, we find mineral matter in large proportions in green leaf vegetables, small fruits and berries, bran, rye, green peas, string beans, tomatoes, yolks of eggs and in all the outer skins of legumes, grains and fruits. The importance of the mineral elements in our foods has been little understood, so far. Of late, health reformers are beginning to realize that many serious diseases, such as tuberculosis, insanity and malnutrition, are the result of mineral starvation. Three-fourths of these valuable minerals are removed from our foods daily by modern milling, bleaching, and polishing of rice, wheat, corn and all the other grains. Not alone the minerals, but necessary volatile oils, acids, and ferments are removed by these processes. Refined white flour and sugar have been on the market for the last hundred years; and much time and health have been wasted with the writing of fashionable cook books, and the manufacture of anemic snow white cakes, crackers, biscuits and soft putrefying puddings and desserts, prepared with skim milk, sugar and eggs. The deficiency of minerals in these products has created an abnormal desire for salts, spices, and chemically pure sugar, followed by an additional craving for intoxicating beverages and liquors. The latter articles cannot enter into the composition of perfect teeth and bone, or gray nervous tissue; therefore, the result is premature death and many new diseases.

It is my desire to present in this book food combinations as perfect as can be produced from food material with our present methods of milling and preliminary treatment. Many people have become so delicate in structure that they cannot use coarse breads and cereals; therefore, a variety of different cereal foods have been included. Vegetable foods, such as are rich in minerals, have been added to the breakfast foods in place of sugar and beverages. In order to supply the body with the necessary amount of minerals, we must learn to eat greens for breakfast, until our so-called breakfast foods have improved in quality.

Keep the feet warm, the head cool and the stomach not too full.

Take walks out of doors daily and breathe deeply.

Do not wear tight shoes or corsets.

All foods possess potential or latent energy. The sun is the great positive element, and plants store up the sun’s energy. It is transferred to us through the eating of plants and animal foods. Through the process of oxidation this energy is set free in our bodies, and appears as heat and muscular power. This energy contained in foods is known as heat or fuel value, and is expressed in terms of a heat unit or calorie. A calorie is the amount of heat necessary to raise one kilogram of water, one degree centigrade. This is spoken of as a large calorie, which is used in determining the energy value of food. The small calorie is ¹⁄₁₀₀₀ of a large calorie.

The physiological fuel and energy value of the different foods is as follows:

To determine the energy value of a food or combination of foods it is necessary to know first its composition. Then determine the weight of protein, fat, and carbohydrate in grams and multiply these weights accordingly.

Many people are under the impression that if a certain food is recommended as especially healthful, over-indulgence must be beneficial. All natural foods are wholesome; over-eating produces discomfort and disease. Some fruits and vegetables have high medicinal values. Specific foods prescribed in large quantities are useful for certain ailments, but not for a healthy individual.

Some people think that we become like the food we eat. This is true when the vibrations of what we eat are stronger than the vibrations in our bodies. All food consumed has a vibration of its own and unless the vital force within can change the rate of vibration of the food eaten and tune it to the vibration of the body itself, one cannot become nourished, or in other words “he becomes like the food he eats.” There is but one force or energy in the body, which is life or “spirit”. Under normal conditions this force has in itself all the power to harmonize with the vibrations of the foods taken into the body. Provided there is a demand for food in the form of true hunger.

Natural diet, deep rythmic breathing with corresponding exercises awaken latent talents within us and rapid mental and spiritual unfoldment takes place. Inharmony, disease and pain are caused by living a life contrary to the laws of God and Nature.

CHAPTER II.
PREPARATION OF FOODS.

TABLE OF MEASUREMENTS AND WEIGHTS.

A standard measuring cup contains 8 ounces or ½-pint.

1 tablespoon is equal to 3 teaspoons.

2 tablespoons is equal to 1 ounce.

8 tablespoons is equal to 4 ounces or ½-cup.

16 tablespoons is equal to 8 ounces or 1 cup.

All ingredients measured by the cup, tablespoon or teaspoon are measured level.

1 pound (English weight) is equal to 425 grams or 16 ounces.

1 pound (Metric system) is equal to 500 grams.

2 pounds (Metric system) is equal to 1000 grams, or 1 kilogram.

GREEN VEGETABLES.

Green vegetables furnish a large amount of easily digested carbohydrates and contain much mineral matter. That they add to the highest purity of our blood has been proven by the fact that many blood and skin diseases have been cured by the application of specific greens alone. However, no matter how valuable an article is, it should be used according to the needs of the individual. As vegetables also contain a large amount of water, it is not wise for one who has to perform active mental or physical labor to indulge in a large amount of cooked, especially underground, vegetables at the noon meal. At this time of the day the system requires the most nutritious foods in the form of protein elements, no matter whether the meal consists of cooked food, cold or warmed over. Green peas and corn are best eaten at the noon meal, as they are rich in proteid elements. Asparagus, tomatoes, string beans and leaf greens are also suitable at this time of the day, provided some nutritious food of the proteid class is served with them.

