A HEALTHFUL AND MEATLESS DIET

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To save time and energy, always make rice in double batches, then use it in casseroles, egg dishes, salads, puddings, and stir-fried meals. Fried rice is quick to fix and unbeatable as a tasty money saver. Vary the dish by adding onions, shredded carrots, slivered green peppers and beans, minced cauliflower or broccoli, fresh sprouts, and thinly sliced zucchini. To turn the rice into a complete meal, add eggs, tofu, or cheese.

Pilaf is served in India and Pakistan for festive occasions, and can be made with just about any grain. Try substituting millet, cracked wheat, triticale, or barley in the following recipe.

BASIC RICE PILAF
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup of chopped mushrooms
1 small carrot, diced
1 stalk of celery or a green pepper, diced
2-3 tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil
1 cup of raw brown rice
2 cups of vegetable stock or water
1 teaspoon of curry powder or a combination of the following:
1 bay leaf a few cardamom seeds
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
1/2 teaspoon of ginger
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon of cumin
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
4 whole cloves
1/2 cup of chopped peanuts, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, or almonds
1/2 cup of raisins, currants, or other dried fruit
1 teaspoon of salt

Sauté the vegetables in the oil. When they're tender, add the rice and stir over moderate heat until the grains are dry. Then add the spices (except the salt) and the vegetable stock, cover, and cook for 20 minutes over low heat. Sprinkle in nuts, dried fruit, and salt and cook 10 minutes more. Check the seasonings, adding more salt if desired, and fluff just before serving. To make pilaf a main dish, melt cheese over the top or serve it with beans or a yogurt salad.

Tofu: Press It, You’ll Like It

Helen Prescott

What food contains more protein than an omelet, more iron than spinach, and as much calcium as cottage cheese—all for as little as 25¢ per homemade pound? You guessed it: tofu. When my family was introduced to this oriental import, it was love at first bite. We were soon feasting on scrambled tofu for breakfast, sipping tofu shakes with lunch, enjoying bean curd burgers for dinner, and savoring slices of soy cheesecake for dessert.

However, with the nearest health food store some 30 miles away and our favorite food selling for $1.30 a pound, it wasn't long before our appetites outdistanced our pocketbooks. Necessity demanded that we make our own tofu, so for a few weeks I diligently mashed, boiled, strained, and curdled the soybeans... and usually came up with only a pound of bean curd to show for several hours' work. The results were tasty, though, and rather than becoming discouraged by our small return, we were all the more determined to make the process economically feasible.

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