A HEALTHFUL AND MEATLESS DIET

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Mix together the first six ingredients and shape the resulting dough into 15 to 20 balls about 1-1/2" in diameter. Coat the balls with more wheat germ and then fry them in butter or margarine until they're lightly browned, turning them frequently as they cook. Then drop the beanballs into your favorite spaghetti sauce and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve over a bed of steaming spaghetti.

SOYBEAN-CABBAGE CASSEROLE
1 large cabbage (about 2 pounds), shredded
3 tablespoons of oil
1 tablespoon of soy sauce or tamari
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
2 cups of cooked soybeans, ground
1 tablespoon of whole wheat or unbleached white flour
1 egg dash of pepper
1/2 cup of milk butter or margarine

In a large skillet, sauté the cabbage in the oil until it wilts, then add the soy sauce, sugar, and half of the salt. Cook this mixture, covered, for another 15 minutes. While that simmers, combine the soybeans, flour, egg, pepper, and remaining salt, then gradually stir in the milk. Alternate layers of cabbage and bean mixture, beginning and ending with the cabbage, in a greased two-quart baking dish . . . dot the casserole with butter or margarine . . . and bake it in a 350°F oven for about an hour.

From the Cookfires of the World

Judith Klinger

You have to wonder when you see a 95-pound woman carrying a 200-pound load on her back over the Himalayan trails from dawn to dusk... and be still more amazed to discover that her body is fueled by rice and dhal. And you may be further surprised to learn that these simple foods—in the proper combinations—produce complete proteins, provide plenty of energy, and lend themselves to so much variety in preparation that even finicky tastes can be intrigued and convened.

The cookfires of the world offer many techniques for achieving a healthful diet while slashing food costs. These include developing new avenues of taste, focusing on foods in season, relying on low-cost carbohydrates as staple foods, using nonmeat forms of protein (and for those folks in transition to a vegetarian lifestyle, serving meat as a condiment rather than as a main dish), seasoning basic foods with a wide range of herbs and spices, and utilizing all leftovers.

My family and I used these methods of eating nutritious, low-cost meals during our backpacking trips to more than 100 countries around the world. Our son, Greg, who was four years old when we started our ten-month sabbatical, remembers meals of rice and dhal that he consumed in Nepal after hiking 14 miles or more in one day... and Laurie, one year of age at the time, developed an appetite for whatever came her way. Today, back in a suburban community, our family spends only $30 to $35 a week on food—$2,500 a year less than the U.S. average for a family of four—while actually enjoying a better diet than the typical American. Here's how it's done.

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