The blanching of vegetables, as advised by some authorities, will always remove valuable constituents of the plant. This blanching and ventilation of vegetables during the process of cooking is advised, in order to make them more wholesome. All artificially prepared foods will lose certain constituents through the process of cooking, and this loss is generally made up by additional flavoring or sauces. Vegetables which are cooked in very little water and kept well covered (not ventilated), will lose less of their natural qualities, and the injurious gases which do not escape by this process can be made harmless through the addition of fats, in the emulsified form, as sauces, the yolk of an egg, lemon or cream.

In the consumption of food, as well as the custom of dress and education, some people have reached that stage of refinement where degeneration begins. We cannot refine natural food without paying the penalty for it.

GREEN VEGETABLES.

ARTICHOKES. No. 1.

Wash them thoroughly and remove the outside leaves. Drop into salted boiling water and cook for 20 or 30 minutes. Add a few drops of vinegar to the water while boiling. Serve warm with a white sauce or let cool and serve with French or mayonnaise dressing.

ARTICHOKES. No. 2.

Prepare like the foregoing; when tender put them into a deep bowl and squeeze diluted lemon juice over them, or use vinegar diluted with one half or third water. Let stand in sufficient liquid to cover the hearts well for 10 or 20 minutes. Serve with a white sauce or with French or mayonnaise dressing. Wheat or rye bread with butter is a good addition, also dried stewed fruit. If served for dinner, boiled eggs or egg-food of some kind should be added. If soup is desired, pea, tomato or milk soup is the most suitable. Olives also form a good addition.

People who suffer from obesity, or those who can not use much sweets, should always treat cooked vegetables (except potatoes) with acid as mentioned above. The volatile oils and bitter preservative qualities in vegetables evaporate in the process of cooking, leaving it with a sweetish taste, and making it more liable to ferment.

ASPARAGUS.

Wash and cut into inch pieces until the hard part of the stem is reached. Boil for 20 minutes, or until tender. Serve warm with butter, milk, cream, or egg sauce, or cold with French or mayonnaise dressing. The asparagus may be scraped and tied into bundles when boiling.

BEETS.

Remove the green tops and wash them carefully. Do not prick the skin, as the juice will then escape and injure the color as well as the flavor. Young beets will be tender in about one hour, older ones take two or three hours. When done, peel and slice. Serve with a butter or cream sauce, or plain, with butter and chopped parsley. For salad, cut into slices and pour over them boiling vinegar, diluted with one-half water. Add whole spices if desired.

MASHED BEETS.

Prepare like the above. When tender, peel and mash very fine with a potato masher, and add butter and a few drops of lemon juice.

ROASTED CARROTS.

Wash, scrape, and cut them lengthwise into halfs and quarters, then cut crosswise into inch pieces or smaller. Cover with boiling water and cook for 10 or 15 minutes, with a little salt. Drain off the water (add to soups); brown some fat and flour, add to it whey or the water which was drained off, and roast the carrots in it until done. Cover them tightly and add more fluid while roasting, if necessary. Flavor with chopped parsley.

CARROT PUREE. No. 1.

Steam or cook the carrots with salt and as little water as possible. When done, mash very fine with a potato masher. Flavor with butter and a little pepper and parsley or lemon.

Legumes and carrots with lettuce salad are a good combination. Crackers or black bread with lettuce salad and beets or carrots. Nuts for dessert are a fair combination. People with a bilious temperament should not combine cooked beets or carrots with cheese or eggs.

CARROT PUREE. No. 2.

Prepare like the above, and add one potato to three medium sized carrots. If the potatoes require less time to cook, add them when the carrots are half done. This preparation may be especially recommended for chronic invalids or for those who have a dislike for the sweet flavor of the vegetable.

CREAMED CARROTS. No. 1.

Cook like carrot puree. When tender, make a butter sauce with the water; add parsley and hot cream, if desired.

CREAMED CARROTS. No. 2.

Cook like number one, thicken with flour or corn starch, and add some hot cream and parsley. Serve, like soup or vegetables, for breakfast or supper, with dry whole wheat or black bread. Butter is not required at the meal if cream is used. If the butter and cream are emulsified as in sauces, they are more wholesome.

PEAS.

Wash the peas while in the pods, then shell. Boil the pods in a very little water for 15 minutes, then take out and put the peas to boil in the same water. Add a little salt and sugar when almost done. Prepare further like creamed carrots. Some people prefer them with no dressing except butter. Those who have difficulty in digesting starch and wish to cut out the bread at the meal may use sauces or cream dressings with their vegetables, especially in the winter.

