Chapter IV: Part 4

The yeast must be quite fresh, and the bread should be raised in separate tins _in a warm place or cupboard_; the oven must be hot at first, but the heat should be much reduced after 10 minutes. Mix 6-lbs. of wholemeal with 1-lb. of household flour. Then mix 3-ozs. of _fresh_ yeast with a tablespoon of treacle, adding 2 tablespoons of olive oil when it is quite dissolved. Put this into the flour with about 2-pts. of lukewarm water. Mix it with a wooden spoon till it does not stick. Knead for 10 minutes, adding more water if necessary but keeping the dough firm and spongy. Put it into flat baking tins (well greased) about 2-1/2 inches deep, covering the tins to the depth of about 1 inch only. Let it rise for 1 hour, or till it reaches the tops of the tins. Then bake first in a quick oven, and afterwards in a slower. A gas oven is most reliable for baking bread, as the heat is more easily regulated. The bread should be a rich dark golden brown when well baked.

=226. White Bread.=

Make as Recipe 225, but substitute household flour for wholemeal. The shape and size of the loaves should be changed occasionally. Loaves baked in _small_ tins are often lighter than bread made into large loaves.

=227. Plain Currant Bread and Buns.=

To 2-lbs. of good wholemeal or white flour add a pinch of salt, 1 tablespoonful of sugar, and 1/2-lb. of currants or sultanas; also rub in 2-ozs. of olive oil or nut-margarine. Mix 1-oz. of yeast with a little golden syrup and add lukewarm water. Stir this into the flour, and add sufficient warm water to make a nice dough. Shape into loaves or little buns, set to rise for 1 hour or longer, then bake in a quick oven and brush with egg and milk.

=228. Dinner Rolls.=

Delicious dinner rolls can be made as follows:--Take 1-lb. of white flour, 1-lb. of wholemeal, 3-ozs. butter, and 1-oz. of yeast. Mix the yeast with a dessertspoonful of treacle, 3/4-pt. of milk and water. Rub the butter into the flour, and put in the yeast to rise. Knead, form into small rolls, raise for half-an-hour, bake in a quick oven.

=229. Sultana Cake.=

Sift into 1/2-lb. of flour 1 teaspoonful of baking powder. Grate the rind of a lemon on to an egg and beat it well. Cream together 3-ozs. nut-margarine and 3-ozs. sugar; add the egg, beating still, then stir in lightly the flour and 3-ozs. sultanas; add milk to make a soft dough. Pour into a well-buttered cake tin, put in a hot oven, and bake for about half-an-hour, reducing the temperature considerably.

=230. Sultana Rice Cake.=

Put 3-ozs. of Nut-margarine in a warm oven. Grate the rind of a lemon on to an egg and 3-ozs. of castor sugar, beat well, then add the warmed Nutter and beat again till it is creamy. Now sift together 5-ozs. of ground rice, 3-ozs. of flour and 1 teaspoonful of baking powder. Beat this gently into the mixture, add 4-ozs. sultanas and enough milk to make a proper consistency. Put in a hot oven, gradually reducing the temperature, and bake for about 3/4 of an hour.

=231. Cheese Straws.=

Mix 6-ozs. flour and 6-ozs. grated cheese well together, then rub in 2-ozs. butter, add a little cayenne pepper and salt, bind with the yolk of an egg, roll out about a quarter of a inch thick, cut into long narrow fingers, and bake in a sharp oven for 10 minutes.

=232. Sultana Bun Cakes.=

Sift together 8-ozs. of flour, 3-ozs. Paisley flour and 2-ozs. of sugar; rub in 4-ozs. olive oil, and add 4-ozs. of sultanas. Mix all with a well beaten egg and a little milk, roll out, shape with a cutter and bake at once in a quick oven.

=SUMMER AND WINTER DRINKS.=

The following recipes and suggestions concerning a few beverages which can be used as substitutes for more stimulating drinks may prove useful to many readers:--

=233. Barley Water.=

Mix a tablespoonful of Pearl Barley with a pint of water and boil for half-an-hour. Flavour with lemon, cinnamon or sugar, according to taste, and allow the mixture to cool. For invalids requiring nutriment a larger quantity of barley should be used.

Barley Water is equally suitable for winter use and can be taken hot.

=234. Wheatenade.=

Simmer 1-lb. of crushed wheat in 1-qt. of water for about an hour, stirring it occasionally. Strain, add lemon juice and sugar to taste, for use in summer, or milk and sugar if the drink is taken hot in winter. Good and clean bran can be substituted for crushed wheat. This is a capital drink for children with a tendency to rickets, or for persons suffering from nervous prostration caused by malnutrition.

=235. Oatenade.=

Simmer 1/4-lb. of coarse oatmeal in the same manner as described in the previous recipe, then flavour to taste. This drink will be slightly richer in fat than the previous one, and it makes a good winter drink.

=236. Gingerade.=

Take 1-dr. essence cayenne, 4-drs. essence of ginger, 2-drs. essence of lemon, 1-dr. burnt sugar, 3/4-oz. of tartaric acid. Add 3-lbs. lump sugar and 5-qts. boiling water. Bottle ready for use. Dilute to taste.

=237. Fruit Drink.=

Lime juice, if pure, makes a cooling and wholesome drink. The "Montserrat" is one of the purest brands upon the market; some of the liquid sold as lime juice is only a chemical concoction. The weaker the solution the better it tastes. A dessertspoonful to the tumbler is generally enough. Dole's Pineapple juice is also an excellent fruit drink.

=238. Rice Water.=

Boil some once-milled rice in water, and add lemon juice and sugar to taste. The beverage should not be made too thick. As rice is often used in most households a supply of this nutritious drink is easily provided. It is very good for children.

=Tea and Coffee Substitutes.=

Those who find tea and coffee undesirable should try "Wallace P. R. Coffee," "Lifebelt Coffee," "Salfon," or "Horlick's Malted Milk." Another good substitute is "Hygiama," which, unlike tea and coffee, is not a stimulant, but a nutrient. On the other hand its effect on the system is distinctly stimulating in a right and healthy sense. That is to say, the valuable nourishment which it contains is very easily and quickly digested and an immediate sense of invigoration is the result. Unlike cocoa, it is not clogging or constipating or heavy.

=HOW TO FEED INVALIDS.=

In all cases of sickness the patient will have a better chance of recovery if the diet is light and wisely selected.

When inflammation and fever exist, fruit and cooling drinks should be given, and but little nitrogenous food.

An eminent physician writes thus: "The fever patient, like the over worked man, digests badly. He has no appetite; his salivary glands do not secrete, or secrete very imperfectly. The gastric juice formed under bad conditions is almost inert, poor in pepsine and hydrocloric acid. The liver no longer acts if the fever is high and serious; the intestinal secretions are partially exhausted.... The fever patient must then be fed very little."

