Healthy, delicious Golden Era recipes

[MissNathalieVintage]

Okay, so this is completely unhealthy, but might be delicious, or might be perfectly horrible. I found this in a 1944 June issue of the Ladies Home Journal: make a bacon and peanut butter sandwich, then dip the whole thing in beaten eggs, then deep fry.

I've seen this one before in a Rachel Ray cook book except the inside was PB and J. And it was pan fried. The Ladies Home Journal Magazine sandwich would be a lot more healthier if it was pan fried with Earth Balance the vegan butter. Here is a vegan recipe to replace the egg:
Non-dairy milk
Red Star nutritional yeast
Vanilla extract

And Vegan tofurky tempeh bacon.

 

[St. Louis]

Sounds great! By the way, the avocado-grapefruit-romaine lettuce salad was out of this world. I really recommend it. I found a dressing by Kraft that resembles a 1940s so-called "French Dressing" quite a bit: Kraft Zesty Lime Vinaigrette. I've made a 40s recipe from scratch & can't really tell the difference between that and the Kraft version.

Today I had another great sandwich lunch. Now this isn't vegan, but you can probably engineer something that would work similarly. I used a slice of whole-grain hearty bread, spread with Miracle Whip and Coleman's Mustard, 1 kippered herring, and a half a chopped tomato and sliced green onions. Just fantastic.

It wouldn't be that hard to turn some of these recipes into vegan or vegetarian versions. I think there are vegan versions of cream cheese out there, made from tofu.

 

[lolly_loisides]

I made a Grant loaf yesterday, it turned out beautifully. The recipe makes a lovely dense loaf that toasts especially well. I slightly altered the recipe by adding a tablespoon of vegetable oil and used honey rather than brown sugar. I will definitely be making it again.

 

[St. Louis]

Oooh -- sounds really hearty and healthy! What kind of flour did you use?

 

[lolly_loisides]

Oooh -- sounds really hearty and healthy! What kind of flour did you use?

Plain wholemeal flour.

 

[MissNathalieVintage]

Sounds great! By the way, the avocado-grapefruit-romaine lettuce salad was out of this world. I really recommend it. I found a dressing by Kraft that resembles a 1940s so-called "French Dressing" quite a bit: Kraft Zesty Lime Vinaigrette. I've made a 40s recipe from scratch & can't really tell the difference between that and the Kraft version.

Today I had another great sandwich lunch. Now this isn't vegan, but you can probably engineer something that would work similarly. I used a slice of whole-grain hearty bread, spread with Miracle Whip and Coleman's Mustard, 1 kippered herring, and a half a chopped tomato and sliced green onions. Just fantastic.

It wouldn't be that hard to turn some of these recipes into vegan or vegetarian versions. I think there are vegan versions of cream cheese out there, made from tofu.

Yes! they so do, daiya (soy free) makes excellent cream cheese. And Sophie's kitchen makes vegan sea food, I really like their vegan toona.

 

[MissNathalieVintage]

I was looking through my Grandma's Wartime kitchen cookbook http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312066839l/594925.jpg and they have a green bean sandwich recipe.
Cooked chopped green beans (I used French styled canned string beans)
Dry thyme
Dry basil
Dry parsley
Black pepper
salt
mayo
Mix altogether

It was so easy to make and super filling.

 

[St. Louis]

That sounds great. I got some nice beans at the farmer's market & will try that.

Meanwhile, Nathalie, I found another wonderful sandwich recipe for you. I had this tonight and loved it. This is from the April 16, 1936 issue of a magazine called "The Family Circle" (not related to the modern magazine.)

Spinach Sandwiches
1 cup raw spinach (use tender, fresh leaves)
2 small green onions, chopped
1/2 teaspooon salt
2 Table spoons chopped pimiento
2 T mayo (you can use vegan mayo, of course)

Wash and chill spinach. Cut across the leaves with a sharp knife to make fine strips. Add salt, mayo, chopped green onions and pimiento. I had this on whole grain bread -- just wonderful!

