2 slices bacon3 tablespoons finely chopped onion1 tablespoon molasses1½ tablespoons catsup¼ teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon powdered dry mustard½ teaspoon worcestershire sauce, if desired2 to 3 cups canned or cooked dry beansFry bacon, remove from pan, and cook onion for a few minutes in bacon fat.Add molasses, catsup, salt, mustard, and worcestershire sauce.Add beans and mix lightly. Pour into a baking dish. Crumble bacon and sprinkle over the top.Bake 20 minutes at 350°F. (moderate oven). Or heat in a fry pan on top of range, and serve with bacon crumbled over the top.Menu SuggestionServe with hot cornbread, carrot and cabbage slaw, with baked custard for dessert.For VarietyHot Bean Salad.—Omit molasses, add ¼ cup vinegar and ¼ cup water, and cook until the liquid is absorbed. To complete the meal serve quick-cooked green cabbage, crisp strips of celery and carrots, and pumpkin pie with cheese.Creole Beans.—To 2 cups cooked beans add ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ cup each chopped green pepper and onion, and 1 cup canned tomatoes. Bake at 350° F. (moderate oven) 1 hour.Soybean chop suey1 green pepper, shredded1½ cups shredded onion1½ tablespoons cooking fat or oil¾ cup diced celery1½ cups cooked dry soybeans1½ cups meat broth½ teaspoon salt2 teaspoons cornstarch2 tablespoons water1 cup quartered radishes or sliced carrotsSoy sauceCook green pepper and onion in the fat or oil in a fry pan 3 or 4 minutes, turning them often.Add celery, soybeans, broth, and salt. (Canned bouillon or bouillon cubes and water may be used in place of broth.)Cover and simmer 5 to 8 minutes.Blend cornstarch with water, stir into the mixture, and cook until thickened. Add radishes or carrots and soy sauce to taste.Menu SuggestionServe with hot flaky rice, pineapple and cottage cheese salad, with ice cream for dessert.Another Soybean RecipeSoybean Souffle.—To 2 cups cooked dry soybeans, ground or sieved, add 2 beaten egg yolks. Season with chopped onion, parsley, salt, and pepper. Fold in stiffly beaten whites of eggs. Pour into a greased baking dish and bake at 350°F. (moderate oven) about 30 minutes or until set.Bean chowder1 cup dry beans1 quart water¾ cup chopped carrots¾ cup cooked or canned tomatoes, or 1 cup chopped raw tomatoes1 onion, finely chopped⅓ cup shredded green pepper1 tablespoon flour1½ cups milkSalt and pepperBoil beans in water for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and soak 1 hour or overnight.Cook beans in covered pan until they begin to soften. Add vegetables; cook until tender.Mix flour with a little water and stir into vegetables. Cook 10 minutes longer, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.Add milk and seasonings, heat to boiling, and serve.Menu SuggestionServe with a peanut-and-fruit salad—sections of grapefruit and orange—and for dessert, prune whip with custard sauce.For VarietyBaked Bean Chowder.—Use leftover baked beans. Cook ¾ cup diced carrots, ⅓ cup green pepper, and 1 onion in 1½ cups water, until tender. Add ¾ cup canned tomatoes, 2 cups baked beans, and seasonings, and reheat. Blend 1 tablespoon flour and 2 tablespoons cold water and stir into the vegetables. Cook 10 minutes. Add 1½ cups of milk; reheat.Savory bean stew1 cup dry beans or whole peas1 quart water¼ cup diced salt pork⅓ cup chopped onion½ pound chopped beef2 to 2½ cups cooked or canned tomatoes, or 2½ to 3 cups chopped raw tomatoesSalt and pepperBoil beans or peas in the water 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and soak 1 hour or overnight.Fry salt pork until crisp, remove from pan, and brown onion in the fat. Add meat and stir and cook slowly a few minutes.Combine all ingredients, season, and simmer until meat is tender and flavors are blended.Menu SuggestionServe with squash, a shredded raw vegetable salad, and lemon sponge pudding.For VarietyChili Con Carne.—Add 2 to 4 teaspoons chili powder and a little garlic to recipe. Red kidney, and the pink beans of the West, are favorites for this dish.Hopping John.—Add ½ cup dry blackeye peas to 2¼ cups ham broth. Boil 2 minutes, soak 1 hour or overnight. Cook covered until almost tender. Add ½ cup raw rice, ½ cup chopped cooked ham. Cook gently 20 to 30 minutes. The broth should be almost gone when the rice is tender.Bread and other cereal foods ...uncaptionedBread and other cereal foods are truly the staff of life for some families and are used for all or part of the main dish for many of their meals. Griddlecakes, toast, or oatmeal is a favorite breakfast dish. And sandwiches, spaghetti, or macaroni may form the bulk of a noon or evening meal.Bread and other cereal foods do not provide large amounts of protein in any one serving. But, because we eat bread and other cereals so often, grain foods contribute a fourth of the protein in diets in this country. The cereal foods also contribute to our diets more calories, more iron, and more thiamine than any other group of foods.Grains cannot make an adequate main dish unless eaten in large quantities or combined with protein-rich foods.A few figures on grain proteins may be helpful. A pound loaf of whole-wheat bread contains a little less