When the hydrocloric acid is deficient, proteid food should be given very sparingly--one of the best forms being Casumen in solution (see 224) or white of egg. Milk is not advisable in such a condition, unless malted, or in the dried form. Fats are objectionable, and if the salivary secretions are defective, starches should be given in dextrinized (super-cooked) form, or well toasted. Fruit sugars, which are Carbohydrates in a digested form, are better still, and may be given freely to patients of nearly all kinds. They are abundantly provided in figs, dates, stoneless raisins and sultanas, and in other sweet fruits, such as bananas, strawberries and apples.

Ample nourishment can be provided by these, supplemented by egg dishes (chiefly white); flaked and super-cooked cereals, such as Granose Biscuits, Kellogg Wheat Flakes, Wallace P. R. and Flakit Biscuits, Archeva Rusks, Melarvi Crisps, and toasted or wholemeal bread; flaked or malted nuts; legumes soufflé; well-cooked farinaceous puddings; Horlick's Malted Milk and many other proprietary health-foods; and vegetable broths--for which see Recipes 1-23, as well as those which conclude this section on pages 123 and 124.

One of the most important of these latter is 'Haricot Broth,' which is a perfect substitute for "beef tea," being far more nutritious and also free from the toxic elements which are contained in that dangerous and superstitiously venerated compound.

[Sidenote: =The Beef Tea Delusion.=]

Dr. Milner Fothergill stated that probably more invalids have sunk into their graves through a misplaced confidence in the value of beef tea than Napoleon killed in all his wars. It is, in reality, a strong solution of waste products and of uric acid, consisting largely of excrementitious matter which was in process of elimination from the system of some animal, through the minute drain pipes which form an important cleansing medium or "sewage system" in all animal flesh. To make "beef tea," these poisonous substances are stewed out to form the decoction, while the animal fibrin, the portion of the meat that has some nutritive value, is thrown away.

Beef tea consequently acts as a strong stimulant, tends to increase inflammation and fever, and in all such cases lessens the chance of the patient's recovery, as the system is already battling against toxic elements in the blood. To add to the amount of the latter is obviously unwise and dangerous. These remarks apply also to 'meat essences' and to 'beef extracts,' which are frequently made from diseased flesh which has been condemned in the slaughterhouses.

Meals provided for invalids should be very simple, but served in a very dainty manner. A spotless serviette and tray cloth, bright silver, a bunch of flowers and a ribbon to match them in colour for tying the serviette (the colour of which can be changed from day to day) should not be forgotten. The food should be supplied in small quantities; half a cupful of broth will often be taken when a cupful would be sent away untouched, and the wishes of the patient should be respected so far as it is safe and wise to do so. It is also a good plan to serve two or three small separate courses, rather than to put everything that is provided on a tray together.

Stewed French plums and figs are valuable in the sickroom because of their laxative effects, and dainty sandwiches will be found acceptable by most invalids--made with flaked nuts and honey, dried milk (Lacvitum), potted meat, etc.

[Sidenote: =Don't Overfeed Invalids.=]

One of the greatest evils to be avoided by those who are nursing the sick is that of over-feeding. When nature is doing her best to meet a crisis, or to rid the body of microbes or impurities, it is a mistake to cause waste of vital energy by necessitating the expulsion of superfluous alimentary matter. Invalids should not be unduly persuaded to take food. The stomach generally requires _rest_, and is often in such a condition that digestion is impossible.

Much of the suffering and inconvenience endured by sick persons is simply the result of erroneous diet. Judicious feeding will do far more than drugs to alleviate and cure most maladies, in fact drugs and stimulants are seldom required. The great healing agent is the Life-force within--the "_Vis medicatrix Naturæ_"--and the wise physician will see that this power has a fair chance. He will encourage hopeful mental influence, and advocate pure air, pure food, and pure water, combined with a cessation of any physical transgression which has been the _cause_ of the malady in question.

Care should be exercised lest invalids partake too freely of starch foods, especially if such are insufficiently cooked. Wholemeal bread should be _light_ and _well baked_, and in most cases it will be more easily assimilated if toasted. Granose and other similar biscuits (which consist of entire wheatmeal in a super-cooked form, so that the starch is already transformed into 'dextrin') will be easily digestible and are slightly laxative in their effect. They are just the right thing to be taken with broth or soup or porridge. The following recipes will be found helpful.

=239. Brown Haricot Broth.=

(A perfect substitute for 'Beef Tea.')

Take 1/2-lb. of brown haricot beans. Wash and stew them with 1-qt. of hot water and some small onions for 3 hours, stewing down to 1-pt. Strain, and add pepper, celery-salt and butter when serving. This bean tea or broth, so prepared, will be found to be very savoury and of the same taste and appearance as beef tea, while being much richer in nutriment.

=240. Mock Chicken Broth.=

A valuable substitute for chicken broth, which is in every way superior to the decoction obtained by stewing the flesh and bones of the bird, can be made by stewing and serving white haricots in the same manner as in the previous recipe.

=241. Hygiama Apple Purée.=

Select two or three sound ripe apples, wash and rub in hot water, remove core and all bruised or dark parts, but not the peel, cut in small pieces, place in a covered jar or casserole with a cupful of water, or sufficient to prevent burning. Cook gently until apples are soft; then rub all through a fine sieve. Mix a tablespoonful or more of Hygiama with just enough water to form a paste, mix this paste into the apple, with just a touch of cinnamon or nutmeg if liked, and serve with pieces of dry toast, twice-baked bread or rusks.

=242. Oat Cream.=

A most excellent recipe for invalids and anæmic patients is prescribed by Dr. Oldfield, as follows: Boil 1 pint milk, sift into it a large handful of crushed oats. Simmer until it is thick as raw cream. Strain and serve; the patient to take 1/2-pint, sucking it through a straw slowly.

=243. Linseed Tea.=

Few persons realize the good qualities of linseed tea. It is useful for weak, anæmic and delicate persons; it produces flesh, is soothing in bronchial cases, and laxative. If made thin, and flavoured with lemon, it is quite palatable, and many persons get fond of it. The seed should be whole and of best quality, and it only requires stewing until the liquor is of the consistency of thin gruel.

=244. proteid Gruel.=

A good liquid food can be quickly made by warming a dessertspoonful of "Emprote" or "Malted Nuts" in a glass of milk, and flavouring to taste. A large teaspoonful of "Casumen" (pure milk proteid) dissolved in a breakfastcup of barley water, coffee, or vegetable soup, also readily provides much nutriment in a simple form.

=245. Lentil Gruel.=

This is a useful and nutritious food for invalids. To make the gruel, take a dessertspoonful of lentil flour, mixed smooth in some cold milk, add nearly 1-pt. of milk which has been brought to the boil. Boil for 15 minutes and flavour with a little cinnamon or vanilla. Serve with toast. This is the same as the much prescribed "Revalenta Arabica" food, but the lentil flour, without a long scientific name, only costs 3d. a pound, instead of half-a-crown.

