Here are pages 18, 19, 20 and 21 of the WWII ration cookbook titled “Recipes For Today” that was published by General Foods Corporation in 1943. This was during the second world war when the United States was experiencing food rations and shortages (sugar, meat, etc.) and homemakers were looking for creative ways to feed their families.

You can view all the pages in this little book by visiting this category: Recipes For Today (WWII), just click a page title to view that section of the book. You’ll find scans of the pages included below (click pictures to view a larger size) as well as a typed version for easy printing.

• One happy way to cope with the meat shortage is to serve more meatless meals–good ones! Egg dishes, fish, cereal, cheese, and vegetable combinations the family likes. Here is a top-notch collection, all hearty and satisfying, and all equal to their job, too, when it comes to supplying good protein and many other meat values.

Main dishes without meat

CEREAL LUNCHEON PLATES

Delicious and nourishing all-in-one luncheons or suppers are easy to prepare with Post Cereals. Use 1 generous serving Post’s Corn Toasties, Grape-Nuts Flakes, Grape-Nuts, Post’s 40% Bran Flakes, or Post’s Raisin Bran. Add fruit, fruited Jell-O, or fruit and cheese mixtures as suggested below. Serve with milk or cream.

Place baked apple stuffed with raisins on Post’s Corn Toasties.

Fill 2 or 3 peach halves with cottage cheese and arrange on Grape-Nuts Flakes. Or use sliced pears and cream cheese.

Make fruited Jell-O mold with fresh or canned fruits, such as orange slices, cantaloupe balls, cherries, sliced peaches, or berries. Form nest in Post’s Corn Toasties and place mold in center.

Slice a banana lengthwise. Serve, topped with Post’s 40% Bran Flakes and cubes of red Jell-O.

Stuff 3 or 4 prunes with cream cheese and serve on Grape-Nuts.

CRISPY BAKED EGGS

1 tablespoon melted butter or bacon fat
2 cups Corn Toasties, Grape-Nuts Flakes, or Post’s 40% Bran Flakes
6 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper

Pour butter over cereal flakes and toss lightly to distribute evenly. Arrange flakes to form a nest in each section of greased muffin pan. Break eggs carefully, slipping one into each nest. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in slow oven (325° F.) 20 minutes, or until eggs are firm. To serve, loosen with knife and lift out gently onto plate. Makes 6 servings. (By using bacon fat for flavor with crisp flakes, this makes an excellent bacon-and-egg dish.)

Or bake in greased shallow baking dish. Place flakes in bottom of pan; make 6 depressions; and break an egg into each. Serve plain or with bacon or ham. Makes 6 servings.

Crispy Baked Eggs with Cheese. Mix 1/2 cup grated American cheese with flakes and butter, or sprinkle on tops of eggs before baking.

Crispy Tomato Baked Eggs. Place 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup or 2 tablespoons thick tomato soup in each nest before adding eggs.

BAKED HADDOCK WITH DRESSING

1 pound fillet of haddock
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper
2 cups slightly crushed Post’s Corn Toasties
1/4 cup minced onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 egg, well beaten
3 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
2 to 4 tablespoons boiling water

Arrange fish in greased shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Combine Toasties with remaining ingredients, adding just enough boiling water for dressing to hold together. Spread over fish and sprinkle with paprika. Bake in moderate oven (375° F.) 35 minutes, or until done. Remove to hot platter. Garnish with lemon and parsley. Makes 6 servings.

Note. Use this dressing on cod, flounder, and other white fish too. It adds flavor and keeps the fish moist while baking.

MEXICAN SUPPER

1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Grape-Nuts Wheat-Meal
3/4 cup grated American cheese
1 egg, well beaten
Spanish Sauce
Paprika

Heat milk in saucepan. Add salt; then pour in cereal very gradually, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and cook and stir 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add 1/4 cup cheese and egg and blend. Pour into shallow pan. Chill. Place spoonfuls or 2-inch squares in shallow baking dish and cover with Spanish Sauce. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and paprika. Bake in hot oven (400° F.) 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Spanish Sauce. Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons fat in skillet. Add 3 tablespoons each chopped onion, green pepper, and celery. Cook slowly until onion is golden brown. Add 1 1/2 cups stewed tomatoes, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and dash of pepper. Cook slowly until sauce is thickened. If desired, add a few sliced stuffed olives to sauce.

• You needn’t worry about the nutritive value of these foods as substitutes for meat. Eggs, fish, cheese are excellent protein foods; the cereal combinations are rich in protein and other meat nutrients. And the vegetable dishes, offering minerals and vitamins galore, provide extra protein in milk and meat stock.