MIXED PEAS AND CARROTS.

Put the peas on to boil, and when half done, add an equal amount of carrots which have been cut into half inch pieces. Prepare with a butter sauce like creamed carrots, and add chopped parsley. This will afford a perfect meal for dinner in spring or summer. A few bread or flour dumplings may be served with it. The latter should be cooked with the peas 10 minutes before serving.

Lima beans and green peas are more suitable during warm weather than small white or colored beans. Dark colored beans and lentils are rich in iron and minerals and therefore best suitable during cold days.

CAULIFLOWER.

Cauliflower should be avoided by those who have delicate stomachs, at the evening meal. It should be perfectly fresh and put into salted water for an hour before cooking, in order to take out any hidden insects. It should be boiled 20 to 30 minutes; if steamed it takes a little longer. Flavor with salt and a little sugar while boiling. Serve with brown or melted butter and lemon, or butter sauce, or with cream. Season with pepper. Serve for breakfast, or dinner. Left over cauliflower may be baked in the oven with cheese or bread crumbs, and served for breakfast. Tomato sauce is also suitable as a dressing. Cold cheese is a better combination with the latter than cream sauce or baked cheese.

STRING BEANS.

They are very purifying and should be eaten often, by people of a bilious tendency. Select young string beans, pull off the string on each side and break in pieces an inch long. Boil in slightly salted water and prepare like green peas. They may be mixed with carrots. For further combinations, see “Boiled Mixed Dinners.”

SPINACH.

This is also a very valuable vegetable. Besides being rich in iron and phosphates, it is laxative, and excellent as a medicinal food for constipation. Wash it thoroughly. For a delicate stomach use the leaves only. Steep in as little water as possible, chop very fine or rub through a colander; season with pepper, salt, lemon and butter, or prepare with butter sauce.

String beans resemble the green leaf vegetables. They are very purifying to the liver and intestines, and should be eaten freely by people with a bilious temperament.

STUFFED GREEN PEPPERS.

Cut off the stem end and remove the seeds. Fill the peppers with a dressing such as is given in recipes for bread dumplings. Place them in a baking dish with two tablespoonfuls of oil or fat; when brown add a little flour and water, cover the dish and bake in an oven for about 50 minutes. The inner part of the peppers may be mixed with a filling.

ONIONS.

For stewing use small or medium sized onions. Boil them in salt water, drain off the water and serve with butter and lemon, or prepare a butter or cream sauce. They are best eaten for breakfast or dinner with wheat or rye bread.

RAW ONIONS.

People who like onions and find they disagree on account of the strong acids, should grate them and mix thoroughly with sauces, or French or mayonnaise dressing.

FRIED ONIONS.

Chop the onions very fine in a wooden bowl. Then heat some butter and oil and fry them until light brown and pour over steak or mix with potatoes.

PARSLEY.

Chop enough to last for several days. Melt some butter and add the parsley, and let boil up once. When cold put on ice. This saves time, though it is best to prepare the parsley fresh for each meal.

MUSHROOMS.

Wash and dry them, then roll in flour and fry in fat until brown. Add some soup stock and steep until done. Cover well. If the stock is too thin, add a little browned flour; season and serve on toast.

COOKED CORN.

Steam the ears until tender. Serve with tomato or with potato and apple puree.

Mushrooms prepared in any style form a good combination with egg foods. Honey and sweet dried fruits are too rich in carbon to serve at the same meal with egg foods. Oranges, cherries, green grapes, dried apricots, cranberries, or rhubarb compote are suitable for dessert when egg foods are used. If raw berries are desired they should be eaten at the beginning of the meal.

CANNED CORN.

Thicken the corn with flour and water. Add a small amount of hot cream and season with salt and pepper or a few spoonfuls of tomato juice. If no cream is desired, drain off the liquid and thicken like butter sauce. Canned corn, being a rich and soft food, should not be mixed with many other foods at the same meal. It is more suitable for the morning or noon meal than for supper.

KOHLRABI.

Peel, slice thin, and stew in a very little water. When nearly done, add some hot soup. Prepare with a butter sauce. Chop fine some green leaves of the plant previously boiled and add.

CABBAGE.

Wash and cut in quarters. Mince very fine and put on to boil in a little water with salt. When tender, drain off the water and prepare a butter sauce for it; mix with the cabbage, flavor with lemon, mace or pepper and serve with hard boiled eggs. If a cream sauce is desired, thicken the cabbage with a little corn starch dissolved in cold water, let boil a few minutes then add the cream. Milk may be used instead of cream, or with the butter sauce but is not to be recommended for people with intestinal indigestion.

RED CABBAGE.