=246. Malted Milk Prune Whip.=

One cup of prunes, 2 tablespoonfuls Horlick's Malted Milk, 1 tablespoonful sugar, lemon sufficient to flavour, white of egg. Wash well, and soak the prunes until tender. Boil with small piece of lemon until soft. Add sugar, remove stones, rub through colander; add the Horlick's Malted Milk, beat well; add the white of egg, well beaten. Cool, and serve with whipped cream. Flavour with vanilla if desired.

=247. Malted Milk Jelly.=

Phosphated gelatine 1 teaspoonful, Horlick's Malted Milk 2 to 4 teaspoonfuls, sugar and flavouring to suit. Soak the gelatine in cold water for 1 hour, then dissolve in just sufficient hot water. Add the Horlick's Malted Milk dissolved in 2 cups of hot water, and sweeten and flavour to taste.

=248. Malted Milk with Iced Fruit.=

Take of Horlick's Malted Milk 1 heaped teaspoonful, crushed fruit 1 tablespoonful, crushed ice 1 tablespoonful, 1 egg, acid phosphate twenty drops, grated nutmeg to flavour, water to make a cup. Mix the Malted Milk, crushed fruit and egg, beating the same for five minutes. Add the phosphate and crushed ice, stirring all for several minutes. Strain, and add ice-cold water or cold carbonated water, and grated nutmeg to flavour.

=249. Effervescent Malted Milk.=

Put some finely cracked ice into a glass. Fill it half full of soda, Vichy or Syphon water, and immediately add the desired amount of Horlick's Malted Milk in solution. Drink while effervescing. Brandy may be added if necessary.

=WHAT TO DO AT CHRISTMAS.=

The Christmas festival--which has degenerated into such a deplorable orgy of massacre and over-feeding in many countries which are called 'Christian'--can be observed and enjoyed without such barbarities and butchery as now take place.

How can we consistently sing and talk of 'Peace on Earth' when we are participating in ruthless warfare against the animal creation?

Is not this wholesale and cruel slaughter altogether discordant with the spirit and doctrine of the gentle and harmless Teacher of Nazareth, whose terrestrial birth is thus celebrated by pagan barbarity? Should not those of us who dare to call ourselves His followers protest against a custom which brings discredit upon His religion and causes humanely disposed Oriental nations to regard it almost with contempt?

The following suggestive Menu will at once show my readers that Christmas can be celebrated with a feast of good things without such butchery. And many are they who have found that its joys can even be enhanced by a sense of freedom from blood-guiltiness and personal responsibility concerning the deeds that are done in the shambles at this time of 'Peace and Goodwill.'

The Menu can be varied as taste and circumstances may dictate.

=A Bloodless Menu for Christmas.=

_From which a selection can be made._

Mock Turtle Soup (4).
_Fried Bread Dice._
Julienne Soup (9).
_Granose Biscuits._
Mock Scallop Oysters (24).
Mock White Fish (32).
_Parsley Sauce._
Savoury Nut Steaks (50).
Macaroni Rissoles (68).
_Sauce Piquante._
Yorkshire Pudding.
Potato Purée (109).
Cauliflowers.
Baked Stuffed Tomatoes (104).
Chestnut or Vegetable Soufflé (94 or 97).
Plum Pudding (178).
Stewed Pears.
_Clotted Cream._
Mince Pies (220).
Fresh Fruits.
Almonds and Muscatels.
Figs.
Dates.
Preserved Ginger.

The cost of such a dinner as this will be much less than that of a corresponding one which includes poultry, game, and joints of flesh. The amount saved could be appropriately expended in providing a few comforts for the poor and needy--thus the Christmas festival provides an opportunity for lessening the suffering in this world, and also for increasing the sum of human happiness.

=MENUS FOR THE WEEK.=

By MRS. WALTER CAREY.

The following Menus may be a guide to beginners, and show how easy it is to get variety:--

=Breakfast Menu, No. 1.=

Manhu Oats. Porridge. Tea or Coffee. Scrambled Eggs on Toast.
Grilled Tomatoes, No. 122. Neapolitan Sausages, No. 123. Brown
Bread. Honey. Marmalade. Butter. Fruit.

=Breakfast Menu, No. 2.=

Manhu Rye Porridge. Tea or Coffee. Granose Biscuits. Eggs à la
Crême, No. 84. Savoury Rissoles, No. 98. Brown Bread. Honey. Jam.
Butter. Fruit.

=Breakfast Menu, No. 3.=

Manhu Wheat Porridge. Tea or Coffee. Omelette aux Tomates, No. 82.
Potted White Haricots, No. 144. Stewed French Plums, No. 193.
Brown Bread. Honey. Jam. Butter. Fruit.

=Breakfast Menu, No. 4.=

Ixion Kornules. Tea or Coffee. Toast. Omelette aux Fines Herbes,
No. 87. Grilled Mushrooms. Brown Bread. Baked Apples. Butter.
Marmalade. Honey. Fruit.

=Breakfast Menu, No. 5.=

Manhu Barley Porridge. Tea or Coffee. Baked Stuffed Tomatoes, No.
104. Marmite Toast, No. 128. Stewed French Plums. Brown Bread.
Butter. Marmalade. Honey. Fruit.

=Breakfast Menu, No. 6.=

Granose Flakes with Hot Milk. Tea or Coffee. Savoury Rissoles, No.
98. Scrambled Eggs and Tomatoes, No. 88. Brown Bread. Stewed
Apples. Butter. Marmalade. Honey. Fruit.

=Breakfast Menu, No. 7.=

Manhu Wheat Porridge. Tea or Coffee. Granose Biscuits. Stewed
Figs. Fried Eggs and Mushrooms. Milanese Croquettes, No. 113.
Brown Bread. Butter. Marmalade. Fruit.

=Cold Luncheon Menu, No. 1.=

Oeufs Farcie en Aspic, No. 131. Salad & Mayonnaise Dressing, No.
156. Potted Meat Sandwiches, No. 152. Poached Apricots, No. 205.
Jellied Figs, No. 184. Milk Cheese, No. 155. Scotch Oat Cakes.
Coffee. Fruit.

=Cold Luncheon Menu, No. 2.=

Nut Galantine, No. 132. Salad and Mayonnaise Dressing, No. 156.
Egg and Cress Sandwiches, No. 148. Lemon Sponge, No. 206. Stewed
and Fresh Fruit. Camembert Cheese. Biscuits. Coffee.

=Luncheon Menu, No. 3.=

Mock Lobster Shapes in Aspic, No. 135. Tomato Salad. Egg
Sandwiches, No 147. Mock Chicken Rolls, No. 60. Orange Jelly, No.
212. Creamed Rice Moulds, No. 185. Gruyère Cheese. Biscuits. P. R.
Crackers. Coffee. Fruit.

=Luncheon Menu, No. 4.=

White Haricot Soup, No. 13. Mock Scallop Oysters, No. 24. Eggs
Florentine, No. 83. Cheese Soufflé. Fruit Tart. Custard. Cheese.
Fruit. Coffee.

