Recipes by Paramhansa Yogananda
Page Three - Ragout of Mushrooms through Vegetable Sausage
Introduction by Gitabai Heater
Paramhansa Yogananda’s recipes were amazingly healthy for the 1930’s. They include concepts of health we are familiar with like, vegetized salt, “raw” sugar, honey, ground raw beets, carrots, nuts, dates and raisins. I was happy to see an Uncooked Apple-Banana Pie using a crust of raisins, and whole wheat or carob meal that is dried in the sun! Then, on the other hand, there are surprises with many recipes using sugar, butter, American Cheese, canned food, and, my personal favorite, cinnamon (candy) drops on top of cooked sweet potatoes and apples. After all, sugar was first discovered in India!
We have to consider, the time period the recipes were written in. Yogananda had to introduce vegetarian eating in a palatable form and in a way that people were used to. When I think of how I grew up in the 1950’s when all our food was cooked to death, and meat was the main course at each meal, I can see that his recipes were groundbreaking for Americans at that time.
My advice is to substitute where necessary using ingredients from your own diet regime. There are some new ideas and combinations in these recipes that will be fun to try out, like Peanut Butter Tomato Soup!?? Let me know what you like or some new combinations you have discovered. There are so many health food products out there now, there are endless possibilities to substitute and discover. Have fun and healthy eating!
RAGOUT OF MUSHROOMS
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and stir in 1 heaping tablespoon whole wheat flour. Very slowly add 1 cup of cold water, then 1 cup of hot water, stirring constantly. Add 1/2 clove of garlic and small piece of shallot finely chopped, a sprig of thyme, a little piece of bay leaf and a pinch of salt. Stir until it becomes a thick sauce, then add 1/2 pound of fresh mushrooms. Bring them quickly to a boil then, simmer very gently until the mushrooms are tender.
RAW VEGETABLE CUTLET
1 head of very finely chopped lettuce
1 TB. finely ground pecan nuts
3 TB. of cottage cheese
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 onion juice only
Mix ingredients and knead like dough. Shape into form of cutlet and serve.
RISOTTO
1/2 pound unpolished rice
1 cup tomatoes, cooked or2 fresh ones chopped
1 medium sized onion, chopped
1/4 pound butter
1/2 clove garlic, chopped very fine
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 pinch rosemary
1 quart well-seasoned vegetable stock
6 fresh mushrooms, sliced Vegex or Savita (Editor’s note: Savita is no longer available.)
Brown the onion lightly in 3 tablespoonful of butter, add garlic and mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook 2 minutes longer. Stir in the rice and vegetable stock. Cook slowly for 25 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with a little vegetized salt and Vegex or Savita. Add the remaining butter and when melted, add the grated cheese and serve.
ROASTED VEGETABLES
onions - quartered cabbage
carrots - quartered lengthwise tomatoes
celery - cut in pieces butter
potatoes - quartered
Mix all vegetables together and season with vegetized salt. Put in roaster and pour plenty of melted butter over all. Add a little water and cover. Put into hot oven and when vegetables begin to cook, lower heat and allow to roast slowly until done.
SAVORY CHESTNUT STEW
2 tablespoons butter
8 pieces Hubbard squash
5 onions – medium, sliced
1 pound shelled chestnuts
8 baby carrots
1 pint small peeled potatoes
1 cup hot water
Bouquet of parsley, thyme, and 1/2 bay leaf
vegetized salt
Melt butter, add onions and carrots and let them brown slowly. Add cup of hot water and bouquet of herbs, the squash, and chestnuts. A little later add the potatoes and salt. Simmer well covered for about 2 hours. Celery and mushrooms may be added if desired.
SPECIAL FRUIT SALAD
1/2 cup cocoanut
3 peeled and sliced oranges
2 bananas
mayonnaise
lettuce
Peel, scrape and cut bananas in two lengthwise and then across. Arrange lettuce on plates and place orange slices on lettuce. Sprinkle cocoanut on oranges. Roll each piece of banana in cocoanut and place on top of orange slices. Serve with plenty of mayonnaise made with lemon or fresh lime juice.
SPINACH AND CARROT SALAD
1 cup shredded raw carrots
1/2 cup shredded raw spinach
Lettuce
A few drops of onion juice or chopped chives
Pinch of salt
Dressing
Mix vegetables with a little French dressing, shape into individual molds and place on lettuce. Serve mayonnaise with this.
SPINACH-WATERCRESS SALAD
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
1 cup chopped watercress
1 cup minced parsley
Mix and serve with French dressing on crisp lettuce.
