Specially Prepared Health Foods
O blessed health! thou art above all gold and treasure. He who has thee has little more to wish for; and he who is so wretched as to want thee, wants everything with thee.—Sterne.
Give a wise man health, and he will give himself every other thing.—Colton.
It is health that makes your meat savory, your drink palatable, your sleep refreshing, your delights delightful, and your pleasures pleasurable.—Combe.
The world is in need of knowledge how to prepare and use simple, inexpensive, healthful foods. As diseases increase in the animal creation, it will be more and more necessary for those who desire to preserve their health to come back to the diet originally given to man,—a diet consisting chiefly of fruits, grains, and nuts, and various legumes, roots, and herbs. At the rate disease is increasing at the present time, it will not be long before it will be unsafe to use animal products of any kind. It is well, therefore, for all to learn how to prepare foods without them.
Various nut, cereal, and legume preparations well supply the place of flesh-meats. The different nut and vegetable oils take the place of butter, cream, and other animal fats.
In the use of nuts, care should be taken not to use them too freely, as they are a very rich and concentrated form of food. Eaten sparingly in their natural state in connection with the meals, or properly combined with other less concentrated foods, they fill an important place in a natural dietary.
A little experience in the use of vegetable oils will convince any one that they are not only palatable, but far more cleanly and wholesome than many of the ordinary fats used in cooking.
The following recipes are designed to aid especially in preparing foods in this manner:—
PEANUT BUTTER
Put the shelled peanuts in a pan in a slow oven, leaving the door slightly ajar; allow to stay in till so dry that the hulls will rub off easily, but in no case allow to brown or burn. When sufficiently dry, put into a bag, tie up closely, and knead or roll on a table with the hands until the husks are well loosened; separate the husks from the nuts by turning from one pan into another in the wind. Grind, and cook for several hours in a double boiler with no water added to the nuts. Put away to use as occasion requires.
PEANUT CREAM
Mix one tablespoonful of nut butter with two or three spoonfuls of water to a smooth cream; then add one-half cupful of water, a little salt, and stir well together.
PEANUT MILK
Make the same as peanut cream, only add more water.
ALMOND BUTTER
Pour boiling water over the shelled nuts, and let stand from three to five minutes; then drain, and slip off the husks with thumb and finger. Put in a warm place till thoroughly dry; grind, and put away for future use.
ALMOND MILK AND CREAM
Proceed the same as with peanut cream and milk, only using a little more water.
COCOANUT MILK AND CREAM
Select good cocoanuts with milk in them. Let the milk out of the soft eye; then, holding the nut in the left hand, strike sharp, quick blows with a hammer or iron bar on the meridian line, causing the nut to revolve by tossing it up slightly, when it will break in halves. Grate on an iron or steel cocoanut scraper, made as shown in accompanying cut, placing the scraper board across a chair, with a pan upon the floor to catch the grated nut, while the operator sits upon the board, takes half of the broken nut in the hollow of both hands, scraping it back and forth over the sharp teeth till all the meat has been finely scraped from the shell. For each grated nut pour over a quart of hot water; stir well, then squeeze and strain through a strong, coarse cloth. Empty the cocoanut from the cloth into a saucepan, pour over a little more hot water, stir, and strain through the cloth a second time, to get out all the milk. This makes cocoanut milk. Using half the quantity of water makes good cream; or let the milk stand an hour and skim off the top for thick cream.
COCOANUT-OIL
Cocoanut-oil can generally be purchased in the market from wholesale druggists, though it is sometimes difficult to get that which is not rancid. It can be made by taking the cream from a half dozen or dozen nuts, treated as above, only allowing the milk to stand over night before skimming, and boiling the cream in an iron vessel, without stirring, until all the water is evaporated. When done, the sediment will be found browned, and adhering to the bottom of the vessel. Bottle, and set away for use.
Ko-nut is a pure, refined cocoanut-oil, which does not turn rancid, and is, therefore, very nice, and far preferable to the cocoanut-oil ordinarily obtainable for cooking purposes.
VEGETABLE OIL
There are various good cooking oils, among which may be mentioned Wesson’s Cooking Oil, and Fairbank’s White Cooking Oil, both refined products of cottonseed-oil. Olive-oil may also be used in cooking.
HOME-MADE GRANOLA
Take slices of brown, white, or whole wheat bread, place in a moderate oven until a light brown, break in pieces, and grind coarsely through a mill. Or, take a cup each of wheat-meal and white flour, one-half cup each of corn-meal and rolled oats or corn-meal and rye flour, and enough cold water to make a stiff dough; knead well, roll thin, cut in squares, and bake until dry and brittle; grind coarsely, and serve with thin cream, hot or cold milk, cocoanut milk, or fruit juice; or to each pint of boiling milk or water stir in one cupful of granola, add a little salt, cook a few minutes, and serve.
NUTMEAT
Take one cup of peanut butter, one and one-half cups hot water, three heaping tablespoonfuls of gluten, and one level teaspoonful of salt. Mix all well together, and cook in a double boiler from four to five hours. A small onion grated fine and a teaspoonful of powdered sage may be added if desired.
PROTOSE STEAK
Cut protose into slices half an inch thick. Lay on an oiled tin and place in the oven until nicely browned.
PROTOSE CUTLETS
Take one pound of protose and cut into slices three or four inches long and one inch wide, lay on an oiled tin, and place in the oven till well heated; have ready an egg well beaten, to which add a sprinkle of salt; take the protose from the oven, and dip each piece in the beaten egg, then roll in fine bread crumbs, place back on the pan, and set in the oven until nicely browned.
NUT GRAVY
Blend one tablespoonful of nut butter with a little water; stir it into a pint of boiling water; salt, and thicken with two tablespoonfuls of browned flour moistened with cold water; boil five or ten minutes. A few spoonfuls of stewed, strained tomatoes will improve it. Nice with vegetables or toasts.
EGGS IN NEST ON ZWIEBACK
Take six eggs, or as many as required, break, and separate, by putting all the whites in one bowl and each yolk in a cup by itself containing a spoonful or two of cold water. Moisten six slices of zwieback by pouring over them hot water and quickly draining, and place side by side in a large shallow baking pan. Beat the whites of the eggs until very stiff, and place an equal amount on top of each slice of zwieback. Make a hollow in the center of the whites, lift the yolks out of the water from the cups with a tablespoon, being careful not to break them, and place a yolk in each hollow. Sprinkle over a little salt, and place in the oven until the whites are a delicate brown. Serve as soon as done. A nice dish for the sick.