=Luncheon Menu, No. 5.=

Tomato Soup, No. 6. Mock White Fish, No. 32. Walnut Cutlets, No.
34. Green Peas. Mashed Potatoes. Castle Puddings, No. 189.
Meringues. Cheese. Fruit. Coffee.

=Luncheon Menu, No. 6.=

Brazil Nut Soup, No. 8. Mock Oyster Patties, No. 25. Chestnut
Stew, No. 130. Creamed Macaroni, No. 70. Rice and Sultana Pudding,
No. 208. Apple Fritters, No. 210. Cheese. Fruit. Coffee.

=Luncheon Menu, No. 7.=

Julienne Soup, No. 9. Mock White Fish, No. 32. Savoury Golden
Marbles, No. 116. Brown Sauce, No. 174. French Beans. Stuffed
Vegetable Marrow, No. 112. Empress Pudding, No. 211. Cheese
Straws. Fruit. Coffee.

* * * * *

=Dinner Menu, No. 1.=

_Soups_--Mock Turtle Soup, No. 4. Dinner Rolls, No. 228.
_Fish_--Fillets of Mock Sole, No. 29. Sauce Hollandaise, No. 166.
_Rôti_--Nut Timbale, No. 65. Spinach Soufflé, No. 92. Potato
Croquettes, No. 117.
_Entrée_--Macaroni à la Turque, No. 67.
_Sweets_--Plum Pudding, No. 179. White Sauce, No. 167. Semolina
Moulds, No. 188.
_Dessert_--Muscatel Raisins. French Plums. Dry Ginger. Fruit and
Biscuits. Coffee.

=Dinner Menu, No. 2.=

_Soup_--Chestnut Soup, No. 2. Granose Biscuits. Dinner Rolls, No.
228.
_Fish_--Mock White Fish, No. 32.
_Rôti_--Mock Steak Pudding, No. 59. Parsley Sauce, No 164. Green
Peas. Potato Purée, No. 109.
_Entrée_--Spinach Soufflé, No. 92.
_Sweets_--Sultana and Ginger Pudding, No. 182. Cream, or Fruit
Sauce, No. 177. Jellied Figs, No. 184.
_Dessert_--Fruit. Salted Almonds, No. 129. Dry Ginger. Coffee.

=Dinner Menu, No. 3.=

_Soup_--Celery Soup, No. 16.
_Fish_--Omelet aux fine Herbes, No. 87.
_Rôti_--Chestnut and Mushroom Pudding, No. 59. Flaked Potatoes.
Brussels Sprouts Sauté, No. 102.
_Entrée_--Green Pea Soufflé, No. 93.
_Sweets_--Jam Roll. Stewed French Plums, No. 193.
_Dessert_--Fruit. Sultanas. Figs. Almonds. Coffee.

=Dinner Menu, No. 4.=

_Soup_--White Haricot Soup, No. 13. Croûtons.
_Fish_--Mock Oyster Patties, No. 25.
_Rôti_--Mock Sweetbread Quenelles, No. 43. Mashed Potatoes.
Cauliflower.
_Entrée_--Asparagus Soufflé, No. 96.
_Sweets_--Marmalade Pudding, No. 191. Vanilla Creams.
_Dessert_--Fruit. Dry Ginger. Biscuits. Coffee.

=Dinner Menu, No. 5.=

_Soup_--Green Lentil Soup, No. 10. Granose Biscuits.
_Fish_--Fried Chinese Artichokes, No. 27.
_Rôti_--Walnut Rissoles, No. 37. French Beans. Mashed Potatoes, No.
109.
_Entrée_--Omelet, No. 81. Spinach à la Crême, No. 91.
_Sweets_--Apple Custard, No. 201. Lemon Cheese Cakes, No. 218.
_Dessert_--Dry Ginger. Dates. Fruit. Fancy Biscuits. Coffee.

=Dinner Menu, No 6.=

_Soups_--Tomato Soup, No. 6. Fried Bread Dice.
_Fish_--Mock Scallop Oysters, No. 24.
_Rôti_--Purée of Walnuts, No. 40. Spinach à la Crême, No. 91. Mashed
Potatoes, No. 109.
_Entrée_--Macaroni Cutlets, No. 68.
_Sweets_--Empress Pudding, No. 211. Orange Jelly, No. 212.
_Dessert_--Dry Ginger. Fruit. Fancy Biscuits. Figs and Dates.
Coffee.

=Dinner Menu, No. 7.=

_Soup_--Artichoke Soup, No. 1. Granose Biscuits.
_Fish_--Green Artichokes, No. 26.
_Rôti_--Nut Croquettes, No. 41. Yorkshire Pudding, No. 119. Brown
Gravy, No. 162. Mashed Potatoes, No. 109.
_Entrée_--Baked Stuffed Tomatoes, No. 104.
_Sweets_--Fruit Salad, No. 180. Custard Moulds, No. 194.
_Dessert_--Fruit. Salted Almonds. Roast Pine Kernels. Dry Ginger.
Biscuits. Coffee.

=Hints to Housekeepers.=

A few simple hints to those who are trying the vegetarian recipes in this book may be useful.

Cooking utensils should be kept quite separate from those used for meat, fish or fowl.

Nut-oil or nut-butter should always be used for frying, and the right heat is known when a slight blue haze rises above the pan, or by dipping a finger of bread in the oil, when if hot enough it will at once fry brown and crisp. After frying it is always best to place the articles fried on some folded tissue paper to drain out the frying oil.

Marmite, Nutril and Carnos make good additions to stock for flavouring soups and gravies.

In this kind of cookery there is no waste, all the food is edible and anything that remains over from dishes can be put together and made into curries, stews, cottage pie, etc., etc.

Excellent Salads can be made by the addition of uncooked scraped and sliced carrots and beetroot; and also by chopping up very finely celery, Brussels sprouts, French beans, green peas, cabbage, parsley, onions, etc. The bright colours of these raw vegetables are most useful in decorating galantines and other cold dishes, and when arranged with regard to colour, make a most artistic garnishing and are most wholesome.

Pea nuts, pine kernels, and hazel nuts are much improved in flavour by being put in a baking pan in the oven until slightly browned.

Lemon juice is a good substitute for vinegar in all sauces.

For making a smooth soup it is a good plan to rub the vegetables after they are cooked through a very fine hair sieve.

In making cutlets a stick of macaroni should be inserted in the thin end of the cutlet to represent a bone, it may be fried or not with the cutlet.

From several years' experience I have found the non-flesh cookery is most economical, the expense being less than half that of the corresponding meat dishes.

=Margaret Carey=

=UNFIRED AND VITAL FOODS.=

The following practical information and suggestions will be found helpful by those who wish to test the advantages of living solely upon uncooked foods--as now recommended by so many progressive physicians, dietetic specialists, and teachers of hygiene. Although such a strictly simple and natural dietary may at first involve some gustatory self-denial, the benefits resulting from its use are declared by many who speak from personal experience to be well worthy of any inconvenience or sacrifice involved.

