– Customer review on 27/08/2011

Quinoa is rapidly becoming a favorite part of my menus. It is gluten free (making it friendly food for some of my friends who have gluten problems); it is a great protein source (the part of me that is interested in vegetarian recipes is always on the lookout for such foods); it is easily included in a variety of tasty recipes (one of the problems that I have encountered is that there are also some pretty bland quinoa recipes--why cook if the end result is healthy but not very tasty?). As the book says at the outset (Page 1): "Nutrient-packed quinoa has sparked the interest of the health-conscious, those seeking weight loss and those on high-protein diets." Note the nutrition table on page 2.

Quinoa is easy to prepare (somewhat like rice--water, quinoas, cook for awhile, let stand for a bit), although there are other ways of preparing it as well. A nice (albeit brief) feature of this book is an essay on quinoa and its history (pages 9-10).

Then, the recipes. Different chapters consider: breakfast; appetizers, sides, snacks, and salads; soups and stews; entrees--both meat and vegetarian; treats--such as cookies and muffins; desserts; baby food (I haven't seen too many cookbooks with this entry!).

Some sample recipes.

Ultimate Granola (with ingredients such as oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, uncooked quinoa, sesame seeds, coconut, walnut pieces, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon, cranberries and raisins). Mix the nuts etc. Combine maple syrup and vanilla. Blend the two components well. Put on a baking dish and bake. Nice, tasty, and simple! Other breakfast dishes to illustrate: Quinoa pancakes; Quinoa hash browns; Light and fluffy eggs.

Appetizers, sides, snacks, and salads. Quinoa tabbouleh; Stuffed mushrooms. Soups and stews: Black bean soup; Leek and potato soup (I love this item, and I collect recipes; this is one of the better ones in my collection); Beef and sweet potato tagine on quinoa. Entrees: Chicken broccoli casserole; Thai cashew chicken and broccoli on quinoa; Chicken fried quinoa; Roasted vegetable tilapia in quinoa; Cheese and spinach frittata (a goof frittata is a simple, delightful pleasure).

Anyhow, the recipes listed are tasty (either from closely examining the recipes or from actual experience). It is possible to combine tasty meals with healthy food!