Here's another sandwich recipe I absolutely love. I would never have put these flavors together myself, but they're unbelievably great. Not vegan, unless you can find a substitute for cottage cheese. This recipe came from a booklet titled 500 Tasty Sandwiches, published in 1941.

Cottage Cheese and Ginger Sandwiches

1/4 c. cottage cheese
2 1/2 T chopped preserved ginger
1 1/4 t ginger sirup
3 T chopped nut meats.

I used Pantry Essentials Grated Ginger, which I found in a regular grocery store. This might be a little more tart and less sweet than preserved ginger from the 40s.

I always use Miracle Whip, by the way--I just love the flavor & I don't think it detracts from the period feel & flavor.

 

[MissNathalieVintage]

Thank you St. Louis! The spinach sandwich sounds so delicious, spinach is my favorite! I totally can sub the mayo with the vegan brand and I'll use a red bell pepper instead of the pimiento pepper for added crunch.

When I was not vegan, growing up we used miracle whip all the time. Now I used Earth Balance (soy free) vegan mayo it has that miracle whip flavor too. I guess that is why I like it so much.

 

[lolly_loisides]

Here's link to 9 Canadian wartime cookbooks. I thought the "How to eat well though rationed" book was particularly good. I'm going to try out the Sour Cream Cake this afternoon.

 

[St. Louis]

I have two new sandwich fillings to report. These are both from the March 1944 issue of Woman's Home Companion. Both are vegetarian, and one is vegan. I know there are some folks on this board who eschew meat (... I've always wanted to use the word eschew in a sentence.)

I've tried both of these and like them very much.

Green peas and Cheese Sandwich Filling. Blend together 1/2 cup American and 1/2 cup mashed green peas. Add 1 Tbsp salad dressing. 1 tsp vinegar, 1/4 tsp celery salt and salt and pepper to taste.

My notes -- I just cooked up some frozen green peas in a little sauce pan & mashed them. I used Velveeta, which I think is the closest thing to WWII era American cheese, and melted it in the top of a double boiler. This was delicious & quite filling in my lunch box.

Baked Bean Sandwich Filling. Add 2 Tbsp chopped sweet mustard pickle or 4 tsp ketchup and 2 tsp prepared horseradish to 1/2 cup mashed baked beans.

My notes -- you can still find mustard pickle, which is fantastic, but you have to mail-order it. I don't know that I've ever seen it on the shelves of any grocery store. Mustard pickle has been around for ever & is just great if you like golden-era flavors (i.e., slightly sweet, sour, tangy.) I'll try the horseradish/ketchup version later today for lunch.

I do think that cooking golden-era recipes from original publications is an excellent way of learning about & understanding the era. It's just amazing to me how lovely and successful most of these recipes are. The editors of the cookbooks & magazines must have tested them carefully. The palate is slightly different from our modern tastes (at least mine) but now that I've acquired the taste for the textures and flavors, I'm crazy about this style of cooking. I do think that they liked their foods a little sweeter and smoother than I'm used to. On the other hand, there's plenty of evidence that they understood the value of whole grains, fresh fruits & veg, lean meats, and meatless days.

 

[Vera Godfrey]

I realize this is an older thread, but yes, I do a lot of vintage cooking, mostly from my Modern Family Cookbook (1943) and The American Woman's Cookbook (1943). I also have an abundance of old (mostly 50's era) Workbaskets and a few of the 1950's recipe booklets that I look to for inspiration on occasion.

 

[St. Louis]

Yes, I love the AWC! I think I have the same edition. Wonderful variety of recipes & great nutritional information, most of it still very valid. I'd love to hear about any favorite recipes you've tried!

 

[Vera Godfrey]

I generally tend to use The Modern Family Cookbook and everything I've made has been really good. I'll have to give a more thorough perusal to the American Woman's Cookbook!