Part 6

But for all this it must be admitted that the flesh of animals is not a natural diet for man, nor does it constitute the most healthful food. Of this it may be truly said as Christ said of the granting of a writing of divorcement, it was suffered because of the “hardness” of their hearts, “but from the beginning it was not so.” Matt. 19:8. It was never intended that man should take the life of any innocent, living creature.

Meat eating tends to excite the passions. This is seen in the animal kingdom. The animals that are mild, patient, and docile are generally herbivorous, such as the cow, the sheep, the horse; while the excitable, quick-tempered, and ferocious animals are meat eaters, such as the lion, the tiger, the leopard. A meat diet also tends to constipation, the great scourge of the race.

One object of this work, therefore, is in the interests of health and morality, to educate people out of meat eating rather than into it; and to supply such a variety of recipes for good, wholesome, palatable, and nutritious dishes, prepared from natural food elements, that meat eating will be practically unnecessary.

Moreover, so many animals at the present time are becoming so greatly diseased that it is not a little dangerous to eat largely of their flesh. As a matter of safety the use of flesh-meats might very consistently be dispensed with altogether.

The fact, therefore, that meat may be cheap, or that it may be easily or quickly prepared, should count for little with those who have the best interests of their families in view.

From every standpoint from which the subject may be viewed, the reasons for discontinuing the use of flesh-meats are more imperative now than ever before.

1. This is an age of disease. Animals are coming to be greatly diseased. The use of their flesh, therefore, tends to increase disease in mankind, and thus to shorten life.

2. This is an age of intemperance. Flesh-meats are all more or less stimulating. Their use, therefore, tends to increase this evil.

3. This is an age of surfeiting. Meat eating is, to a large degree, responsible for this. A well-known English writer on cookery says: “No one will deny that the foods we are apt to eat too much of are those absent from a purely vegetarian fare, such as meat, game, fish, eggs, etc., upon which materials the culinary art seems exercised to tempt us beyond the satisfying of the appetite.”

4. This is an age of vice and immorality. A meat diet tends greatly to increase this terrible evil.

5. This is an age of violence and murder. The practise of killing and eating animals tends to harden men’s hearts, to destroy their finer sensibilities, and thus to increase violence and crime.

In the beginning God gave man no flesh foods to eat. And after the Exodus, when he had his own way with his own people, he gave them no flesh to eat. Before taking them into the promised land, for forty years he fed them on “manna,” a purely vegetarian food. Ex. 16:31; Num. 11:7, 8. And when they “fell a lusting,” and said, “Who shall give us flesh to eat?” he was displeased with them, and, with the giving of the quails, brought a great plague upon them. Numbers 11; Ps. 78:18-31.

In the New Testament, the apostle, referring to this experience, warns Christians against falling into the same error. “Now these things,” he says, “were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.... And they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” 1 Cor. 10:5-11.

Evidently, therefore, meat eating is not in harmony with God’s original plan. And it must be that the nearer we bring ourselves into harmony with that plan, the better it will be for us.

To some it may seem difficult to give up the use of meat. But in this, as in all reformatory work, much depends upon the mind. Let the correct principle be first assented to; then, step by step, let the practise be brought into conformity to the principle, making changes gradually, if necessary, leaving off the meat dishes as others more wholesome can be substituted. We should cultivate a love for that which we know to be good and healthful.

To assist those who desire to make this dietetic reform, a few recipes are here given which will be found to be good substitutes for meats.

VEGETABLE AND LENTIL STEW

Soak one-half cup of lentils in a cup of cold water for an hour; then put to cook in three cups of hot water with one turnip, three or four medium-sized potatoes, a small onion, and a stalk or two of celery, all cut into small pieces. Stew for about half an hour, or until well done, and the water quite absorbed. Season with salt, and serve with brown sauce.

VEGETABLE HASH

Boil separately in a small quantity of water, three or four medium-sized potatoes sliced fine, two turnips, one carrot, and an onion, all cut into fine pieces; when done, drain, and turn all together into a saucepan; season with salt, add a teaspoonful of dry, powdered sage, a half cup of sweet cream, or the same quantity of milk, and a small piece of butter, and heat to boiling; then stir in one or two tablespoonfuls of browned flour rubbed to a paste in a little cold water, cook a few minutes longer, and serve hot.