than three-fourths as much protein as a pound of beef with a moderate amount of fat and bone. You would need to eat one-third of the loaf, seven or eight slices, for as much protein as you get in a fourth pound of the meat—an average serving.A pound loaf of white bread contains somewhat less protein than a pound whole-wheat loaf. The use of nonfat dry milk solids in bread increases quantity and quality of proteins slightly.Proteins from bread and other cereal foods are not of as high quality as proteins of animal products, although some are better than others. You can somewhat increase the protein values obtained from cereals by using whole-wheat bread and whole-grain breakfast cereals and by adding corn germ or wheat germ to other cereals. Milk, eggs, soy flour or grits, meat, or fish help to bring up the protein content and protein value of a cereal main dish.Familiar examples of the cereal-extended main dishes are creamed chicken or fish—or meat in brown sauce—served with toast, noodles, spaghetti, rice, or hominy grits. Other popular combinations of cereals with high-protein foods are scrapple, macaroni or rice with cheese, eggs with toast, and meat loaf or patties with breadcrumbs. And we are also extending high-protein foods with cereals when we add biscuit to the meat stew, dumplings to stewed chicken, and waffles to the breakfast or supper sausages.Oatmeal griddlecakes with sausages2 cups milk2 cups quick-cooking oats⅓ cup sifted flour2½ teaspoons baking powder1 teaspoon salt2 eggs, separated⅓ cup cooking fat or oilCooked sausagesHeat milk and pour it over the oats. Allow to cool.Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.Beat egg yolks and add to oat mixture. Add melted fat or oil and stir in dry ingredients.Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.Drop the batter by spoonfuls on a hot greased griddle. When the surface is covered with bubbles, turn and brown on the other side. Oatmeal griddlecakes take longer to brown than plain griddlecakes.Menu SuggestionServe the griddlecakes with sirup and the sausages. The rest of the meal may be a large fruit and carrot salad and gingerbread.For VarietyApple Griddlecakes.—Add ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and 1 cup finely chopped, pared apples to the batter before adding egg whites.French toast with tomato-meat sauce2 eggs⅓ cup milk¼ teaspoon salt8 slices breadCooking fat or oilBeat eggs, add milk and salt. Dip bread quickly into mixture. Brown on both sides in a little fat or oil, using moderate heat.Tomato-meat sauce2 cups canned tomatoes or 2½ cups chopped raw tomatoes½ pound chopped raw beef2 tablespoons chopped onion2 tablespoons chopped green pepperCooking fat or oil1 tablespoon flourSalt and pepperIf using raw tomatoes cook them until soft. Press tomatoes through a sieve.Brown beef, onion, and green pepper in the fat or oil. Blend in the flour, add tomatoes slowly. Season. Cook and stir over low heat until as thick as desired.Menu SuggestionServe with a green vegetable, peanut and cabbage salad, and fruit and cheese for dessert.For VarietyServe the toast with cheese sauce and omit dessert cheese.Whole-wheat scrapple2 pounds fresh pork (bony cut)1½ quarts water1½ cups uncooked fine whole-wheat cereal1 small onion, chopped fineSalt and pepperCook pork slowly in the water until the meat drops from the bones. Strain off the broth.Separate bones from meat, taking care to get out all the tiny pieces. Cut meat fine.Add water to the broth, if necessary, to make 1 quart. Bring to boil and slowly stir in the cereal. Cook until the mixture is thickened, stirring constantly.Add meat and onion. Cook 15 minutes longer, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper.Pour the mixture into loaf pans and let stand until cool and firm.To serve, slice scrapple and brown slowly on both sides in a hot fry pan. If the scrapple is rich with fat, extra fat is not needed for browning.Menu SuggestionServe with baked sweetpotatoes, scalloped or fried apples or applesauce, a green salad, and lemon meringue pie.For VarietyOne cupcornmealmay be used instead of 1½ cups whole-wheat cereal.Rice with chicken1½ cups diced leftover cooked chickenChicken bonesSalt1 onion, chopped fine1½ tablespoons chicken fat½ cup raw riceGrated cheeseThis dish may be made with more or less than 1½ cups chicken, but this amount is needed to give enough protein for a main dish for four persons.Cover bones with water and simmer an hour or longer. Drain off the broth. Add any leftover chicken gravy and water, if needed, to make 1 quart broth. Add salt to taste.In a large fry pan, cook onion a few minutes in chicken fat, add broth. When it boils up rapidly, add the rice slowly.Cover the pan. Simmer rice about 25 minutes or until the grains swell and become soft. Stir with a fork from time to time to keep the rice from sticking.By the time the rice is done, it will have absorbed the broth, and the grains will be large and separate. Then add the pieces of chicken and more salt if needed. Turn mixture onto a hot platter, and sprinkle generously with grated cheese.Menu SuggestionServe with spinach and hard-cooked egg, celery and carrot sticks, fruit