VEGETABLE RIBBON MOLD

2 packages Lemon Jell-O
4 cups hot water
3 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 cups finely chopped raw carrots
1 3/4 cups finely chopped raw cabbage
1 teaspoon finely chopped chives, scallions, or onion
1 1/2 cups finely chopped raw spinach

Dissolve Jell-O in hot water. Add vinegar and salt. Divide Jell-O into three parts and chill each part until slightly thickened. To first part, fold in carrots and tun into loaf pan, about 9x5x3 inches; chill until firm. To second part, fold in cabbage and turn over firm layer in pan; chill until firm. To third part, fold in chives and spinach and turn over firm Jell-O in loaf pan; chill until firm. Unmold. Garnish wish crisp lettuce. Cut in slices and serve topped generously with cottage cheese seasoned and thinned with sour cream. Makes 12 servings.

VEGETABLE CHOP SUEY

1 cup (1/4 pound) sliced mushrooms
1 cup sliced onions
2 tablespoons fat
2 cups chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped celery leaves
1 cup green beans, cut in 1-inch pieces
2/3 cup sliced green pepper
3 cups beef stock, or 3 cups water and 3 bouillon cubes
3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup flour for thickening

Saute mushrooms and onions in fat until onions are golden brown. Add vegetables, stock, and seasonings. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, but still crisp. Drain; measure stock and add water to make 2 1/4 cups. Add to vegetables and bring to a boil. Thicken with flour and water paste, stirring constantly. Serve with noodles or rice. Serve with soy sauce, if desired. Serves 4 to 6.

CEREAL SOUFFLE

2 tablespoons butter or bacon fat
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup Post’s 40% Bran Flakes, Corn Toasties, or Grape-Nuts Flakes
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
3/4 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
3 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Melt butter in saucepan. Add flour and stir to a smooth paste. Add milk gradually, stirring constantly, and cook and stir until thickened. Cool slightly; add egg yolks, salt, and pepper; blend. Fold in egg whites, then cereal flakes. Turn into greased shallow baking dish. Place in pan of hot water and bake in moderate oven (350° F.) 40 minutes, or until firm. Serve immediately with cheese, tomato, celery, mushroom, or onion sauce. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

• All Post Cereals: Grape-Nuts, Grape-Nuts Flakes, Grape-Nuts Wheat-Meal, Post’s 40% Bran Flakes, Post’s Raisin Bran, and Post’s Corn Toasties meet or surpass whole grain values recommended by the Nutrition Program. They offer full nutritive value of thiamine (B1), iron, and niacin of original grains.

CHEESE POTATO PUFFS

2 cups well-seasoned mashed potatoes
1/2 cup grated American cheese
1 teaspoon minced onion
1 1/2 cups Post’s Corn Toasties, or 1 cup Grape-Nuts Flakes or Post’s 40% Bran Flakes, slightly crushed

Combine potatoes, cheese, and onion, and mix thoroughly. Shape into balls; roll in slightly crushed cereal flakes. Bake on greased baking sheet in hot oven (400° F.) 20 minutes. Makes 6.

CREAMY CHEESE MOLD

1 package Lemon Jell-O
1 1/2 cups hot water
1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon minced onion
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cottage cheese or grated American cheese
1/2 cup chopped cucumber or celery
3 tablespoons finely chopped green pepper

Dissolve Jell-O in hot water. Add vinegar and salt. Add mayonnaise, paprika, onion, and milk, and beat with rotary egg beater to blend. Chill until slightly thickened. Place in bowl of cracked ice or ice water. Whip with rotary beater until fluffy. Fold in remaining ingredients. Turn into mold. Chill until firm. Unmold on crisp greens. Garnish with radish roses or slices. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

VEGETABLE CHOWDER

2 tablespoons fat
1 tablespoon minced onion
2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
1 cup peas
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup cooked corn
3 1/2 cups milk
2 1/2 tablespoons flour

Melt fat in saucepan; add onion and green pepper and cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently; then add peas, carrots, and water, and cook slowly 20 to 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Add sugar, salt, corn, and milk. Bring to a boil. Thicken with flour and water paste, stirring constantly. Serve, or keep hot by placing over boiling water. Makes 6 servings.

• Pick Post Cereals, too, for protein. An ounce serving with 1/2 cup milk gives 10% to 13% of the day’s protein requirement. So these cereals help to pinch-hit for meat in all its important values.