The Allinson Vegetarian Cookery Book/Wholesome Cookery

As breakfast is the first meal of the day, it must vary in quantity and quality according to the work afterwards to be done. The literary man will best be suited with a light meal, whilst those engaged in hard work will require a heavier one. The clerk, student, business man, or professional man, will find one of the three following breakfasts to suit him well:—

No. I.—Allinson wholemeal bread, 6 to 8 oz., cut thick, with a scrape of butter; with this take from 6 to 8 oz. of ripe, raw fruit, or seasonable green stuff; at the end of the meal have a cup of cool, thin, and not too sweet cocoa, or Brunak, or a cup of cool milk and water, bran tea, or even a cup of water that has been boiled and allowed to go nearly cold. An egg may be taken at this meal by those luxuriously inclined, and if not of a costive habit. The fruits allowed are all the seasonable ones, or dried prunes if there is a tendency to constipation. The green stuffs include watercress, tomatoes, celery, cucumber, and salads. Lettuce must be eaten sparingly at this meal, as it causes a sleepy feeling. Sugar must be used in strict moderation; jam, or fruits stewed with much sugar must be avoided, as they cause mental confusion and disinclination for brain work.

No. II.—3 to 4 oz. of Allinson wholemeal or crushed wheat, coarse oatmeal or groats, hominy, maize or barley meal may be boiled for 1/2 an hour with milk and water, a very little salt being taken by those who use it. When ready, the porridge should be poured upon platters or soup-plates, allowed to cool, and then eaten with bread. Stewed fruits may be eaten with the porridge, or fresh fruit may be taken afterwards. When porridge is made with water, and then eaten with milk, too much fluid enters the stomach, digestion is delayed, and waterbrash frequently occurs. Meals absorb at least thrice their weight of water in cooking, so that 4 oz. of meal will make at least 16 oz. of porridge. Sugar, syrup, treacle, or molasses should not be eaten with porridge, as they are apt to cause acid risings in the mouth, heartburn, and flatulence. In summer, wholemeal and barleymeal make the best porridges, and they may be taken cold; in autumn, winter, and early spring, oatmeal or hominy are the best, and may be eaten lukewarm. When porridges are eaten, no other course should be taken afterwards, but the entire meal should be made of porridge, bread, and fruit. Neither cocoa nor any other fluids should be taken after a porridge meal, or the stomach becomes filled with too much liquid, and indigestion results. To make the best flavoured porridge, the coarse meal or crushed grain should be stewed in the oven for an hour or two; it may be made the day before it is required, and just warmed through before being brought to the table. This may be eaten with Allinson wholemeal bread and a small quantity of milk, or fresh or stewed fruit.

No. III.—Cut 4 to 6 oz. of Allinson wholemeal bread into dice, put into a basin, and pour over about 1/2 a pint of boiling milk, or milk and water; cover the basin with a plate, let it stand ten minutes, and then eat slowly. Sugar or salt should not be added to the bread and milk. An apple, pear, orange, grapes, banana, or other seasonable fruit may be eaten afterwards. No other foods should be eaten at this meal, but only the bread, milk, and fruit.

Labourers, artisans, and those engaged in hard physical work may take any of the above breakfasts. If they take No. I., they may allow themselves from 8 to 10 oz. of bread, and should drink a large cup of Brunak afterwards, as their work requires a fair amount of liquid to carry off some of the heat caused by the burning up of food whilst they are at work. If No. II. breakfast is taken, 6 to 8 oz. of meal may be allowed. If No. III. breakfast is eaten, then 6 or 8 oz. of bread and 2 pint of milk may be taken.

N.B.—Women require about a quarter less food than men do, and must arrange the quantity accordingly.

The meal in the middle of the day must vary according to the work to be done after it. If much mental strain has to be borne or business done, the meal must be a light one, and should be lunch rather than dinner. Those engaged in hard physical work should make their chief meal about midday, and have a light repast in the evening.