=List of Foods and Fruits. etc., that can be eaten uncooked.=

_Cheeses_--Camembert, Cheddar, Cheshire, Cream, Dutch, Gorgonzola,
Gruyère, Gloucester, Half-cheese, Pommel, Port Salut, Stilton,
St. Ivel, Wenslet, Wensleydale, Wiltshire, etc.

_Fruits_--(Dried) Apples, apricots, currants, dates, figs,
muscatels, peaches, prunes or French plums, pears, raisins,
sultanas, etc.

(Fresh) Apples, bananas, blackberries, currants, cantaloupes,
cherries, damsons, gooseberries, greengages, green figs, lemons,
melons, mulberries, nectarines, orange, pineapple, pears,
peaches, plums, pomegranates, quince, raspberries, strawberries,
tangerines, etc.

_Nuts_--(Fresh) Almonds, Barcelona, Brazil, cobs, coconuts,
filberts, Spanish, walnuts, etc.

(Shelled) Almonds, Barcelona, cashew, hazel, pea-nut, pine kernels,
walnuts, etc.

_Roots_--Artichokes, carrots, parsnips, turnips and potatoes (which
must be very finely grated).

_Vegetables_--Cabbage (red and white), cauliflower, corn salad,
cucumber, celery, chicory, endive, lettuce, leeks, mustard and
cress, onion, parsley, radishes, sprouts, spinach, salsify,
seakale, tomatoes, watercress, etc.

=RECIPES.=

_Nut-meat_--2-ozs. shelled nuts, 1-oz. bread, 1 tablespoonful of
milk. Put nuts and bread through a nut-mill. Mix together with
milk. Roll out thin and cut into shapes with glass. This is
sufficient for two. Look well over nuts before using, do not
blanch almonds but rub them well with a cloth.

_Unfired Pudding or Cakes_--1-oz. each of dates, sultanas, currants,
candied peel and French plums, and 2-ozs. nuts. Put all through
a nut-mill and mix well together. Roll out and make into cakes.
For a pudding, put mixture in a well greased basin, press down,
leave for an hour or so and turn out. If too moist add
breadcrumbs. Serve with cream.

_Unfired Dried Fruit Salad_--Ingredients as for pudding, but do not
put through a mill; chop all the fruit and nuts and serve dry
with cream.

_Dried Fruits_, such as French plums, peaches or apricots should be
put in soak for 12 hours. Do not cook.

SALADS.

_Brussels Sprouts_--Use hearts only, which cut into small pieces.

_Cabbage_--Use hearts only, which cut into small pieces.

_Cauliflower_--Use flower part only, which cut into small pieces.

_Chicory or Seakale_--Cut into small pieces.

_Lettuce_--In the usual way.

_Spinach and Mint_--Use leaves only, which cut up very small.

_Root Salad_--Carrots or beetroot and turnips. Peel and put through
a nut-mill and mix well together.

Most green salads are improved with the addition of radishes.

Salads can be mixed ad lib., but a greater variety of food is
secured by using one or two vegetables only at a time.

_Salad Dressing_--(1) Half a cup of oil, 1 tablespoonful of lemon
juice and the yolk of an egg. Mix egg with oil and add lemon
afterwards. (2) Half a cup of oil and one well mashed tomato
mixed well together.

_Flavourings_--For Nut-meat--Use grated lemon peel, mint, thyme or
grated onion. For Dried Fruit Pudding or Cake--Use ground
cinnamon, grated lemon peel, nutmeg, ground or preserved ginger.

=QUANTITIES.=

First meal at 11 o'clock--Per Person--approximately--

2-ozs. cheese.
2-ozs. dried Fruit.
3-ozs. salad or root salad.
2-ozs. brown bread, biscuits or unfired bread with butter.

Second meal at 7 o'clock--

2-ozs. nut-meat.
6-ozs. raw fruit.
3-ozs. salad.
2-ozs. brown bread, biscuits or unfired bread and butter.

It is well to drink only between meals, i.e., first thing in the
morning after dressing; between first and second meal; and before
going to bed. No alcohol or strong tea and coffee should be taken.

=SOME SUGGESTIVE MENUS.=

=_Spring--(March-April-May.)_=

=FIRST MEAL.=

SUNDAY--Tomato and Onion Salad. Cheese (St. Ivel). Unfired Pudding
and Cream.

MONDAY--Carrot and Beetroot Salad. Cheese (Pommel). Dried Figs.

TUESDAY--Onions. Cheese (Cheddar). Dates.

WEDNESDAY--Seakale Salad. Cheese (Gruyère). Raisins.

THURSDAY--Salsify Salad. Cheese (Camembert). Sultanas.

FRIDAY--Celery Salad. Cheese (Wiltshire). French Plums.

SATURDAY--Batavia. Cheese (Cheshire). Dried Apricots.

=SECOND MEAL.=

SUNDAY--Cucumber Salad. Nut-meat (Jordan Almonds). Fresh Fruit
Salad.

MONDAY--Endive Salad. Nut-meat (Hazel). Apples.

TUESDAY--Spring Cabbage Salad. Nut-meat (Pine Kernels). Oranges.

WEDNESDAY--Corn Salad and Radishes. Nut-meat (Cashew). Red Bananas.

THURSDAY--Watercress and Radishes. Nut-meat (Shelled Walnuts).
Tangerines.

FRIDAY--Spinach and Mint Salad. Nut-meat (Barcelona). Bananas
(Canary or Jamaica).

SATURDAY--Cauliflower Salad. Nut-meat (Peanuts). Fresh Cape Fruit.

=_Summer--(June-July-August.)_=

=FIRST MEAL.=

SUNDAY--Tomato and Parsley Salad. Cheese (Dutch). Peaches.

MONDAY--Carrot and Turnip Salad. Cheese (Cream). Apples.

TUESDAY--Spring Onion Salad. Cheese (Cheddar). Plums.

WEDNESDAY--Endive (summer) Salad. Cheese (Half-cheese). White
Currants.

THURSDAY--Cabbage Lettuce Salad. Cheese (Stilton). Pears.

FRIDAY--Seakale Salad. Cheese (Gorgonzola). Banana.

SATURDAY--Corn Salad & Radishes. Cheese (Gloucester). Raspberries.

=SECOND MEAL.=

SUNDAY--Cucumber Salad. Nut-meat (Pine Kernels). Fresh Fruit Salad.

MONDAY--Lettuce Salad. Nut-meat (Cashew). Strawberries.

TUESDAY--Watercress and Radishes. Nut-meat (Almonds). Red Currants.

WEDNESDAY--Summer Cabbage Salad. Nut-meat (Shelled Walnuts).
Greengages.

THURSDAY--Cauliflower and Mustard and Cress. Nut-meat (Hazels).
Gooseberries.

FRIDAY--Mixed Salad. Nut-meat (Barcelona). Black Currants.

SATURDAY--Lettuce and Radishes. Nut-meat (Peanuts). Cherries.

=_Autumn--(September-October-November.)_=

=FIRST MEAL.=

SUNDAY--Tomato Salad. Cheese or Fresh Almonds. Pineapple.