POTATO ROLLS

Take two potatoes, one turnip, a small onion, a stalk of celery, and a little powdered sage; chop all into very fine pieces and mix well together, adding salt as desired. Make a paste as for pies, roll out rather thin, cut into squares, and place on each square as much of the mixture as it will hold; wet the edges, and fold up as a sausage roll, pressing the dough together at the ends, place in a pan and bake from thirty to forty minutes in a moderate oven. Serve hot. Very nice.

BREAD STEAK

Dip slices of stale bread or toast in a little milk or cream to slightly soften; sprinkle with a little salt; beat up an egg or two, dip in the slices, place in a hot frying-pan with a little butter, and brown on both sides. Serve with brown sauce.

FORCEMEAT FRITTERS

Rub one tablespoonful of butter into two cupfuls of fine breads crumbs, adding a little chopped parsley or other herb flavoring, and season with salt; then add one cup of thin cream or rich milk, and three eggs beaten separately. Stir well, and bake in fritters, in a hot frying-pan, or on a griddle, rubbed with a little butter, browning lightly on both sides. Serve with brown sauce.

“PRAIRIE” FISH

Cut thick, cold, corn-meal mush into slices about half an inch thick; roll in flour, and brown on both sides in a hot, buttered frying-pan; or brush with thick, sweet cream, and brown in the oven.

BOILED MACARONI

If dusty, wipe with a dry cloth instead of washing, then take a cupful broken into small pieces, and put to cook in boiling, salted water; cook until tender, adding more hot water occasionally if necessary. When done, drain, and serve hot with a little cream; or pour over a pint of milk, heat to boiling, and stir in the yolk of one well-beaten egg and a little salt; or omit the egg, and thicken with a tablespoonful of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold milk.

PEANUT SAUSAGE

Thoroughly mix to a cream one level tablespoonful of peanut butter with two tablespoonfuls of cold water; then add three tablespoonfuls of grated bread crumbs, a pinch of salt, and a teaspoonful of minced onion or powdered sage; mix all well together, form into small cakes with the hands, and place in an oiled, heated frying-pan till nicely browned, turning and browning on both sides. Place on a platter, and garnish with sprigs of parsley. Serve with brown sauce, No. 2, page 78. Very tasty.

PEAS PUREE

Soak a cupful or two, or as many as needed, of split peas overnight in cold water. In the morning wash, drain, and put to cook in boiling water, and cook slowly. When very tender, and quite dry, mash smooth, season with salt and a little sweet cream. Serve hot.

STEWED SALSIFY, OR VEGETABLE OYSTERS

Wash, scrape, cut into slices about one fourth of an inch in thickness, and drop at once into cold water to prevent discoloring. Then put to cook in an enameled saucepan, in a small quantity of boiling water, about equal parts of water and salsify, adding a little salt. Cook from twenty to fifty minutes, according to age, and when tender add a little more water if at all dry, a cupful of cream or rich milk, and simmer for a few minutes. Have ready in a dish some slices of toasted bread cut in halves, pour over the salsify, and serve.

LENTIL RISSOLES

Take equal quantities of well-cooked brown lentils and cold boiled potatoes and mash well together; then add one third that amount of fine bread crumbs, a teaspoonful each of powdered sage and minced onion, and a little salt. Dissolve a teaspoonful of nut butter in two tablespoonfuls of hot water; and add to the mixture. Mix all well together, press into an oiled tin, cut into squares with a knife, and place in the oven for fifteen or twenty minutes. Serve hot.

EGGS

Food should be prepared with simplicity, yet with a nicety which will invite the appetite.

There should not be many kinds at any one meal, but all meals should not be composed of the same kinds of food without variation.

The mother should study to set a simple yet nutritious diet before her family.—_Mrs. E. G. White._

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BOILED EGGS

If desired to have the white set, but the yolk a liquid, boil eggs three minutes; then remove from the fire and leave them in the hot water a moment or two to set the whites. The water should be boiling when the eggs are dropped in.

If desired to have the yolks dry and mealy, and at the same time the whites not hard, tough, and leathery, place the eggs in boiling water, then let simmer in water a little below the boiling-point, or at a temperature not above 165° Fahrenheit, for about twenty minutes. Eggs are best cooked thus.

For garnishing salads, etc., boil about twenty minutes, then immediately place a moment in cold water to prevent the whites becoming discolored, and to make the shells remove easily.