pickle, and apple or peach dumpling or pie.Noodles, western style3 ounces noodles (about 1¼ cups broken noodles)½ small green pepper, diced1½ tablespoons bacon fat or meat drippings1½ tablespoons flour2 cups cooked or canned tomatoes, or 2½ cups raw tomatoes cut in pieces1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley1 cup chipped corned beef, spiced ham, or dried beef¼ teaspoon saltPepperCook noodles 10 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain.Cook green pepper in fat in large fry pan until tender.Blend in flour and add other ingredients. Simmer 5 minutes to thicken. Add salt and pepper.Add noodles and simmer 10 minutes longer.Menu SuggestionServe with cooked cabbage sprinkled with cheese, and cooked carrots. Add a salad of apple, celery, and raisins, and have jellyroll for dessert.Noodles in Another WayNoodle Omelet.—Drain the cooked noodles; fry in a little fat or oil until golden brown. Add to 4 eggs, lightly beaten and seasoned with salt and pepper. Turn back into fry pan, and cook slowly until brown on bottom and set on top. Fold onto a hot platter.Tamale pie1 cup cornmeal3 cups boiling water1½ teaspoons salt1 onion, chopped1 green pepper, chopped3 tablespoons cooking fat or oil¾ pound chopped raw meat, or 1½ cups chopped cooked meat1½ cups drained canned or cooked tomatoesChili powder and salt to tasteStir cornmeal slowly into rapidly boiling salted water. Bring to boil over direct heat. Cover, and cook 45 minutes over boiling water, stirring occasionally.Cook onion and green pepper in fat or oil until tender; remove. Add meat to fat. If raw meat is used, cook until done.Add remaining ingredients and heat thoroughly.Pour a layer of the cooked cornmeal into a greased baking dish, add meat mixture, and cover with the rest of the cornmeal.Bake at 400° F. (hot oven) 30 minutes.Menu SuggestionServe with crisp green salad with cheese dressing, and cherry tart.Other Meat PiesLeftover meat, gravy, and cooked vegetables may be used in meat pies. Heat together, put into a baking dish, and cover with rounds of baking-powder biscuit dough. Bake at 450° F. (very hot oven).Lunch-box main dishes ...uncaptionedPacking a really good lunch-box meal—one that is high in important food values and in appetite appeal—takes more careful planning than many a meal that goes on the family table. For lunch-box foods are necessarily limited to those that can be held for several hours without spoiling or losing their freshness. But there are foods that pack well, and ways to vary them, so packed lunches need not be monotonous.Sandwiches tend to be the “backbone” of the lunch-box meal. And when the fillings are high in protein foods—meats, eggs, cheese, fish, peanut butter, baked beans—they really are main dishes. To increase the protein value of these sandwiches, be generous with the filling. One-fourth cup of filling, spread clear to the edge of the bread, or 2 slices of meat or cheese, is not too much. Salmon or egg salad on a roll is a better main dish and more appetizing if part of the roll is scooped out to make room for more filling. Use centers as bread crumbs.Provide variety in sandwiches by using different kinds of bread. For instance, “cheese on rye” is a favorite, but cheese on raisin bread or Boston brown bread may be a welcome change.Vary the fillings—spread salad dressing or prepared mustard, topped with sliced cucumber or a lettuce leaf, over the meat or cheese; spread a thin layer of jelly over the peanut butter. Try different kinds of cheese. Or make a cheese spread: Put cheese through the food chopper and add jam or mashed cooked fruit, or salad dressing with chopped onion or sweet pickle.For food value and variety, pack a salad of raw fruits or vegetables with the sandwich lunch. If the sandwiches are a little low in protein, include cottage cheese in the salad. Even with dressing and greens, salad travels well in a covered container of paper, glass, or plastic.Hot soups, stews, or chowders—made with meats, fish, or beans—are good winter additions to the sandwich lunch. An individual-size insulated bottle or wide-mouth container for them may be a good investment, if these hot dishes cannot be bought at school or at work.Moist, soft sandwich filling or salad mixtures made with finely chopped meat, eggs, or fish with salad dressing spoil quickly when temperatures are high. Refrigerate all such mixtures immediately after buying or making them and use them within 2 days. Lunches containing these mixtures are best refrigerated if they have to stand more than 3 or 4 hours before they are eaten.SaladsHam and Egg.—For each serving, use 1 chopped hard-cooked egg, ¼ cup chopped cooked ham. Add onion, celery, green pepper, pickle, and salad dressing to taste.Meat and Macaroni.—Mix equal parts of cooked meat and macaroni. Add chopped pickles and celery and moisten with salad dressing.Meat and Bean.—Use shredded chipped beef, or chopped cooked corned beef. Mix with any kind of cooked dry beans; add diced onion and tart dressing.Potato With Meat.—Mix cut-up ham or crumbled bacon with potatoes. Add cut-up pickles, celery, onion, and salad dressing.Meat and Fruit.