LUNCH.—One of the simplest lunches is that composed of Allinson wholemeal bread and fruit. From 6 to 8 oz. of bread may be eaten, and about 1/2 lb. of any raw fruit that is in season; afterwards a glass of lemon water or bran tea, Brunak, or a cup of thin, cool, and not too sweet cocoa may be taken, or a tumbler of milk and water slowly sipped. The fruit may be advantageously replaced by a salad, which is a pleasant change from fruit, and sits as lightly on the stomach. Wholemeal biscuits and fruit, with a cup of fluid, form another good lunch. A basin of any kind of porridge with milk, but without sugar, also makes a light and good midday repast; or a basin of thin vegetable soup and bread, or macaroni, or even plain vegetables. The best lunch of all will be found in Allinson wholemeal bread, and salad or fruit, as it is not wise to burden the system with too much cooked food, and one never feels so light after made dishes as after bread and fruit.

Labouring men who wish to take something with them to work will find 12 oz. of Allinson wholemeal bread, 1/2 lb. fresh fruit, and a large mug of Brunak or cocoa satisfy them well; or instead of cocoa they may have milk and water, lemon water, lemonade, oatmeal water, or some harmless non-alcoholic drink. Another good meal is made from 1/2 lb. of the wholemeal bread and butter, and a 1/4 lb. of peas pudding spread between the slices. The peas can be flavoured with a little pepper, salt, and mustard by those who still cling to condiments. 12 oz. of the wholemeal bread, 2 or 3 oz. of cheese, some raw fruit, or an onion, celery, watercress, or other greenstuff, with a large cup of fluid, form another good meal. 1/2 lb. of coarse oatmeal or crushed wheat made into porridge the day before, and warmed up at midday, will last a man well until he gets home at night. Or a boiled bread pudding may be taken to work, warmed and eaten. This is made from the wholemeal bread, which is soaked in hot water until soft, then crushed or crumbled, some currants or raisins are then mixed with this, a little soaked sago stirred in; lastly, a very little sugar and spice are added as a flavouring. This mixture is then tied up in a pudding cloth and boiled, or it may be put in a pudding basin covered with a cloth, and boiled in a saucepan. A pleasing addition to this pudding is some finely chopped almonds, or Brazil nuts.

As dinner is the chief meal of the day it should consist of substantial food. It may be taken in the middle of the day by those who work hard; but if taken at night, at least five hours must elapse before going to bed, so that the stomach may have done its work before sleep comes on.

A dinner may consist of many courses or different dishes, but the simpler the dishes and the less numerous the courses the better. A person who makes his meal from one dish only is the wisest of all. He who limits himself to two courses does well, but he who takes more than three courses lays up for himself stomach troubles or disorder of the system. When only one course is had, then good solid food must be eaten; when two courses are the rule, a moderate amount of each should be taken; and it three different dishes are provided, a proportionately lighter quantity of each. Various dishes may be served for the dinner meal, such as soups, omelettes, savouries, pies, batters, and sweet courses.

The plainest dinner any one can eat is that composed of Allinson wholemeal bread and raw fruit. A man in full work may eat from 12 to 16 oz. of the wholemeal bread, and about the same quantity of ripe raw fruit. The bread is best dry, the next best is when a thin scrape of butter is spread on it. If hard physical work has to be done, a cup of Brunak, cocoa, milk and water, or lemon water, should be drunk at the end of the meal. In winter these fluids might be taken warmed, but in summer they are best cool or cold. This wholesome fare can be varied in a variety of ways; some might like a salad instead of the fruit, and others may prefer cold vegetables. A few Brazil nuts, almonds, walnuts, some Spanish nuts, or a piece of cocoanut may be eaten with the bread in winter. Others not subject to piles, constipation, or eczema, &c., may take 2 oz. of cheese and an onion with their bread, or a hard-boiled egg. This simple meal can be easily carried to work, or on a journey. Wholemeal biscuits or Allinson rusks may be used instead of bread if one is on a walking tour, cycling trip, or boating excursion, or even on ordinary occasions for a change.

Of cooked dinners, the simplest is that composed of potatoes baked, steamed, or boiled in their skins, eaten with another vegetable, sauce, and the wholemeal bread. Baked potatoes are the most wholesome, and their skins should always be eaten; steamed potatoes are next; whilst boiled ones, especially if peeled, are not nearly so good. Any seasonable vegetable may be steamed and eaten with the potatoes, such as cauliflower, cabbage, sprouts, broccoli, carrot, turnip, beetroot, parsnips, or boiled celery, or onions. Recipes for the sauces used with this course will be found in another part of the book; they may be parsley, onion, caper, tomato, or brown gravy sauce. This dinner may be varied by adding to it a poached, fried, or boiled egg. As a second course, baked apples, or stewed fresh fruit and bread may be eaten; or Allinson bread pudding, or rice, sago, tapioca, or macaroni pudding with stewed fruit. Persons troubled with piles, varicose veins, varicocele, or constipation must avoid this dinner as much as possible. If they do eat it they must be sure to eat the skins of the potatoes, and take the Allinson bread pudding or bread and fruit afterwards, avoiding puddings of rice, sago, tapioca, or macaroni.