POACHED EGGS

Put into a shallow pan as much hot water as will cover the eggs well. A tablespoonful of lemon-juice may be added to the water to make the eggs white. Break the eggs one at a time into a cup and slip gently into the water, which should not boil, but only simmer. Let stand for about five minutes, or until the white is firm, but not hard, and the yolk enveloped in a film of white. Remove each egg with a skimmer, or large spoon, drain, trim the edges, and serve in egg saucers, or on toast. Make a thin cream sauce and pour around them if desired.

SCRAMBLED EGGS

For each egg allow two tablespoonfuls of boiling water or milk. Break the eggs into a dish, beat lightly with a spoon, add a little salt, drop into the boiling water or milk, and stir briskly until set, but soft. They are nice thus served on toast.

STEAMED EGGS

Break the eggs into egg dishes or oiled patty-pans, sprinkle with salt, and steam over boiling water until the whites are set and a film covers the yolk. Serve with or without toast.

SCALLOPED EGGS

Boil five or six eggs for twenty minutes; remove the shells, and cut the eggs into thin slices; put a layer of grated or fine bread crumbs into a buttered pudding dish, then a layer of the sliced eggs; sprinkle with salt, then add another layer of bread crumbs, then another of egg, and so on till the dish is filled, having a layer of crumbs for the top. Heat a cup of milk to boiling, and pour over the scallop; sprinkle over a few more crumbs, and bake until slightly browned.

BAKED EGGS

Break the required number of eggs into a shallow baking pan, or small patty-pans, previously buttered, to prevent sticking. Season with salt, and bake until set. Remove to a warm platter, and serve at once.

EGG SANDWICHES

Mash the yolks of two hard-boiled eggs, a sprinkle of salt, and a little chopped cress, smooth and fine; spread this on thin slices of bread slightly buttered, and press together.

EGGS AND TOMATO SAUCE

Melt a spoonful of butter in a deep dish, break in carefully the number of eggs desired, and place on the stove until they begin to set; then pour over them a hot tomato sauce, made after directions on page 77.

EGGS ON TOAST

Boil three eggs for twenty minutes. Put one tablespoonful of butter into a frying-pan. When hot, stir in one tablespoonful of flour, one-fourth teaspoonful of salt, and gradually, to avoid lumps forming, one cupful of milk. Add the whites of the three eggs, chopped fine. When hot, pour over three or four slices of moistened toast. Put the yolks through a sieve or vegetable press over the toast, garnish with bits of parsley, and serve hot.

OMELETS

Simple diet is best; for many dishes bring many diseases.—_Pliny._

PLAIN OMELET

Beat the yolks and whites of three eggs separately; allow one tablespoonful of milk to each egg. Stir the milk and yolks of the eggs well together and season with salt; then with a spoon carefully fold in the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs. Turn all into a hot frying-pan, sufficiently buttered to prevent sticking. Cook rather quickly, being careful not to burn. Carefully lift the edges of the omelet while cooking, with a knife or spoon, that it may be equally cooked. When well set, double one part over the other, remove to a warm dish, and serve at once, as an omelet is not so good when cold. It should be very light and tender, and nicely browned.

FRUIT OMELET

Prepare as above, spreading a thin layer of any kind of jelly over one half before folding the other half over it; add a sprinkle of sugar if desired.

BREAD OMELET

For each person allow one egg, three tablespoonfuls of milk, and one tablespoonful of finely grated bread crumbs; beat well together, and add a little salt, butter a deep plate or shallow pan, pour in the mixture, and bake in the oven until well set.

MACARONI OMELET

Take a small handful of macaroni broken into small pieces, drop into hot water, and boil until tender; drain. Heat a cupful of milk to boiling, and stir in two even tablespoonfuls of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold milk. Stir until thickened; remove from the fire, add the macaroni, a few bits of chopped parsley, and four eggs well beaten; season with salt; pour all into a hot, buttered dish, sprinkle with a small handful of bread crumbs, and place in the oven till nicely browned; then turn out on a hot, flat dish, and serve with brown sauce.

PUDDINGS

The proof of the pudding is in eating it.

Eat to live, but do not live merely to eat.