MONDAY--Carrots and Celery. Cheese or Fresh Cob Nuts. Damsons.

TUESDAY--Corn Salad and Radishes. Cheese or Filberts. Apples (Golden
Nobs).

WEDNESDAY--Brussels Sprouts Salad. Cheese or Barcelona Nuts. Melon.

THURSDAY--Onion Salad. Cheese or Brazil Nuts. Grapes (White).

FRIDAY--Endive Salad. Cheese or Fresh Walnuts. Bananas.

SATURDAY--Red Cabbage. Cheese or Hazel Nuts. Pears.

=SECOND MEAL.=

SUNDAY--Cucumber Salad. Nut-meat (Almonds). Fresh Fruit Salad.

MONDAY--Chicory Salad. Nut-meat (Hazel). Grapes (Black).

TUESDAY--Cabbage Lettuce Salad. Nut-meat (Pine Kernels). Pears.

WEDNESDAY--Celery. Nut-meat (Walnuts). Green Figs.

THURSDAY--Cauliflower Salad. Nut-meat (Cashew). Blackberries.

FRIDAY--Watercress and Radishes. Nut-meat (Barcelona). Quince.

SATURDAY--White Cabbage Salad. Nut-meat (Peanuts). Apples.

=_Winter--(December-January-February.)_=

=FIRST MEAL.=

SUNDAY--Tomato and Celery Salad. Cheese or Fresh Almonds. Dried
Fruit Salad.

MONDAY--Carrots and Artichokes. Cheese or Cob Nuts. Dried Figs.

TUESDAY--Onions. Cheese or Fresh Walnuts. Dates.

WEDNESDAY--Batavia. Cheese or Brazil Nuts. Raisins.

THURSDAY--Cauliflower Salad. Cheese or Filberts. Sultanas and
Currants.

FRIDAY--Red Cabbage Salad. Cheese or Barcelona Nuts. French Plums.

SATURDAY--Mixed Root Salad. Cheese or Spanish Nuts. Dried Peaches.

=SECOND MEAL.=

SUNDAY--Cucumber Salad. Nut-meat (Pine Kernels). Fresh Fruit Salad.

MONDAY--Celery Salad. Nut-meat (Hazel). Oranges.

TUESDAY--Winter Cabbage. Nut-meat (Almonds). Bananas.

WEDNESDAY--Corn Salad & Radishes. Nut-meat (Walnuts). Grapes.

THURSDAY--Cabbage Lettuce Salad. Nut-meat (Cashew). Red Bananas.

FRIDAY--Chicory Salad. Nut-meat (Peanuts). Tangerines.

SATURDAY--Endive Salad. Nut-meat (Barcelona). Apples.

The above Menus are compiled by the Misses Julie and Rose Moore.

=USEFUL DOMESTIC INFORMATION.=

A clove of garlic will give a very delicate and tasty flavour to many soups and other dishes. For soups it is only necessary to rub the tureen with the cut clove before the soup is poured in. For savoury dishes and stews one small clove may be boiled (after being peeled) in the stewpan for five minutes.

To remove the skins from tomatoes place them in boiling water for about two minutes.

Turnips taste much better if a little cream is added to them after being mashed.

Any cold green vegetable can be used to make a soufflé. It should be rubbed through a sieve, and then 1 or 2 well-beaten eggs should be added. A few drops of Tarragon vinegar may be used to change the flavour. (See Recipe 97).

Cheese should be crumbly, as it is then more easily digestible. It is a good plan to test it in the following manner:--First buy a small piece and melt a portion with milk in a double saucepan; if it has a granulated appearance it is safe to buy some more of the same cheese; if, on the contrary, it is tough and stringy, it should be avoided, as it will be found lacking in nutriment and will be very liable to cause digestive troubles.

Butter should be made to look dainty and appetising by being prepared for the table with butter pats. Small pieces can be twisted round to form the shape of a hollow shell. It may also be rolled into marbles and be garnished with parsley.

Parsley can be made a brilliant green by placing it in a cloth (after chopping), dipping it in cold water, and wringing it tightly in the hands, squeezing it with the fingers. For garnishing savoury puddings or fried potatoes, etc., this is worth knowing.

Parsley which has been used for garnishing, or which is in danger of going to seed, can be preserved green for seasoning purposes by placing it in the oven on a sheet of paper, and drying it slowly in such a manner that it does not burn; it should then be rubbed through a sieve and put into a bottle.

All boiled puddings should be allowed room to swell, or they may prove heavy when served.

Instead of chopping onions, a coarse nutmeg grater should be kept for the purpose, and the onion should be grated like lemon rind. This saves much time and labour and answers better for flavouring soups, gravies, or savouries of any kind.

The addition of some bicarbonate of soda to the water in which onions are boiled will neutralize the strong flavour of the oil contained in them, and prevent it from becoming troublesome to those with whom it disagrees.

Freshly cut vegetables are more digestible and wholesome than those which have been lying about in crates or shop windows. They also cook more quickly. The water in which vegetables have been boiled should be saved for stock for soups and gravies (except in the case of potatoes).

To prevent hard-boiled eggs from becoming discoloured, they should be plunged into cold water as soon as they are removed from the saucepan.

Those of my readers who wish to use unfermented and saltless breads and cakes can obtain the same from the Wallace P. R. Bakery. The purity of goods supplied from this factory can be depended upon.

When it is difficult to obtain pineapples for making fruit salads, the same enhanced flavour can be secured by adding some of Dole's Hawaiian Pineapple Juice.

To prevent the odour of boiled cabbage pervading the house, place a piece of bread in the saucepan.

Flaked nuts, if sprinkled over puddings, custards, trifles or jellies, greatly improve the flavour and appearance.

In the preparation of soups, stews, &c., the preliminary frying of the vegetables improves the flavour and dispenses with any insipidity. The oil should be fried until it is brown.

=HOW TO COOK VEGETABLES.=

=Artichokes= should be boiled until tender only. If over-boiled they become dark coloured and flavourless.

=Asparagus= should be cut into equal lengths and tied into bundles. These should be stood on end in a deep stewpan, leaving the tops about an inch above the water. When the stalks are tender the tops will be cooked also. This plan prevents the tops falling off through being over-cooked.

=Cabbage= should only be boiled until tender; if over-cooked it is pulpy and flavourless. Boiling too fast causes the unpleasant odour to be given off which is sometimes noticeable in a house when this vegetable is being cooked. The lid of the saucepan should not be used.

=Cauliflower= must not be boiled until its crispness is lost. It must be only just tender enough to eat. It can be served 'au gratin' (120), or as in recipe No. 121.

=Carrots= should be steamed, not boiled. The skins should then be wiped off and they should be served with a white or brown gravy. They are also nice if scraped, sliced and stewed in haricot broth (recipe 239). The smaller the carrots the more delicate will the flavour be.

=Kidney or Haricot Beans= need to be carefully trimmed so that all stringy parts are cut away. They should be boiled until tender, and no longer, and served with thin white sauce. The smaller and greener they are the better.