Prepare like the foregoing. Let it boil for twenty minutes in an earthenware dish, then add three to five ounces of oil, a few tablespoonfuls of vinegar, one of sugar, a little salt and caraway seed. Let all simmer slowly for several hours. A few tart apples may be cooked with it to flavor the cabbage. The apples may be removed when done, and can be served for breakfast. Thicken the cabbage with a little brown flour. Flavor with onion if desired.

Cabbage is rich in minerals. It can be made very indigestible by careless preparation. Raw cabbage is easily digested if chopped very fine and mixed with grated potato and mayonnaise dressing.

CABBAGE WITH TOMATO SAUCE.

Wash and cut into quarters, and cook in a very little water. When done prepare a tomato sauce and pour over the cabbage, or serve plain with butter or oil.

SAUERKRAUT WITH DUMPLINGS.

Wash the sauerkraut in cold water several times. For people with sensitive stomachs boil it for a short time; then drain off the water and boil again. Cook from one to two hours. Then add butter and flour.

SAUERKRAUT SALAD.

Wash several times in cold water, press out dry and mix with French or mayonnaise dressing. It may be chopped fine if desired. Serve with eggs or beans.

VEGETABLE OYSTER.

Wash, scrape and boil in salt water until tender—about 40 minutes. Prepare with butter, milk or cream sauce, or mash fine and fry like potato balls. Season with lemon or pepper.

TURNIP PUREE.

Prepare like carrot puree. Cook with as little water as possible.

FRIED PARSNIPS.

Scrape, wash and cut in slices, lengthwise. Boil in salt water for 5 minutes, then drain and fry in smoking hot fat. They can be turned in batter if desired. They may be fried without cooking, like sweet potatoes.

KALE.

This is a desirable vegetable in cold weather. It is purifying and very valuable during the rainy season, in malarial districts. Remove the leaves from the stems, wash and boil in salt water, using as little water as possible. Chop very fine and prepare like spinach.

Spinach is also a very valuable vegetable. Besides being rich in iron and phosphates, it is laxative, and excellent as a medicinal food for constipation. Wash it thoroughly. For a delicate stomach use the leaves only. Steep it in as little water as possible, chop very fine or rub through a colander; season with pepper, salt, lemon and butter, or prepare with a butter sauce.

SQUASH.

If young and tender it does not require peeling. Wash, cut into small pieces and steam. When done, mash fine and season with salt, pepper and cream, or butter, and a few drops of lemon. It may be cut in slices and fried in oil, or dipped in butter and fried like egg plant.

TOMATO PUREE.

Cut some fresh, firm tomatoes into several pieces. Cook in a double boiler with as little water as possible. Rub through a sieve with a spoon or potato masher. From 3 to 6 ounces of thick puree is sufficient at a meal, for the average adult. For medicinal purposes, tomatoes may be eaten in large quantities.

CANNED STEWED TOMATOES. No. 1.

They are more wholesome if not cooked. Place a can of tomatoes in hot water to heat, drain off the liquid, and serve. The liquid may be kept for soup.

STEWED TOMATOES. No. 2.

Heat a can of tomatoes, thicken with flour and water, and let boil 10 minutes. Add some butter and flavor with onion, and small amount of sugar if desired.

STEWED TOMATOES. No. 3.

Prepare as number two, thicken with bread or cracker crumbs, instead of flour.

STEWED TOMATOES. No. 4.

Heat a can of tomatoes. Then heat some butter and oil in a flat saucepan, thicken with mixed flour, flavor with onion, add gradually, and let boil a few minutes.

The tomato stimulates peristalsis and is a wonderful tonic. It contains a vegetable calomel and serves as a purifier for the liver in bilious conditions.

SWEET POTATOES.

Boil the potatoes in the jackets, let cool, peel, slice, and fry in one-half butter and one-half oil. Serve with cranberry sauce. Sweet potatoes may be peeled and sliced in the raw state, and fried in half oil and half butter. Serve as above. They are very suitable for breakfast.

CREAMED POTATOES.

Select small potatoes and boil in the skins. Add some salt. When done, peel and cut into thin slices. Bring some milk to a boil, and thicken with corn starch dissolved in water, or prepare a butter sauce with butter, flour and milk. Add the potatoes and some finely chopped parsley.

CRUST POTATOES.

Use small, imported German potatoes. Boil with the skins, peel and turn in yolk of eggs and rye nuts; fry in oil and butter. Serve with sprouts, or spinach and eggs.

STEAMED POTATOES.

Peel small sized potatoes, wash and put into a steamer or colander. When done pour into a dish, and mix with chopped parsley and fresh butter.

FRENCH FRIED POTATOES.

Peel and cut into long strips or thin slices. Put into salt water on ice for half an hour. Fry in boiling oil.

MASHED POTATOES.