—Mix any cut-up cooked meat with celery and raisins or raw dried apricots. Add salt and salad dressing as needed.Egg and Beet.—Combine sliced hard-cooked eggs and pickled beets. Add shredded endive or other salad greens. Pack dressing separately.Kidney Bean.—Combine drained cooked kidney beans, cut-up celery, dill pickles, and cubed cheese. Add mayonnaise.Fish.—Shred leftover cooked fish—halibut, salmon, or sardines. Combine with cut-up celery, cooked peas, lemon juice, and salad dressing.Chicken.—Mix equal parts of cut-up cooked chicken and crisp celery. Add salad dressing and thin slices of sweet pickle or stuffed olives.Sandwich fillingsSliced Meat or Cheese.—Use two slices with vegetables between. Good combinations are: Beef with parsley or thinly sliced tomato and salad dressing; tongue with watercress and salad dressing or prepared mustard; cheese with either of the above combinations, or with jam, jelly, or marmalade.Bacon.—Crumble crisp fried bacon, and add it to one of the following: Cottage cheese, sliced tomato, diced hard-cooked egg, raw carrots, onion, sweet or dill pickles.Baked Bean.—Mash cold baked beans and moisten with thick chili sauce. Add diced sweet pickle and thinly sliced onion or cucumber.Peanut Butter.—Mix equal parts of peanut butter and chopped raisins or other raw dried fruit. Or, mix the peanut butter with diced pickle and chopped onion.Cheese Salad.—Dice cheese fine. Add a little chopped onion and green pepper or parsley, season, and moisten with salad dressing.Cottage Cheese.—Mix cottage cheese with cut-up celery, a little grated carrot, diced pickles, and nuts.Fish.—Mix flaked cooked fish with chopped cabbage, salad dressing, and salt to taste. Or mash sardines with hard-cooked egg.Egg.—Combine diced hard-cooked egg, celery, and pickles with prepared mustard and salad dressing.Other main dishes for the lunch boxHot Soup.—Add thin slices of frankfurter or Vienna sausage to split-pea or bean soup. Pack some cheese to go with vegetable or cream soup or corn chowder. Heat soups very hot; pack in insulated container.Meat Stews.—A favorite stew with vegetables and gravy, kept hot in an insulated container until lunch time, is a welcome winter dish.Baked Beans, Corned Beef Hash, Creamed Meats, or Eggs.—These are cold-weather dishes. Pack hot in special insulated container.Cheese.—A large slice of cheese or serving of cottage cheese teams well with fruit in summer lunches.Deviled Eggs.—Mash, season, and moisten hard-cooked egg yolks as usual. Add finely chopped peanuts or cooked meat before stuffing the egg whites with the yolk mixture.Chicken or Chop.—Yesterday’s drumstick or pork chop makes a main dish to eat out of hand.Sliced Meat.—Spread two slices of ham or other meat with chopped vegetables and salad dressing. Roll, and fasten with toothpicks.Smoked Fish.—Bone and skin pieces; pack by themselves. Drain oil-packed sardines; wrap well.Luncheon Meats.—Many ready-to-serve meats—liver sausage, bologna, salami, spiced meat loaves—give as high protein value per pound as fresh meats. Keep cold, add to lunch last.To complete the lunch-box mealPlan the lunch-box meal to include contrasts in flavors and textures. It is more appetizing when it contains something moist to offset the dry foods, tart foods to offset the sweet, and crisp foods as well as soft.Relishes.—Raw vegetables and pickles add crispness to the sandwich lunch. Try carrot and celery sticks, pieces of cauliflower or turnip, sliced cucumber or onion, or crisp lettuce leaves rolled together.Desserts.—With soup or salad, use cake or cookies for contrast. If the main dish is sandwiches, choose a juicy fresh fruit.Fresh fruits are easy to pack and popular. As a change from the often-used apples, oranges, and bananas, try plums, grapes, and pears in season.Baked and canned fruits travel well in covered containers—glass, plastic, or paper. Try an occasional baked pear or peach, as well as apple.Sweet fruit desserts like pie or fruitcake or fruit-filled cookies taste best after a tart salad or a milk-flavored soup.Baked custards are good to use when the main dish is low in protein. It is best not to use cake with cream filling, or cream pie or cream puffs. The fillings spoil easily in hot weather, or even in winter if the lunch is not kept in a cool place.
2 slices bacon3 tablespoons finely chopped onion1 tablespoon molasses1½ tablespoons catsup¼ teaspoon salt¼ teaspoon powdered dry mustard½ teaspoon worcestershire sauce, if desired2 to 3 cups canned or cooked dry beans
2 slices bacon
3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon molasses
1½ tablespoons catsup
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon powdered dry mustard
½ teaspoon worcestershire sauce, if desired
2 to 3 cups canned or cooked dry beans
Fry bacon, remove from pan, and cook onion for a few minutes in bacon fat.
Add molasses, catsup, salt, mustard, and worcestershire sauce.
Add beans and mix lightly. Pour into a baking dish. Crumble bacon and sprinkle over the top.
Bake 20 minutes at 350°F. (moderate oven). Or heat in a fry pan on top of range, and serve with bacon crumbled over the top.
Serve with hot cornbread, carrot and cabbage slaw, with baked custard for dessert.