SPRING SOUP
Fresh spinach – 2 cups when cooked
1 tablespoon minced dandelion greens
1 teaspoon minced parsley
1 tablespoon minced green onion
1 teaspoon whole wheat flour
2 cups fresh whole milk
1 tablespoon butter
Wash the fresh spinach and put it in a large uncovered kettle. Do not add any water. Put on a moderate fire for about 5 minutes. When the leaves wilt, drain at once and chop. Melt the butter in another pan and toss in the dandelion greens, the green onion and parsley. Let cook in the butter for 2 minutes, but do not brown. Dust in the flour and slowly stir in the milk. When well blended, add the 2 cups of chopped spinach. Season very lightly, simmer, but do not boil, for 3 minutes and serve.
STRING BEANS AND TOMATOES
1 lb, string beans
2 tablespoons butter
1 lb. fresh tomatoes or 1 can
grated rind of one lemon
1 medium sized onion
vegetized salt
1/8 teaspoon ginger
Wash and string the beans and cut in desired lengths. Brown the sliced onion in the butter, add the skinned whole tomatoes and raw beans. Cook in a covered saucepan until tender, add seasonings and serve. If necessary, add a very little hot water while cooking.
STUFFED MUSHROOMS
24 large fresh mushrooms
2 cups soft whole wheat bread crumbs
2 medium sized onions butter
2 green peppers grated cheese
Wash mushrooms well but do not peel. Remove stems and chop fine. Chop the onions and green peppers (without seeds) very fine. Sauté the onion and pepper to a light brown, add chopped mushroom stems and bread crumbs. Brown delicately and season well. A little Smoein or Vegex is delicious in this. Fill the mushroom caps with this mixture and sprinkle grated cheese on top of each. Place in a shallow baking pan and pour a little hot water around them. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the hot water and bake in a hot oven about 15 minutes. Serve on squares of buttered whole wheat toast.
STUFFED SQUASH
1 Hubbard or Banana Squash - 2 1/2 pounds
3 tablespoonfuls butter
2 tablespoonfuls cream 1/4 teaspoonful vegetized salt
Cut squash in halves lengthwise, discard seeds and bake in a moderate oven one hour, or until pulp is very tender. Put 1/2 inch of hot water in the bottom of the baking pan. Remove pulp from shell, mash thoroughly and add the other ingredients. Pile roughly into the shell and return to oven for fifteen minutes.
SWEET POTATOES SCALLOPED WITH APPLES
2 Cups cold boiled sweet potatoes cut in 1/4 inch slices
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 Cups sour apples, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
6 teaspoons butter
2 tablespoons red cinnamon drops
Put layer of potatoes in buttered baking dish and cover with layer of apples. Dot with butter and sprinkle with sugar and salt. Repeat layers and sprinkle top with cinnamon candies. Bake about l hour in a moderate oven.
UNCOOKED APPLE-BANANA PIE
Crust: Put 3 oz. seedless raisins through the food chopper and then mix them thoroughly with 2 oz. whole wheat meal, or carob meal, (buy them at your health food store). Roll out to a thin sheet and mold in pie plate – paper plates may be used. Stand in the sunshine to dry.
Filling: Mash thoroughly, or put through the potato ricer, two ripe bananas. To the bananas add 6 oz. grated, tart apples, and 4 oz. flaked almonds. Mix well and fill crust. A little honey and whipped cream may be added if desired.
UNCOOKED FRUIT CAKE
1 lb. pitted dates
4 oz. dried bananas
1 lb. seedless raisins
8 oz. almonds
4 oz. dried peaches
Cut the bananas into small pieces. Mix all ingredients thoroughly and put through food chopper. Press the mixture firmly into an oblong dish or mold and allow to stand for an hour or more to harden. Slip it out onto a plate and slice.
UNCOOKED TOMATO NUT SOUP
3 cups tomato pulp, 1 cup celery pulp (made by putting tomatoes and celery through food chopper), 1 cup peanut butter, 2 tablespoons of minced parsley, 1 clove of garlic very finely minced, two tablespoons Olive, Peanut or Sesame seed oil. Moisten peanut butter with a little of the pulp at a time until it is all creamed in. Add other ingredients and beat until smooth.
VEGETABLE SAUSAGE
Pare and dice 1 large eggplant. Cook in boiling salted water or steam until tender, drain, cool and mash it, Add one slightly beaten egg, 1 grated onion, 1/2 teaspoonful of poultry seasoning, and a little vegetized salt. Sift in enough whole wheat flour to make a stiff batter when dropped from a tablespoon. Fry in small amount of vegetable oil or put in a greased pan and bake until brown in a hot oven.