Peel, wash, and boil or steam the potatoes; when done, mash fine, and add some hot cream or cold buttermilk, and a little salt, also a piece of butter.

MASHED SWEET POTATOES.

Prepare the same as white potatoes.

POTATO BALLS.

Beat 2 eggs with an egg beater, mix with one cup of left-over mashed potatoes, shape into balls and fry in hot fat.

If certain foods do not agree, or produce indigestion, study their combination and preparation carefully, also the proportion and time of the day when most suitable. If this does not prove satisfactory, leave them alone.

POTATO PUDDING.

Prepare the same as potato balls. Put the mass into a pudding dish and cover with rye nuts, grated cheese, or a beaten egg mixed with rye nuts, and bake for an hour.

Potatoes consist mainly of starch and water. They are more expensive than wheat, rye, oats, barley and corn. They should not be eaten oftener than once a day, or better three times a week. People who do hard physical or mental work should not eat potatoes at the noon meal. Fats, eggs, cheese and greens combine well with potatoes.

Baked potatoes or tomatoes form a good addition with cabbage. For proteins use hard boiled eggs or any variety of beans either baked, in the form of soup, or as a roast. Potatoes and tomatoes should not be mixed at the same meal unless a liberal amount of fat is served at the same time.

Cooked foods which have poor keeping qualities should not be kept for further use, or no more should be prepared than can be eaten at one meal. To this class belong cooked underground or leaf vegetables, custards, soft puddings, milk and egg foods and gelatines. Damp or rainy weather is more favorable for decomposition of foodstuffs than dry weather. If a variety of left-over food is on hand which cannot be combined into one dish, it is better to serve different food to each member rather than to divide each article for all; the latter custom may be more polite, but it is not wise to mix a great variety of foods at one meal.

Left-over potatoes can be utilized in many different ways: for pancakes, potato dumplings, creamed potatoes or for salad. Fried cooked potatoes are not a good food for the noon meal, especially for children or people doing active work.

CHAPTER III.
LEGUMES, EGGS, AND CHEESE.

LEGUMES.

Legumes lose their natural flavor and stimulus in the process of drying and cooking, therefore they are not palatable or as easy to digest without some form of fat and an appetizing raw salad, fruit or soup, which supplies the needed stimulant to the system. Apples, lemons, grapes, oranges, carrots, celery and lettuce are most suitable as an addition. Many people add sweets to legumes or make them more indigestible by adding ground nuts and other rich foods. Such foods are a dangerous burden to a weak stomach and liver. Heavy protein foods require an acid medium for proper digestion and utilization. If legumes are used in the form of soups and purees, nothing should be added but a little flour, dry toast, fats, or raw vegetables.

BAKED BEANS.

Pick over the beans carefully, wash and soak them in soft water. Bring to a boil in the same water, simmer slowly until the beans are tender and the fluid is nearly absorbed. If necessary add more water during the process of boiling. When done, pour them into a beanpot or round pan, cover the top with cooking oil and a few whole onions. Bake about an hour.

Baked legumes if preserved with fat or oil can be kept on hand for a week and be re-baked two or three times per week.

One-third to one-fourth of beans (measured before soaking) is sufficient for one meal for the average person under ordinary conditions. Masticate two or three beans at a time to insure good digestion.

BAKED LENTILS OR PEAS.

Prepare in the same manner as baked beans, use less fat for preparing them, especially during the summer. Onions and celery roots are rich in fatty substance. These may be added to the legumes while boiling, and be made into a salad for another meal. In cooking legumes it is best not to add the salt until they are nearly done as the salt hardens the water. If legumes are prepared boiled instead of baked it is better to add a thickening of flour and butter before serving, otherwise they may produce flatulent dyspepsia.

LIMA BEANS. No. 1.

Soak some lima beans in soft water. Cook in a small amount of water with a little salt. When tender, dissolve some cornstarch with cold water and add to the beans; boil for 10 minutes, then add a few tablespoonfuls of hot cream and remove from the fire. Flavor with chopped parsley, if desired. Mashed or raw carrots are a good addition.

LIMA BEANS. No. 2.

Prepare like the foregoing. Drain off the water and add a piece of butter, the yolk of an egg, a little lemon juice and parsley, if desired.

LIMA BEANS. No. 3.

Prepare like the foregoing. Drain off the water and prepare a butter sauce, mix with beans and serve plain, or add the yolk of an egg, a little lemon and parsley.

PEA PUREE.

Soak ¾ cup of dried green peas in soft water. Boil with 1 quart of water and 1 onion for about an hour. Bake in a beanpot for 1½ hours or longer; add more water if necessary. Keep the peas covered. When done run through a colander and add 1 teaspoonful of butter. This makes about ¾ of a cup of puree. One-third of this portion is sufficient for a sick person or a young child. Serve on toast, or with raw carrots.