Hot Bean Salad.—Omit molasses, add ¼ cup vinegar and ¼ cup water, and cook until the liquid is absorbed. To complete the meal serve quick-cooked green cabbage, crisp strips of celery and carrots, and pumpkin pie with cheese.
Creole Beans.—To 2 cups cooked beans add ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ cup each chopped green pepper and onion, and 1 cup canned tomatoes. Bake at 350° F. (moderate oven) 1 hour.
1 green pepper, shredded1½ cups shredded onion1½ tablespoons cooking fat or oil¾ cup diced celery1½ cups cooked dry soybeans1½ cups meat broth½ teaspoon salt2 teaspoons cornstarch2 tablespoons water1 cup quartered radishes or sliced carrotsSoy sauce
1 green pepper, shredded
1½ cups shredded onion
1½ tablespoons cooking fat or oil
¾ cup diced celery
1½ cups cooked dry soybeans
1½ cups meat broth
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
1 cup quartered radishes or sliced carrots
Soy sauce
Cook green pepper and onion in the fat or oil in a fry pan 3 or 4 minutes, turning them often.
Add celery, soybeans, broth, and salt. (Canned bouillon or bouillon cubes and water may be used in place of broth.)
Cover and simmer 5 to 8 minutes.
Blend cornstarch with water, stir into the mixture, and cook until thickened. Add radishes or carrots and soy sauce to taste.
Serve with hot flaky rice, pineapple and cottage cheese salad, with ice cream for dessert.
Soybean Souffle.—To 2 cups cooked dry soybeans, ground or sieved, add 2 beaten egg yolks. Season with chopped onion, parsley, salt, and pepper. Fold in stiffly beaten whites of eggs. Pour into a greased baking dish and bake at 350°F. (moderate oven) about 30 minutes or until set.
1 cup dry beans1 quart water¾ cup chopped carrots¾ cup cooked or canned tomatoes, or 1 cup chopped raw tomatoes1 onion, finely chopped⅓ cup shredded green pepper1 tablespoon flour1½ cups milkSalt and pepper
1 cup dry beans
1 quart water
¾ cup chopped carrots
¾ cup cooked or canned tomatoes, or 1 cup chopped raw tomatoes
1 onion, finely chopped
⅓ cup shredded green pepper
1 tablespoon flour
1½ cups milk
Salt and pepper
Boil beans in water for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and soak 1 hour or overnight.
Cook beans in covered pan until they begin to soften. Add vegetables; cook until tender.
Mix flour with a little water and stir into vegetables. Cook 10 minutes longer, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
Add milk and seasonings, heat to boiling, and serve.
Serve with a peanut-and-fruit salad—sections of grapefruit and orange—and for dessert, prune whip with custard sauce.
Baked Bean Chowder.—Use leftover baked beans. Cook ¾ cup diced carrots, ⅓ cup green pepper, and 1 onion in 1½ cups water, until tender. Add ¾ cup canned tomatoes, 2 cups baked beans, and seasonings, and reheat. Blend 1 tablespoon flour and 2 tablespoons cold water and stir into the vegetables. Cook 10 minutes. Add 1½ cups of milk; reheat.
1 cup dry beans or whole peas1 quart water¼ cup diced salt pork⅓ cup chopped onion½ pound chopped beef2 to 2½ cups cooked or canned tomatoes, or 2½ to 3 cups chopped raw tomatoesSalt and pepper
1 cup dry beans or whole peas
1 quart water
¼ cup diced salt pork
⅓ cup chopped onion
½ pound chopped beef
2 to 2½ cups cooked or canned tomatoes, or 2½ to 3 cups chopped raw tomatoes
Salt and pepper
Boil beans or peas in the water 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and soak 1 hour or overnight.
Fry salt pork until crisp, remove from pan, and brown onion in the fat. Add meat and stir and cook slowly a few minutes.
Combine all ingredients, season, and simmer until meat is tender and flavors are blended.
Serve with squash, a shredded raw vegetable salad, and lemon sponge pudding.
Chili Con Carne.—Add 2 to 4 teaspoons chili powder and a little garlic to recipe. Red kidney, and the pink beans of the West, are favorites for this dish.
Hopping John.—Add ½ cup dry blackeye peas to 2¼ cups ham broth. Boil 2 minutes, soak 1 hour or overnight. Cook covered until almost tender. Add ½ cup raw rice, ½ cup chopped cooked ham. Cook gently 20 to 30 minutes. The broth should be almost gone when the rice is tender.
uncaptioned
Bread and other cereal foods are truly the staff of life for some families and are used for all or part of the main dish for many of their meals. Griddlecakes, toast, or oatmeal is a favorite breakfast dish. And sandwiches, spaghetti, or macaroni may form the bulk of a noon or evening meal.
Bread and other cereal foods do not provide large amounts of protein in any one serving. But, because we eat bread and other cereals so often, grain foods contribute a fourth of the protein in diets in this country. The cereal foods also contribute to our diets more calories, more iron, and more thiamine than any other group of foods.
Grains cannot make an adequate main dish unless eaten in large quantities or combined with protein-rich foods.
