— Tiffany B., Hartford, Conn.

Dear Heloise:

You had a recipe for fast coleslaw that was easy to make and had a nice taste to it. Having just graduated from college and moved into my first apartment, I have to prepare my own meals, and I’d love to have that recipe.

Tiffany, I’m happy to repeat my Fast Slaw recipe for you. Here it is:

Place all ingredients in a large plastic bag and shake, shake, shake! You can add a teaspoon of lemon juice if you’d like, or if you want something with a bite, add a dash of hot sauce.

If you’re looking for more recipes that have stood the test of time, go to my website, www. Heloise.com, or send a stamped (70 cents), selfaddressed, business-size envelope, along with $3, to: Heloise/Main Dishes, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. Since you’re just starting to make all of your own meals, you’ll find a wealth of new ideas and inspiration in various recipes. Once you start cooking, you’ll even develop your own twists on favorite foods.

— Heloise Dear Readers:

Speaking of slaw, blender slaw appeared in my mother’s book “Heloise’s Kitchen Hints” back in 1963. I’ve retested it, and it’s as reliable today as it was back then. A reader in Ohio wrote to say that she cut her cabbage into large chunks, placed the chunks in a blender, then covered it with water and gave it a buzz. She drained the water, and she had slaw! I like to add some green salad olives, a little low-cal Italian dressing and a dash of dill.

— Heloise Dear Heloise:

My hint is something I didn’t learn until I was in my 50s: When buying oranges, pick the heaviest ones. They’re the ones that are very juicy and delicious!

Cathy B. in Houston Dear Heloise: — Kate G., Garden Grove, Calif. — Heloise Dear Readers: — Heloise —

I’m discovering that many foods we eat — ketchup, yogurt, dried fruit, breakfast cereals, even some coleslaws — have sugar in them. I find this disturbing since there are many diabetics and people who are trying to lose weight who don’t know about these hidden sugars.

Kate, it’s very important to read labels and keep abreast of nutrition news. Like you, I wish food manufacturers would cut back or eliminate sugar in their foods. A little sugar isn’t a bad thing, unless your doctor doesn’t want you to eat it. However, our American diets have very high amounts of sugar, which in one form or another is in many favorite foods.

According to the website Say No to Food Waste, in America it is estimated that between 40 percent and 50 percent of food is thrown away, which is about $165 billion worth of food.

If we reduced our wasted food by 20 percent, we could feed 25 million Americans.