Old pods should remain unpicked until nearly ripe, when the solid beans can be used for haricot soup or entrées. The 'Czar' bean is the best to grow; it is the giant white haricot, and the seeds are delicious when picked fresh and cooked at once. There is the same difference between fresh and dried haricots, as between green and dried peas. Dried Haricots must be soaked in cold water for twelve hours before being cooked. They can then be stewed until tender--the water being saved for soup or stock.

=Vegetable Marrow= should be steamed or boiled in its jacket. The flavour is lost if this is removed before cooking.

=Mushrooms= should be fried very slowly in a small quantity of butter. They should be stirred during the process, and the heat employed must be very moderate indeed or they will be made tough. They can also be stewed, and served in the gravy when thickened with arrowroot.

=Potatoes= should be cooked in their jackets. To boil them in the best way, the water in the saucepan should be thrown away when they have been boiled for 5 minutes and cold water should be substituted. This plan equalises the cooking of the interior and exterior of the potatoes. When cooked they should be drained, a clean cloth should be placed over the pan and they should stand on the hot plate to dry. They should be lifted out separately, and should be unbroken and floury. Sodden potatoes ought to be regarded as evidence of incompetency on the part of the cook.

Potatoes baked in their jackets are considered by many to be preferable, and, as it is almost impossible to spoil them if this plan is adopted, it should be employed when the cook is inexperienced.

Fried potatoes, cooked in the Devonshire fashion, are nice for breakfast. It is best to remove some from the stewpan when half cooked on the previous day. These should be cut up in a frying pan in which a fair amount of butter has been melted, and the knife should be used while they cook. In a few minutes the potatoes should be well packed together, so that the under-side will brown; an inverted plate should then be pressed on them and the pan should be turned upside down while the plate is held in position with one hand. A neat and savoury-looking dish will thus be made, but over-cooking must be avoided previous to the browning process, or they will look sloppy.

Potatoes can be mashed with a little milk and butter. They should then be packed into a pretty shape and garnished with chopped parsley (109).

Another way of cooking them is to use the frying basket and dip them in very hot Nutter. They should either be cut into thin fingers previously, or else be half boiled and broken into pieces. This latter plan is perhaps best of all, and they are then termed "potatoes sauté," and are sprinkled with chopped parsley before being served.

A very savoury dish can be made by boiling some potatoes until nearly tender, and then putting them in a pie dish with small pieces of butter sprinkled over them; they should then be baked until nicely browned.

To make potatoes _white_ when cooked they should be steeped in cold water for two hours after peeling.

=Peas= should be placed in a covered jar with a little butter, and should be steamed until tender. No water is required in the jar. The pods, if clean and fresh, should be washed, slowly steamed, rubbed through a colander, and added to any soup or other suitable dish in preparation. Another method is to boil the peas with mint, salt, sugar and a pinch of bicarbonate of soda added to the water. Small young peas should always be chosen in preference to those which are old and large.

=Spinach= should be cooked according to the directions given in recipes 90 to 92, or 103.

=Beetroot= should be baked in the oven instead of being boiled. By this method the flavour is improved and the juices retained.

=LABOUR-SAVING APPLIANCES.=

Domestic work in the kitchen may be very much simplified and lightened if proper utensils are employed, and those who are able to do so should obtain the following appliances, in addition to those which are generally used:--

=The 'Dana' Nut-Mill.= This is used for making bread crumbs from crusts or stale bread; for flaking nuts and almonds, etc., so as to make them more easy of digestion, and nut-butter so as to make it mix more conveniently with dough when employed for making pastry and cheese--rendering it more readily digestible. This nut-mill may be obtained from G. Savage & Sons, 33, Aldersgate Street, London, E. C., and from Health Food Depôts (price 7/6). It serves the same purpose as a sausage machine as well.

=A Frying-Basket= is necessary for letting down rissoles, croquettes, cutlets, fritters, potato chips, etc., into the stewpan which is kept for frying purposes. The stewpan should be four or five inches deep, so as to avoid the possibility of the Nutter or vegetable fat bubbling over and catching fire upon the stove. Aluminium or nickel are the best metals.

=A Raisin Stoner.= It enables one to stone a large quantity of fruit in a very short time. Most ironmongers stock these machines.

=A Potato Masher.= Necessary for flaking potatoes and preparing haricot beans, peas, etc., for admixture in rissoles or croquettes. By this means the skins can be easily removed after they are cooked.

=A Wire Sieve= (about 1/8th-inch mesh). Useful for preparing spinach, and in many other ways which will suggest themselves to every cook.

=A Duplex Boiler.= For scalding milk by means of a steam jacket. It prevents burning, and boiling over. The =Gourmet Boiler= is a valuable cooking appliance of the same sort. Failing these a double saucepan is necessary.

=A Chopping Basin=--a wooden bowl with a circular chopper which fits it. This prevents the pieces from jumping off and lessens the time occupied. It is also less noisy and can be used while the operator is seated.

=A Vegetable Slicer.= The best appliance for this purpose is a combination tool--made so that one can slice carrots, etc., to any size and thickness, and also core apples, peel potatoes and perform other functions with it.

=A Metal Frying Pan.= A nickel, aluminium, or steel frying pan is almost a necessity. Enamel chips off very soon and is dangerous, as it may cause appendicitis.

=MEDICINAL AND DIETETIC QUALITIES.=

As it is important that those who adopt a reformed diet should know something about the dietetic and medicinal value of the articles they consume, the following information may prove helpful:--

=Apples= purify the blood, feed the brain with phosphorus, and help to eliminate urates and earthy salts from the system. As they contain a small amount of starch, and a good proportion of grape sugar combined with certain valuable acids, they constitute a most desirable and hygienic food for all seasons. They should be ripe and sweet when eaten. People who cannot digest apples in the ordinary way should scrape them, and thus eat them in _pulp_ rather than in _pieces_.

=Bananas= also contain phosphorus, and are consequently suitable for mental workers. They are easily digestible, and nutritious, being almost a food in themselves.

=French Plums= are judicious food for persons of nervous temperament and for those whose habits are sedentary; they prevent constipation, and are nutritious. They should be well stewed, and eaten with cream, Plasmon snow-cream, or Coconut cream (see recipe 224).

=Strawberries= contain phosphorus and iron, and are therefore especially desirable for mental workers and anæmic invalids.

=Tomatoes= are good for those who suffer from sluggish liver. The popular fallacy that they are liable to cause cancer, which was circulated by thoughtless persons some few years since, has been pronounced, by the highest medical authorities, to be unsupported by any evidence whatever, and to be most improbable and absurd. In the Island of Mauritius this fruit is eaten at almost every meal, and Bishop Royston stated that during his episcopate of eighteen years he only heard of one case of the disease.

=Lettuce= is soothing to the system and purifying to the blood. It should be well dressed with pure olive oil and wine vinegar (2 spoonfuls of oil to 1 of vinegar, well mixed together, with a pinch of sugar). A lettuce salad eaten with bread and cheese makes a nutritious and ample meal. The thin and tender-leaved variety (grown under glass if possible) should always be chosen.