A few figures on grain proteins may be helpful. A pound loaf of whole-wheat bread contains a little less than three-fourths as much protein as a pound of beef with a moderate amount of fat and bone. You would need to eat one-third of the loaf, seven or eight slices, for as much protein as you get in a fourth pound of the meat—an average serving.
A pound loaf of white bread contains somewhat less protein than a pound whole-wheat loaf. The use of nonfat dry milk solids in bread increases quantity and quality of proteins slightly.
Proteins from bread and other cereal foods are not of as high quality as proteins of animal products, although some are better than others. You can somewhat increase the protein values obtained from cereals by using whole-wheat bread and whole-grain breakfast cereals and by adding corn germ or wheat germ to other cereals. Milk, eggs, soy flour or grits, meat, or fish help to bring up the protein content and protein value of a cereal main dish.
Familiar examples of the cereal-extended main dishes are creamed chicken or fish—or meat in brown sauce—served with toast, noodles, spaghetti, rice, or hominy grits. Other popular combinations of cereals with high-protein foods are scrapple, macaroni or rice with cheese, eggs with toast, and meat loaf or patties with breadcrumbs. And we are also extending high-protein foods with cereals when we add biscuit to the meat stew, dumplings to stewed chicken, and waffles to the breakfast or supper sausages.
2 cups milk2 cups quick-cooking oats⅓ cup sifted flour2½ teaspoons baking powder1 teaspoon salt2 eggs, separated⅓ cup cooking fat or oilCooked sausages
2 cups milk
2 cups quick-cooking oats
⅓ cup sifted flour
2½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, separated
⅓ cup cooking fat or oil
Cooked sausages
Heat milk and pour it over the oats. Allow to cool.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
Beat egg yolks and add to oat mixture. Add melted fat or oil and stir in dry ingredients.
Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.
Drop the batter by spoonfuls on a hot greased griddle. When the surface is covered with bubbles, turn and brown on the other side. Oatmeal griddlecakes take longer to brown than plain griddlecakes.
Serve the griddlecakes with sirup and the sausages. The rest of the meal may be a large fruit and carrot salad and gingerbread.
Apple Griddlecakes.—Add ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and 1 cup finely chopped, pared apples to the batter before adding egg whites.
2 eggs⅓ cup milk¼ teaspoon salt8 slices breadCooking fat or oil
2 eggs
⅓ cup milk
¼ teaspoon salt
8 slices bread
Cooking fat or oil
Beat eggs, add milk and salt. Dip bread quickly into mixture. Brown on both sides in a little fat or oil, using moderate heat.
2 cups canned tomatoes or 2½ cups chopped raw tomatoes½ pound chopped raw beef2 tablespoons chopped onion2 tablespoons chopped green pepperCooking fat or oil1 tablespoon flourSalt and pepper
2 cups canned tomatoes or 2½ cups chopped raw tomatoes
½ pound chopped raw beef
2 tablespoons chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
Cooking fat or oil
1 tablespoon flour
Salt and pepper
If using raw tomatoes cook them until soft. Press tomatoes through a sieve.
Brown beef, onion, and green pepper in the fat or oil. Blend in the flour, add tomatoes slowly. Season. Cook and stir over low heat until as thick as desired.
Serve with a green vegetable, peanut and cabbage salad, and fruit and cheese for dessert.
Serve the toast with cheese sauce and omit dessert cheese.
2 pounds fresh pork (bony cut)1½ quarts water1½ cups uncooked fine whole-wheat cereal1 small onion, chopped fineSalt and pepper
2 pounds fresh pork (bony cut)
1½ quarts water
1½ cups uncooked fine whole-wheat cereal
1 small onion, chopped fine
Salt and pepper
Cook pork slowly in the water until the meat drops from the bones. Strain off the broth.
Separate bones from meat, taking care to get out all the tiny pieces. Cut meat fine.
Add water to the broth, if necessary, to make 1 quart. Bring to boil and slowly stir in the cereal. Cook until the mixture is thickened, stirring constantly.
Add meat and onion. Cook 15 minutes longer, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour the mixture into loaf pans and let stand until cool and firm.
To serve, slice scrapple and brown slowly on both sides in a hot fry pan. If the scrapple is rich with fat, extra fat is not needed for browning.
Serve with baked sweetpotatoes, scalloped or fried apples or applesauce, a green salad, and lemon meringue pie.
One cupcornmealmay be used instead of 1½ cups whole-wheat cereal.
1½ cups diced leftover cooked chickenChicken bonesSalt1 onion, chopped fine1½ tablespoons chicken fat½ cup raw riceGrated cheese
1½ cups diced leftover cooked chicken
Chicken bones
Salt
1 onion, chopped fine
1½ tablespoons chicken fat
½ cup raw rice
Grated cheese
This dish may be made with more or less than 1½ cups chicken, but this amount is needed to give enough protein for a main dish for four persons.
Cover bones with water and simmer an hour or longer. Drain off the broth. Add any leftover chicken gravy and water, if needed, to make 1 quart broth. Add salt to taste.
In a large fry pan, cook onion a few minutes in chicken fat, add broth. When it boils up rapidly, add the rice slowly.