BEAN AND LENTIL PUREE.

Prepare and serve like the foregoing. If a soup is desired in place of puree, dilute one-third of a cup of puree with one and a half of boiling water and finish as in legume soup.

Dried beans contain more of the protein than peas, lentils or beef. They are therefore a very rich food and should not be consumed in large quantities. In countries where the water is hard, it is well to have soft water on hand for the cooking of legumes. If rain water cannot be obtained, boil a kettle of water each day and set aside to cool for cooking purposes. Legumes may be soaked with hot or cold water.

RAW BEANS.

Soak one tablespoonful of white beans or twelve to twenty lima beans in soft warm water for four hours or over night. Serve plain with tomatoes or carrots and green leaves or prepare in the form of a salad. Onions and parsley are also good additions. No more than the above measure should be used for one person at a meal. People with digestive troubles or those who can not live out of doors, should leave raw legumes alone.

SOFT BOILED EGGS. No. 1.

Put the eggs into cold water, place on the stove, and let come to a boil slowly. When the water begins to boil the eggs will be done.

BOILED EGGS. No. 2.

Pour boiling water over them and let stand on a stove for 10 to 20 minutes. Boiling will make the albumen of the egg harder to digest.

FRIED EGGS.

Have the frying pan very hot. Set it back and pour in some olive oil, then break in the eggs and cover. Let them harden slowly. Serve with apple or tomato rice or with cooked or raw starchy or leaf vegetables, except beets or carrots, unless they are pickled.

BAKED EGGS. No. 1.

Pour whites of eggs on an oiled tin and place in a moderate oven or over steam until firm. Serve with any kind of vegetable or a salad of tart fruits.

BAKED EGGS. No. 2.

Beat the whites of three eggs to a stiff snow, add a little salt, mix with two tablespoonfuls of sifted bran and with two of fine rye nuts. Pour on an oiled tin, bake and serve as number one.

Scrambled Eggs No. 3 are preferable for people with gastric disturbance. Nos. 1 and 2 are recommended for people with intestinal weakness. All soft watery nitrogenous foods are more liable to ferment before they reach the intestines than those to which flour is added.

SAXON SOOL EGGS.

Pour boiling water on the eggs and let them stand for 20 minutes on a hot stove, or boil the eggs 10 minutes. Lay in cold water for a few minutes, crack the shells well; place them for four hours or longer in a strong salt solution, which must contain so much salt that the eggs will swim. Prepare as follows: Bring a quart of water to a boil, dissolve about one cupful or more of salt, let boil a few minutes and cool.

ESCALOPED EGGS.

Boil or set some eggs until hard. Cut into halves or quarters and pour over them a butter sauce flavored with horseradish, capers or mustard. Serve with baked potatoes and string beans or sprouts. If the butter sauce is prepared with tomato juice, serve wheat bread or crackers with them instead of potatoes.

PICKLED EGGS.

Boil or set some eggs until hard. Then boil one pint of vinegar with a pint of water and a little salt and pour into a deep earthen dish, add some whole peppers and bay leaves. Remove the shells from the eggs and place them in the pickle. Tie up with paper, let stand for a week or longer. These eggs are a good addition to sandwiches or can be served with salads or green leaves, olives, apples, tomatoes, asparagus or cabbage.

SCRAMBLED EGGS. No. 1.

Break the yolks and whites into separate bowls. Add one teaspoonful of flour to each yolk of egg and also a little salt. Beat with an egg beater until smooth, then add as many tablespoonfuls of cold water as there are eggs and beat again. Add the snow of the whites and pour into a large frying pan, in which some oil or fat has been heated. Stir constantly until all is solid. Serve with potatoes or toast and green vegetables.

People who have difficulty in digesting eggs will find it more agreeable to eat the yolks and whites at different times of the day. The former prepared in salad dressing or boiled custards; the latter in the form of baked eggs with lemon and green vegetables.

SCRAMBLED EGGS. No. 2.

Prepare the same as the foregoing. Use a double amount or more of water or milk or cream, also more flour if desired. Mixed flour is preferable to pure white flour. If eggs are expensive serve a milk or green pea soup as entree and use less eggs.

SCRAMBLED EGGS. No. 3.

Beat yolks and whites separately. Add as many tablespoonfuls of water or milk or cream as there are eggs. Omit the flour.

SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH POTATOES.

Cut left-over potatoes into small pieces or slice; fry them in half butter and half oil until brown. Then prepare a batter as directed for scrambled eggs, pour over the potatoes and stir until the egg is firm. If the flavor of onion is desired, add a few, finely chopped, and brown in butter in a separate pan; when done, mix with the eggs and potatoes and serve. Flavor with pepper, if desired. String beans and black toast make a good addition.

SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH TOMATOES.

Prepare a batter as directed for scrambled eggs, add tomato juice or tomato puree instead of milk or water. Flavor with grated onion and celery salt. Serve with bread and green vegetables.

OMELET.

Prepare the same as scrambled eggs No. 1 and 2. Do not stir. Cover and set in a moderate oven or on back of stove. When firm remove the cover and brown in oven. Serve with tart fruit sauce or with apple and lettuce salad, prepared with French or mayonnaise dressing.

COTTAGE CHEESE.

Put some whole, or skim milk, into a pan and set in a cool room, which has plenty of fresh air. Do not cover the pan. If the room is exposed to dust, put a few long sticks over the pan and cover with a cheese-cloth. When the milk begins to get thick, set the pan into a larger pan with warm water, and keep it in a warm place or in the oven until the curd separates; it must not become hard. Then put a cheese-cloth on a colander and pour the milk into it. Let stand for several hours, until the whey is thoroughly drained off. Then chop fine some green peppers or onions, mix with the cheese, add a little salt and pepper, and serve with apple or potato salad or spread on sandwiches. A few teaspoonfuls of sugar and caraway seed may be added in place of the onion and pepper.

CHAPTER IV.
MISCELLANEOUS DISHES.

IRISH STEW.

Let a quart of water come to a boil; add 10 to 12 pearl onions, two bay leaves, a teaspoonful of salt and a few whole black peppers or the skin of green peppers. When the onions are nearly done, add six small potatoes, let all simmer slowly until the potatoes are tender; then blend a spoonful of flour with some butter or oil, add the broth gradually. Cut five Saxon Sool eggs into halves, mix with the butter sauce and let stand in a warm place for ten minutes or until the eggs are warmed through. Then add the cooked vegetables and plenty of chopped parsley. Serve on a large platter. A tablespoonful of horseradish or French mustard added to the butter sauce gives it a pleasant flavor. In place of the butter sauce, the broth may be thickened with a little corn starch dissolved in water and two tablespoonfuls of thick cream used in place of butter. The above quantity is sufficient for a family of three. The most suitable cooked vegetable served with this dish is string beans. People who have to live on an economical plan can add one cup of hot milk to the broth and prepare more sauce. In this way the protein in the milk can serve as a substitute for two eggs. If bread is desired, serve it at the end of the meal. Toast is preferable.

Do not keep a tight cover on a dish, jar or bottle which contains raw or cooked food, unless the air within is sterile. Allow cooked food to stand open until it is cool, then put the cover over two-thirds of its opening or cover with a cheese-cloth or colander.

DUMPLINGS WITH POTATOES AND PRUNES.

Steam the potatoes. Prepare some nutritious dumplings from flour or bread with eggs. Heat some butter or oil, add finely chopped onions, fry until brown, remove from the fire and add two tablespoonfuls of syrup and some lemon juice or vinegar. Pour the potatoes and dumplings on a dish, mix with stewed cold or warm prunes, pour the syrup sauce over it, and serve. The syrup sauce can be thickened with flour and strengthened with the water in which the dumplings have been cooked; the prune juice can be added in place of the syrup. Good during summer. Dried pears or string beans may be substituted for the prunes, or a lettuce or string bean salad served with it. Macaroni or noodles may be used in place of dumplings. Growing children or those who work hard, not finding this meal satisfying, may drink some milk or eat nuts at the end of the meal.

LIMA BEANS WITH CARROTS AND POTATOES.

Soak one pound of lima beans in rain or soft water over night, cook for half an hour, add salt, and then add five good sized carrots cut to the size of the beans. Cook both for half an hour, then add four or five potatoes and cook all together until done. Thicken the broth with corn starch, add chopped parsley and butter. A tablespoonful of vinegar and sugar may be added to the sauce if the flavor is desired. The carrots may be cooked by themselves; when done, add the water to the beans and potatoes, pour a little diluted vinegar over the carrots, let stand 20 minutes, drain off the vinegar and add the carrots to the beans and potatoes. This is preferable for people who dislike the sweet taste of the carrots. Bread is not needed at this meal, as potatoes and carrots furnish sufficient carbohydrates. If bread is desired, it should be eaten in place of dessert with a little unsweetened black coffee or malt coffee.

SMALL WHITE OR BROWN BEANS WITH CARROTS AND POTATOES.

Prepare as above. Time for cooking depends on the quality. Do not add the carrots until the beans are nearly done.

The recipes for mixed boiled dinners consisting of legumes, carrots and potatoes are more wholesome and nutritious than a meal consisting of potatoes and vegetables each cooked in water and served with yeast bread, sweets, or rich soft nitrogenous foods.

PEAS WITH CARROTS AND POTATOES.