=Figs= contain much fruit sugar which can be rapidly assimilated, and are very nourishing and easily digestible; when they can be obtained in their green state they are specially desirable. They may be considered one of the most valuable of all fruits, and are most helpful in many cases of sickness on account of their laxative medicinal properties.

=Dates= are very similar to figs, and are both sustaining and warming; they are easily digested if the skins are thin.

=Gooseberries=, =Raspberries=, =Currants= and =Grapes= are cooling and purifying food for hot weather; but, if unripe, they will often upset the liver. This type of fruit should not be eaten unless _ripe_ and _sweet_.

=Walnuts, Hazel and Brazil Nuts= contain a considerable amount of oil, and are consequently useful for warming the body and feeding and strengthening the nerves. Vegetable fat in this form is emulsified and more easily assimilated than free animal fats, as in butter, etc. Nuts are also rich in proteid matter. Where people find that they cannot masticate nuts, owing to impairment of teeth, the difficulty may be removed by passing the nuts through a 'Dana' nut-mill. When thus flaked and spread between thin slices of bread and butter, with honey, they make delicious sandwiches for lunch. A pinch of curry powder (instead of the honey) makes them taste savoury.

=Chestnuts= contain a larger proportion of starch, but are digested without difficulty when boiled in their jackets until fairly soft. If eaten with a pinch of salt they make a nice dish.

=Pineapples= are valuable for cases of diphtheria and sore-throat, as the juice makes an excellent gargle. This fruit is considered to aid digestion in certain cases.

=Cheese= is very rich in protein--far more so than lean beef. If well chosen, and new, it is a most valuable article of diet, and feeds brain, nerves, and muscles; but as it is a concentrated food it should not be taken in excessive quantity. Half a pound of cheese is almost equal to a pound of average flesh meat. The best varieties are Wenslet, Gruyère (very rich in phosphorus), Port Salut, Milk (155), Wensleydale, Cheshire and Cheddar.

=Protose, Nuttose=, and similar malted nut-meats, are more than equivalent to lean beef--minus water, waste products, and disease germs. The International Health Association first invented these valuable substitutes for animal food, and has an able advisory medical staff, therefore they may be regarded as results of modern dietetic research. Protose contains 25% protein and 14% fat.

=White Haricots= are rich in protein (far more so than lean meat), and should be eaten in moderation. Brown haricots contain iron in addition to their large percentage of protein.

=Lentils= are almost identical in composition, but are more suitable for those who do not have much physical toil.

=Peas= are slightly less nitrogenous than lentils and haricots, but otherwise very similar; they are best when eaten in a green form, and when young and tender. When they are old the peas should always be passed through a potato masher, as the skins are very indigestible.

=Macaroni= contains starch and a certain amount of the gluten of wheat. Some of the best varieties are made with eggs as well as flour. Tomato sauce is the best accompaniment to it, with Parmesan or grated and melted cheese (see recipes 66 to 71).

=Rice= as usually sold consists chiefly of starch, but if unglazed and _once milled_, it is much more nourishing, as the cuticle of the cereal (which is rich in gluten and protein) is then left on it. The addition of cheese or eggs, makes it a more complete food (see recipes 72 to 80).

=Potatoes= consist principally of starch and water, with a certain amount of potash. Their dietetic value is not high.

=Wholewheat Bread= contains, in addition to its starch, much vegetable albumen, and a large supply of mineral salts, such as phosphates, etc. It is, therefore, when light and well cooked, of high dietetic value both for flesh-forming and nerve feeding. Physical workers should use it as a staple article of food, and mental workers will also find it most helpful. The coarser the brown flour, the more laxative is the influence of the bread. This is point worth noting.

=Eggs= are nutritive chiefly on account of the albumen which they contain in the white portion, but they are liable to cause digestive trouble, and they must not be taken too freely by those who are subject to biliousness and constipation. Such persons often find it advantageous to have them boiled quite hard.

=Emprote= (Eustace Miles proteid Food) contains the proteids of wheat and milk (35%), with digestible Carbohydrates (45.2%), fat (6.6%), and assimilable salts (7.9%). It makes a good addition to soups, beverages, and dishes lacking in protein.

=Nuto-Cream Meat= is a modern substitute for white meat and poultry, containing 19.7% protein, 48% fat, and 23% Carbohydrates. It is made from nuts and corn, and is useful for invalids and young children.

=Milk= contains nearly all the elements necessary for repairing bodily waste. It should be scalded for half-an-hour in a double saucepan--to destroy tubercular and other germs. If then allowed to stand for 12 hours, clotted cream can be skimmed off (as in Devonshire) and the milk can be used next day. It keeps much longer after being thus scalded. Dried milk is now procurable in such forms as 'Lacvitum' and 'Plasmon.'

=Celery= is a useful blood purifier, and is valuable in all cases of rheumatism, gout, &c. Celery salt is a valuable addition to soups and savoury dishes, and is preferable to common salt.

=Spinach= contains a considerable quantity of iron in a readily assimilable form, and is, therefore, good for anæmic persons.

=Onions= have a wonderfully improving effect upon the skin and complexion if eaten raw, and they act powerfully as diuretics.

=HYGIENIC INFORMATION.=

[Sidenote: =How to Keep Young.=]

Old age is accompanied by the accumulation in the body of certain earthy salts which tend to produce ossification. The deposit of these in the walls of the arteries impedes the circulation, and produces senility and decrepitude. Flesh-food accelerates this process, but the juices of fruits, and distilled or soft water, dissolve out these deposits. The older one becomes the more freely should one partake of fruit and soft water.

The more juicy fruit we consume, the less drink of any kind we require, and the water contained in fruit is of Nature's purest and best production.

Frequent bathing and the occasional use of the vapour bath also help to eliminate these deposits, and those whose skins are never made to perspire by wholesome exercise in the open air must cause this healthful operation to take place by other means--or pay the penalty which Nature exacts.

[Sidenote: =Food and Climate.=]

Vegetable oils and fats produce heat and build up the nerves. We require a much larger amount of food containing fat in cold weather and in cold climates than in warm weather and in warm climates. By producing fruits in profusion in the summer-time Nature provides for the satisfaction of our instinctive desire for such simple and cooling diet when the temperature is high. But in winter-time more cheese, butter, olive oil, or nuts, should be eaten every day.

[Sidenote: =Cancer and Flesh-eating.=]

The latest declarations of some of the principal British medical authorities on 'Cancer' are to the effect that people become afflicted with this disease through the excessive consumption of animal flesh. The alimentary canal becomes obstructed with decomposing matter, toxic elements are generated and absorbed in the system, and cancerous cellular proliferation ensues. It is noteworthy that fruitarians are scarcely ever afflicted with this disease, and that a strict fruitarian dietary (uncooked) has often proved curative. See pages 133 and 166.

[Sidenote: =How to avoid Dyspepsia.=]