Cover the pan. Simmer rice about 25 minutes or until the grains swell and become soft. Stir with a fork from time to time to keep the rice from sticking.
By the time the rice is done, it will have absorbed the broth, and the grains will be large and separate. Then add the pieces of chicken and more salt if needed. Turn mixture onto a hot platter, and sprinkle generously with grated cheese.
Serve with spinach and hard-cooked egg, celery and carrot sticks, fruit pickle, and apple or peach dumpling or pie.
3 ounces noodles (about 1¼ cups broken noodles)½ small green pepper, diced1½ tablespoons bacon fat or meat drippings1½ tablespoons flour2 cups cooked or canned tomatoes, or 2½ cups raw tomatoes cut in pieces1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley1 cup chipped corned beef, spiced ham, or dried beef¼ teaspoon saltPepper
3 ounces noodles (about 1¼ cups broken noodles)
½ small green pepper, diced
1½ tablespoons bacon fat or meat drippings
1½ tablespoons flour
2 cups cooked or canned tomatoes, or 2½ cups raw tomatoes cut in pieces
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1 cup chipped corned beef, spiced ham, or dried beef
¼ teaspoon salt
Pepper
Cook noodles 10 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain.
Cook green pepper in fat in large fry pan until tender.
Blend in flour and add other ingredients. Simmer 5 minutes to thicken. Add salt and pepper.
Add noodles and simmer 10 minutes longer.
Serve with cooked cabbage sprinkled with cheese, and cooked carrots. Add a salad of apple, celery, and raisins, and have jellyroll for dessert.
Noodle Omelet.—Drain the cooked noodles; fry in a little fat or oil until golden brown. Add to 4 eggs, lightly beaten and seasoned with salt and pepper. Turn back into fry pan, and cook slowly until brown on bottom and set on top. Fold onto a hot platter.
1 cup cornmeal3 cups boiling water1½ teaspoons salt1 onion, chopped1 green pepper, chopped3 tablespoons cooking fat or oil¾ pound chopped raw meat, or 1½ cups chopped cooked meat1½ cups drained canned or cooked tomatoesChili powder and salt to taste
1 cup cornmeal
3 cups boiling water
1½ teaspoons salt
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
3 tablespoons cooking fat or oil
¾ pound chopped raw meat, or 1½ cups chopped cooked meat
1½ cups drained canned or cooked tomatoes
Chili powder and salt to taste
Stir cornmeal slowly into rapidly boiling salted water. Bring to boil over direct heat. Cover, and cook 45 minutes over boiling water, stirring occasionally.
Cook onion and green pepper in fat or oil until tender; remove. Add meat to fat. If raw meat is used, cook until done.
Add remaining ingredients and heat thoroughly.
Pour a layer of the cooked cornmeal into a greased baking dish, add meat mixture, and cover with the rest of the cornmeal.
Bake at 400° F. (hot oven) 30 minutes.
Serve with crisp green salad with cheese dressing, and cherry tart.
Leftover meat, gravy, and cooked vegetables may be used in meat pies. Heat together, put into a baking dish, and cover with rounds of baking-powder biscuit dough. Bake at 450° F. (very hot oven).
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Packing a really good lunch-box meal—one that is high in important food values and in appetite appeal—takes more careful planning than many a meal that goes on the family table. For lunch-box foods are necessarily limited to those that can be held for several hours without spoiling or losing their freshness. But there are foods that pack well, and ways to vary them, so packed lunches need not be monotonous.
Sandwiches tend to be the “backbone” of the lunch-box meal. And when the fillings are high in protein foods—meats, eggs, cheese, fish, peanut butter, baked beans—they really are main dishes. To increase the protein value of these sandwiches, be generous with the filling. One-fourth cup of filling, spread clear to the edge of the bread, or 2 slices of meat or cheese, is not too much. Salmon or egg salad on a roll is a better main dish and more appetizing if part of the roll is scooped out to make room for more filling. Use centers as bread crumbs.
Provide variety in sandwiches by using different kinds of bread. For instance, “cheese on rye” is a favorite, but cheese on raisin bread or Boston brown bread may be a welcome change.
Vary the fillings—spread salad dressing or prepared mustard, topped with sliced cucumber or a lettuce leaf, over the meat or cheese; spread a thin layer of jelly over the peanut butter. Try different kinds of cheese. Or make a cheese spread: Put cheese through the food chopper and add jam or mashed cooked fruit, or salad dressing with chopped onion or sweet pickle.
For food value and variety, pack a salad of raw fruits or vegetables with the sandwich lunch. If the sandwiches are a little low in protein, include cottage cheese in the salad. Even with dressing and greens, salad travels well in a covered container of paper, glass, or plastic.
Hot soups, stews, or chowders—made with meats, fish, or beans—are good winter additions to the sandwich lunch. An individual-size insulated bottle or wide-mouth container for them may be a good investment, if these hot dishes cannot be bought at school or at work.
Moist, soft sandwich filling or salad mixtures made with finely chopped meat, eggs, or fish with salad dressing spoil quickly when temperatures are high. Refrigerate all such mixtures immediately after buying or making them and use them within 2 days. Lunches containing these mixtures are best refrigerated if they have to stand more than 3 or 4 hours before they are eaten.