Evening meal or tea meal should be the last meal at which solid food is eaten. It should always be a light one, and the later it is eaten the less substantial it should be. Heavy or hard work after tea is no excuse for a supper. This meal must be taken at least three hours before retiring. From 4 to 6 oz. of Allinson wholemeal bread may be allowed with a poached or lightly boiled egg, a salad, or fruit, or some kind of green food. The fluid drunk may be Brunak, cocoa, milk and water, bran tea, or even plain water, boiled and taken cool. Those who are restless at night, nervous, or sleepless must not drink tea at this meal. Fruit in the evening is not considered good, and when taken it should be cooked rather than raw. Boiled celery will be found to be lighter on the stomach at this meal than the raw vegetable. When it is boiled, as little water as possible should be used; the water that the celery is boiled in may be thickened with Allinson fine wheatmeal, made into sauce, and poured over the cooked celery; by this means we do not loose the valuable salts dissolved out of the food by boiling. Mustard and cress, watercress, radishes, and spring onions may be eaten if the evening meal is taken 4 or 5 hours before going to bed. Those who are away from home all day, and who take their food to their work may have some kind of milk pudding at this meal. Wheatmeal blancmange, or cold milk pudding may occasionally be eaten those who are costive will find a boiled onion or some braized onions very useful. Boil the onion in as little water as possible and serve up with the liquor it is boiled in. To prepare braized onions, fry them first until nicely brown, using butter or olive oil, then add a cupful of boiling water to the contents of the frying pan, cover with a plate, and let cook for an hour. This is not really a rich food, but one easy of digestion and of great use to the sleepless. Those who want to rise early must make their last meal a light one. Those troubled with dreams or restlessness must do the same. Very little fluid should be taken last thing at night, as it causes persons to rise frequently to empty the bladder.

Hygienic livers will never take such meals, even if tea has been early, or hard work done since the tea meal was taken. No solid food must be eaten. The most that should be consumed is a cup of Brunak, cocoa, lemon water, bran tea, or even boiled water, but never milk. In winter warm drinks may be taken, and in summer cool ones.

LEMON WATER is made by squeezing the juice of 1/2 a lemon into a tumbler of warm or cold water; to this is added just enough sugar to take off the tartness. Some peel the lemon first, then cut in slices, pour boiling water over the slices, grate in a little of the peel, and add sugar to taste.

BRUNAK.—Take 1-1/2 to 2 teaspoonfuls of Brunak for each large cupful required, mix it with sufficient water, and boil for 2 or 3 minutes to get the full flavour, then strain and add hot milk and sugar to taste. Can be made in a coffee-pot, teapot, or jug if preferred. May be stood on the hob to draw; or it you have any left over from a previous meal it can be boiled up again and served as freshly made.

COCOA.—This is best made by putting a teaspoonful of any good cocoa, such as Allinson's, into a breakfast cup; boiling water is then poured upon this and stirred; 1 tablespoonful of milk must be added to each cup, and 1 teaspoonful of sugar where sugar is used, or 1 or 2 teaspoonfuls of condensed milk and no extra sugar.

BRAN TEA.—Mix 1 oz. of bran with 1 pint of water; boil for 1/2 an hour, strain, and drink cool. A little orange or lemon juice is a pleasant addition. When this is used as a drink at breakfast or tea, a little milk and sugar may be added to it.

CHOCOLATE.—Allow 1 bar of Allinson's chocolate for each cup of fluid. Break the chocolate in bits, put into a saucepan, add a little boiling water, put on the fire, and stir until the chocolate is dissolved, then add rest of fluid and boil 2 or 3 minutes. Pour the chocolate into cups, and add about 1 tablespoonful of fresh milk to each cup, but no extra sugar. The milk may be added to the chocolate whilst boiling, if desired.