Health is the greatest of all possessions, and ’tis a maxim with me, that a hale cobbler is better than a sick king.—_Bicherstaff._

In order to preserve health, temperance in all things is necessary—temperance in labor, temperance in eating and drinking.—“_Christian Temperance._”

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SAGO PUDDING

To five cups of boiling water add a cup of sago, previously soaked in a cup of cold water for twenty minutes, two thirds of a cup of sugar, and a half cup of well-washed raisins. Cook all together till transparent, flavor with lemon or vanilla, and serve with cream or boiled custard sauce.

TAPIOCA PUDDING

Soak one cupful of tapioca overnight in a pint of water. In the morning add one quart of milk, stirring gently, and boil about twenty minutes; then add the yolks of four eggs well beaten, and one cup of sugar, and boil a few minutes longer; pour into an earthen dish, and flavor with a teaspoonful of vanilla; cover with a meringue made of the whites of the four eggs beaten stiff, and four tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar, and place in a slow oven to brown slightly. Serve cold.

RICE PUDDING

Take a cupful of boiled rice, and a half cup of washed raisins, and mix together in a pudding dish. Beat well together two eggs, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, and two cupfuls of milk, and pour over the raisins and rice. Bake in a moderate oven until the custard is just set. If left in too long, the milk becomes watery. This is a good way to use up left-over rice.

CORNSTARCH PUDDING

Take three tablespoonfuls of cornstarch and stir smooth in a little cold water; over this pour one pint of boiling water; then stir in the whites of three eggs beaten stiff, one tablespoonful of sugar, and a pinch of salt. Steam fifteen minutes, or cook slowly until thickened. Serve cold with a sauce prepared as follows: Heat one cup of milk to boiling; beat together the yolks of the three eggs and one-half cup of sugar until creamy, and stir into the milk; boil until smooth, and remove from the fire at once. Flavor with lemon or vanilla, and allow to cool.

BREAD PUDDING, NO. 1

Take one pint of bread crumbs, and pour over them one quart of milk; then add the yolks of four eggs well beaten, four tablespoonfuls of sugar, and bake in the oven. When done, spread the top with jelly or marmalade, and cover with a meringue made of the four whites of the eggs beaten stiff, and two tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar. Brown slightly, and serve warm or cold, with or without sauce or cream, as preferred.

BREAD PUDDING, NO. 2

Cut stale bread into cubes, and moisten with milk or water; then pour over a mixture of eggs, sugar, and milk, allowing one egg and one tablespoonful of sugar to each cup of milk. Steam or bake. Currants or raisins may be added.

COLD PEACH PUDDING

Cut slices of stale bread into strips, and line a pudding basin or round mold as neatly as possible. Then fill the center of the mold with stewed fresh or canned peaches, slightly warmed, add sugar to sweeten, and place a slice of bread over the fruit. Pour over enough of the sirup or fruit juice to soak all the bread. Take a saucer or plate about the size of the mold, and place it upside down on top, over the pudding, and put a heavy weight on the plate. Let stand overnight, and in the morning turn into a glass dish for the table. Cut into slices, and serve with milk or cream. Raspberries or blackberries may be used instead of peaches.

PRUNE WHIP

Wash thoroughly one-half pound of prunes and soak for an hour in cold water enough to cover; cook gently in the same water until the prunes are tender, and the juice is nearly absorbed. Then rub through a colander. When cold, add two tablespoonfuls of sugar, a little lemon-juice, and the stiffly beaten whites of three eggs. Stir all well together, pile lightly in a buttered pudding dish, and bake about ten minutes, or until a delicate brown. Serve with whipped cream or boiled custard sauce. See pages 79 and 78.

FIG PUDDING

Take half a pound of finely chopped figs, one cupful of bread crumbs, three tablespoonfuls of sugar, two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, one cupful of milk, two eggs well beaten, and a pinch of salt. Stir all well together, turn into a double boiler, slightly buttered, or into a saucepan placed in boiling water, and boil about an hour. Serve with lemon sauce.

RICE LEMON PUDDING

To three-fourths cupful of well-washed rice, add three cupfuls of boiling water and a half teaspoonful of salt, and cook in a double boiler until tender. When done, allow to cool, then add the yolks of three eggs well beaten, a teaspoonful of butter, three tablespoonfuls of sugar, the grated rind of a lemon, and one cup of milk; stir together, and bake in the oven until set. When done, cover the top with a meringue made with the whites of the eggs beaten stiff, two-thirds cup of sugar, and the juice of one lemon; place in the oven to brown slightly. Serve either warm or cold.