Ham and Egg.—For each serving, use 1 chopped hard-cooked egg, ¼ cup chopped cooked ham. Add onion, celery, green pepper, pickle, and salad dressing to taste.
Meat and Macaroni.—Mix equal parts of cooked meat and macaroni. Add chopped pickles and celery and moisten with salad dressing.
Meat and Bean.—Use shredded chipped beef, or chopped cooked corned beef. Mix with any kind of cooked dry beans; add diced onion and tart dressing.
Potato With Meat.—Mix cut-up ham or crumbled bacon with potatoes. Add cut-up pickles, celery, onion, and salad dressing.
Meat and Fruit.—Mix any cut-up cooked meat with celery and raisins or raw dried apricots. Add salt and salad dressing as needed.
Egg and Beet.—Combine sliced hard-cooked eggs and pickled beets. Add shredded endive or other salad greens. Pack dressing separately.
Kidney Bean.—Combine drained cooked kidney beans, cut-up celery, dill pickles, and cubed cheese. Add mayonnaise.
Fish.—Shred leftover cooked fish—halibut, salmon, or sardines. Combine with cut-up celery, cooked peas, lemon juice, and salad dressing.
Chicken.—Mix equal parts of cut-up cooked chicken and crisp celery. Add salad dressing and thin slices of sweet pickle or stuffed olives.
Sliced Meat or Cheese.—Use two slices with vegetables between. Good combinations are: Beef with parsley or thinly sliced tomato and salad dressing; tongue with watercress and salad dressing or prepared mustard; cheese with either of the above combinations, or with jam, jelly, or marmalade.
Bacon.—Crumble crisp fried bacon, and add it to one of the following: Cottage cheese, sliced tomato, diced hard-cooked egg, raw carrots, onion, sweet or dill pickles.
Baked Bean.—Mash cold baked beans and moisten with thick chili sauce. Add diced sweet pickle and thinly sliced onion or cucumber.
Peanut Butter.—Mix equal parts of peanut butter and chopped raisins or other raw dried fruit. Or, mix the peanut butter with diced pickle and chopped onion.
Cheese Salad.—Dice cheese fine. Add a little chopped onion and green pepper or parsley, season, and moisten with salad dressing.
Cottage Cheese.—Mix cottage cheese with cut-up celery, a little grated carrot, diced pickles, and nuts.
Fish.—Mix flaked cooked fish with chopped cabbage, salad dressing, and salt to taste. Or mash sardines with hard-cooked egg.
Egg.—Combine diced hard-cooked egg, celery, and pickles with prepared mustard and salad dressing.
Hot Soup.—Add thin slices of frankfurter or Vienna sausage to split-pea or bean soup. Pack some cheese to go with vegetable or cream soup or corn chowder. Heat soups very hot; pack in insulated container.
Meat Stews.—A favorite stew with vegetables and gravy, kept hot in an insulated container until lunch time, is a welcome winter dish.
Baked Beans, Corned Beef Hash, Creamed Meats, or Eggs.—These are cold-weather dishes. Pack hot in special insulated container.
Cheese.—A large slice of cheese or serving of cottage cheese teams well with fruit in summer lunches.
Deviled Eggs.—Mash, season, and moisten hard-cooked egg yolks as usual. Add finely chopped peanuts or cooked meat before stuffing the egg whites with the yolk mixture.
Chicken or Chop.—Yesterday’s drumstick or pork chop makes a main dish to eat out of hand.
Sliced Meat.—Spread two slices of ham or other meat with chopped vegetables and salad dressing. Roll, and fasten with toothpicks.
Smoked Fish.—Bone and skin pieces; pack by themselves. Drain oil-packed sardines; wrap well.
Luncheon Meats.—Many ready-to-serve meats—liver sausage, bologna, salami, spiced meat loaves—give as high protein value per pound as fresh meats. Keep cold, add to lunch last.
Plan the lunch-box meal to include contrasts in flavors and textures. It is more appetizing when it contains something moist to offset the dry foods, tart foods to offset the sweet, and crisp foods as well as soft.
Relishes.—Raw vegetables and pickles add crispness to the sandwich lunch. Try carrot and celery sticks, pieces of cauliflower or turnip, sliced cucumber or onion, or crisp lettuce leaves rolled together.
Desserts.—With soup or salad, use cake or cookies for contrast. If the main dish is sandwiches, choose a juicy fresh fruit.
Fresh fruits are easy to pack and popular. As a change from the often-used apples, oranges, and bananas, try plums, grapes, and pears in season.
Baked and canned fruits travel well in covered containers—glass, plastic, or paper. Try an occasional baked pear or peach, as well as apple.
Sweet fruit desserts like pie or fruitcake or fruit-filled cookies taste best after a tart salad or a milk-flavored soup.
Baked custards are good to use when the main dish is low in protein. It is best not to use cake with cream filling, or cream pie or cream puffs. The fillings spoil easily in hot weather, or even in winter if the lunch is not kept in a cool place.