Prepare the same as the foregoing. Young green peas or string beans may be used in place of dried peas. This furnishes an excellent combination during the summer for those who prefer cooked food.

GREEN PEAS WITH DUMPLINGS.

Prepare a flour dough for dumplings. Boil them in salted water or in the liquid of the peas. If the peas are desired in soup form, boil the dumplings in the soup and omit thickening. Use one-third to one-fifth of a cup of dried peas for each person, according to size, age and occupation of the individual. This makes a perfect meal for dinner. The peas and dumplings furnish sufficient protein and starch; the fat can be added to the dough of the dumplings.

SUCCOTASH.

Cook lima beans until tender, add one cup of corn (canned or scraped from the cob) to two cups of lima beans. Let both come to a boil, thicken with a little corn starch which has been dissolved in cold water, season with celery salt or pepper and serve. Do not serve yeast bread or potatoes at this meal. Thoroughly toasted bread, green leaf salad and tomato puree are good additions.

LENTILS WITH ONIONS.

Soak a cup of lentils in soft water. Cook or stew in a double boiler, when nearly done add ten to twelve onions and salt. Let simmer slowly, when done thicken with a little corn starch, add a piece of butter and serve with tomato puree or with a salad of green leaves and raw tomatoes.

Green peas are richer in minerals than yellow peas, beans or lentils, the protein being in the form of legumin and easier to digest. They are very purifying.

MIXED VEGETABLES (Leipsiger Allerlie).

Use asparagus tops, young French carrots, peas, and cauliflower. Cook each vegetable separately with salt, in as little water as possible. When done, drain the water from each and use for soup. Mix the different vegetables in one dish and pour browned butter over them. Serve with eggs. A butter sauce may be prepared from the vegetable water in place of brown butter. Bread or flour dumplings may be served with it.

CABBAGE WITH RICE. (Jewish Dish.)

Remove the outside leaves from a firm head of cabbage, cut into halves and quarters and let stand in salted water for half an hour. Then put into boiling salted water and cook for about 20 minutes. Wash a cupful of rice and add, cover and let simmer slowly until all is done. There should be plenty of water on the cabbage for the rice to swell, so that it will not become sticky. About 2 quarts for a medium sized head of cabbage. Some people prefer to cook it with a tablespoonful of sugar. When ready to serve add a piece of butter, and pour all on a large platter. Do not eat yeast bread with it. Drink fresh milk or eat walnuts at the end of the meal. If bread is desired, use toast.

CABBAGE ROLLS.

Wash some large cabbage leaves. Fill them with dough mixed with eggs. (See recipe for bread dumplings). Then tie the rolls together with a string. Steam in a shallow dish with as little water as possible. Serve with a butter or tomato sauce and hard boiled eggs. Flavor with mace.

POTATO STEW. (Poor Man’s Bill of Fare.)

Boil some steel cut oats or pearl barley as directed for gruel (See Page [53]); when nearly done add some medium sized potatoes and a little more salt. When the potatoes are tender, put them into a deep bowl, strain the gruel and pour it over the potatoes. Add a piece of butter or prepare a little sauce and mix with the gruel. Flavor with chopped parsley or onion. Good additions are: black toast, bran crackers, string beans, sprouts or kale. Oranges or apples for dessert, if desired.

The amount of fat required for a meal depends much on the season of the year, the occupation and the individual peculiarities, therefore it must be left to the consideration of the housewife. All legumes (except peanuts) are poor in fat. A glass of fresh milk is a fairly good addition with mixed boiled dinners, especially for the growing child.

MACARONI WITH PEA SAUCE.

Boil macaroni in salted water until quite soft; put into a colander. Prepare a pea sauce from the water which is drained from the macaroni, add left-over pea puree or dried pea meal. Serve over the macaroni. If the flavor of onion is desired, boil one onion with the macaroni or cut up fine and fry in butter. If this meal is not sufficiently satisfying serve some grated cold Swiss cheese in addition or drink fresh milk with it. In place of the latter walnuts may be eaten at the end of the meal. If the macaroni is served with tomato instead of pea sauce, some form of the above mentioned protein foods is absolutely necessary.

MACARONI WITH BAKED CHEESE.

Boil sufficient macaroni in salted water to fill a baking dish two-thirds full, pour over it some hot milk or tomato juice and a cupful of grated cheese, add a piece of butter and bake until brown. Serve with string beans, green leaf salad or pea soup.

RICE WITH PEA OR LENTIL SAUCE.

Cook some rice in salted water. When done add a piece of butter. Serve with the above mentioned sauce. Eat nuts at the end of the meal, either alone or in combination with dried currants or raisins.

SPANISH OMELET.

In the middle of the cooking omelet put a roll of hot spinach, turn over carefully and serve on a platter with puree of tomato as a gravy.