RICE APPLE PUDDING

Boil two tablespoonfuls of well-washed rice in half a pint of milk until soft; then stir in the beaten yolks of two eggs and sugar to sweeten. Make a wall with the rice around a dish; fill the center of the dish with stewed apples, and cover the whole with the whites of the eggs beaten to a stiff froth; sprinkle with powdered sugar, and brown lightly in the oven; serve with plain or whipped cream.

CRACKER PUDDING

Put three cupfuls of rich milk into a pudding dish; sprinkle in two cupfuls of crackers, first heated in the oven till crisp, but not browned, and afterward crushed fine with a rolling-pin. Beat the yolks of three eggs till light; then mix with one-half cup of sugar, and stir in the crackers and milk; add one cup of well-washed currants or seedless raisins, and flavor with grated lemon peel if desired. Bake in the oven until set; beat the whites of the eggs till stiff, add one tablespoonful of white sugar, and spread this over the top of the pudding; return to the oven till a delicate brown.

ALMOND RICE PUDDING

Put one cupful each of well-washed rice and raisins into a pudding dish with six cupfuls of almond milk, one-third cup of sugar, and a pinch of salt. Bake in a moderate oven till tender, stirring up several times during the first ten minutes. Serve cold.

CORNSTARCH BLANC-MANGE

To one quart of milk add two tablespoonfuls of sugar, and heat just to boiling; then stir in five tablespoonfuls of cornstarch mixed thoroughly with two well-beaten eggs; flavor with lemon or vanilla, and pour into cups, previously wet in cold water, to mold. Place a mold of jelly in the center of a platter, and arrange the molds of blanc-mange around it. A portion of the blanc-mange may be colored and flavored with chocolate, so that each alternate mold on the platter will be brown. Serve with cream.

APPLE BATTER PUDDING

Pare and slice six medium-sized cooking apples into a buttered pudding dish, adding sugar to sweeten. Make a batter as follows: Beat three eggs to a foam; then add five tablespoonfuls of sifted flour, sprinkling it in while beating vigorously, and half a teaspoonful of salt. Stir in gradually enough milk to make of the consistency of thick cream, beat well, and pour over the apples, and bake until done. Serve with cream or rich milk.

APPLE TRIFLE

Pare, quarter, core, and stew six or eight apples to a pulp, adding the juice and grated rind of a lemon. When done, add sugar to sweeten, and turn into a deep glass dish. Heat a pint of milk to boiling, stir in three well-beaten eggs, saving out the white of one, and two tablespoonfuls of sugar, and cook until thickened. When cold pour over the apples in the dish. Beat the white of the egg to a stiff froth and drop by spoonfuls into a pan of boiling water for a moment, turn, then remove, and use to ornament the pudding.

APPLES WITH TAPIOCA

Soak a cupful of tapioca in two cupfuls of cold water for an hour; then spread on a clean white cloth, and place some pared and sliced apples, sugar, and grated lemon peel in the center; tie up the cloth loosely so that the tapioca will surround the apples, and put into boiling water; boil half an hour, or until done; then turn out the whole into a dish. Serve with boiled custard, whipped cream, or fruit jelly.

FRUIT TAPIOCA

Cook three-fourths cup of tapioca in four cups of water until smooth and transparent. Stir into it lightly a pint of fresh or canned strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries, adding sugar as required. Serve cold with cream, or a pint of fruit sauce.

PEACHES AND RICE

Soak a cup of rice in one and one-fourth cups of water for an hour; then add a cup of milk and a little salt, turn into a double boiler, cover, and steam for an hour, stirring occasionally for the first ten or fifteen minutes. When done, pour into a mold to cool, then turn out into a glass dish. Stew fresh or dried peaches in halves, and arrange them around the rice; pour the sirup or juice over the whole.

RICE WITH RAISINS

Wash and put to cook rice as directed above; after the rice has begun to swell, add a cupful of well-washed raisins. When done, serve with fruit juice, milk, or cream.

RICE WITH FIGS

Soak and cook the rice as directed for peaches and rice. Wash a small quantity of figs, and stew with a little sugar until thoroughly done; serve a spoonful of the figs with each dish of rice. The fig sauce should be so thick that it will not run over the rice.

APPLE RICE