366 Delicious Ways to Cook Rice, Beans, and Grains [Paperback]

Andrea Chesman (Author)

Book Description

Release date: February 1, 1998

Andrea Chesman presents 366 creative and flavorful "natural gourmet" recipes using a wide variety of beans and grains, like basmati and jasmine rice, adzuki beans, amaranth, and quinoa. Organized by course and main ingredient, these dishes range from light and lively starters to hearty and soul-satisfying foods that stick to your ribs but not to your waistline. American favorites are well represented here, but adventurous cooks will be pleased to find ethnic cuisines dominating this mouthwatering collection, including such recipes as:

• Healthy Mediterranean diet-inspired recipes
• Spicy Vegetable Couscous
• Pesto Pasta with Cranberry Beans
• Smoky Black Bean Burritos
• Jamaican-Style Rice and Peas This wonderful addition to our 366 Ways series features foods that are among the most versatile and healthful in the human diet, not to mention absolutely delicious.
• Recipes are high in flavor, low in fat.
• Each recipe includes a detailed nutritional analysis, which counts calories, fat, percentage of calories from fat, protein, fiber, sodium, and calcium.
• Vegetarian dishes dominate the collection, but healthful variations include salmon, shrimp, and chicken.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

By now, the most curious of home chefs are well-versed in the how-tos of whipping up cupfuls of amaranth, fava beans, and quinoa. Lest any cooking fan has been closeted in a dark pantry for five or more years, health food advocate Chesman educates and adds to the vegetarian repertoire. Many of the recipes represent rather innovative first-of-their-kind dishes or almost infinite (and unusual) variations on a standard. Rice pudding, for instance, gets at least six new faces (vanilla yogurt and pina colada are two options). And fans of Japanese sushi will find it far easier to emulate chirashi sushi (vegetable-topped vinegared rice) than the original oriental meal. Nutritional analysis and attention paid to low-fat ingredients make this less of a carbohydrate-stuffing party. Barbara Jacobs

About the Author

Andrea Chesman is a graduate of Cornell University and the author of several books, including Yankee Magazine's Church & Potluck Dinners Cookbook, Simply Healthful Skillet Suppers, and Simply Healthful Past Salads.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Plume (February 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452276543
• ISBN-13: 978-0452276543
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 1.3 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #155,139 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #46 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Cooking by Ingredient > Sauces, Salsa & Garnishes
  • #55 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Cooking by Ingredient > Rice & Grains

More About the Author

Andrea Chesman is a food writer and the author of many cookbooks, including The New Vegetarian Grill (Harvard Common Press, 2008) and Serving Up the Harvest (Storey Publishing, 2007). Her book, The Vegetarian Grill (Harvard Common Press, 1998) was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Book Award and received a 1999 National Barbecue Association Award of Excellence. She is also the author of The Roasted Vegetable (Harvard Common Press, 2002) and 366 Delicious Ways to Cook Rice, Beans and Grains (Plume-Penguin, 1998), Summer in a Jar (Williamson Publishing, 1985), and Pickles and Relishes (Garden Way Publishing, 1983), Mom's Best One-Dish Suppers (Storey Publishing, 2005), Mom's Best Crowd-Pleasers (Storey Publishing, 2006) and co-author of Mom's Best Desserts (Storey Books, 2002) and The Classic Zucchini Cookbook (Storey Books, 2002). She was editor of Yankee Magazine Church Supper and Potluck Cookbook (Villard, 1996) and editor of and contributor to the Family Circle Good Cook's Book (Simon & Schuster, 1993). She has also edited numerous gardening books, including The Big Book of Gardening Skills (Storey Communications, 1993). Her work has appeared in Cooking Light, Vegetarian Times, Organic Gardening, Fine Cooking, Food & Wine, The New York Times, Natural Health, and several other magazines and newspapers. She was a contributing editor for Vermont Life for 12 years and is currently contributing editor for Edible Green Mountains.
Andrea Chesman lives in an historic farmhouse in Ripton, Vermont, where the poet Robert Frost boarded. She lives with her husband and two sons. When she is not at work on a writing project, she edits and indexes cookbooks for numerous publishers.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

216 of 218 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacularly Healthy, Tasty and Easy Meals April 21, 2006

By J. Fuchs TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is one of the best cookbooks I own (and I own a lot of them). Chesman starts out the book by going through everything you really need to know about legumes, rice and grains -- the different types, how each should be bought, stored and used, what each is good for, what each tastes and feels like in the mouth, etc. Her shopping and storing tips are worth the price of the book alone, but the recipes take it into the realm of the sublime. The book is well organized by broad chapter, e.g., beans, or rice & beans, with a clear listing of the recipes in each chapter and then the recipes themselves. Each recipe opens with a brief description of the dish or a positive feature about it and is then followed by a very clear list of ingredients and cooking instructions that are almost impossible to mess up. Chesman also gives nutritional content info including the overall protein, fat, sodium, and fiber of each dish, as well as the percentage of calories from fat. Most of the dishes are, or can very easily be, vegetarian, but she gives instructions on how to add meat and make certain dishes more traditional, such as adding salt pork to boston baked beans. She also gives alternatives such as turkey bacon for some dishes, so that the recipes can be adapted for vegans, non-vegan vegetarians, non red-meat eaters, etc. So far I have made Mediterranean White Bean Soup with Fennel, Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Chickpeas, and Brown Rice and Lentils. All have been unbelievably great and really easy. The dishes freeze well so busy people can make a lot and freeze them in single-serving bowls, or have a party and feed a lot of friends or family without a lot of work.

This book has a lot of great ways to add vegetables and protein to one's diet and get a lot of flavor without a lot of fat. All cookbooks should be this great. I can't recommend it highly enough.

121 of 122 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Practical approach fast recipes great basic book August 31, 2006

By Cheshire Cat

Format:Paperback

The book has a number of strong points: the recipes are usually low in fat, there are many suggestions for vegetarian dishes but also options to add in meat, every pulse you can think of is covered and a good number of the recipes use time saving products such as already processed barbecue sauce or tomato paste etc. This has its benefits but also, in the case of some items, if you are located in Europe the suggested items aren't readily available. The book extensively covers different types of rice, grains, beans etc, and contains information on soaking and cooking times. There is a large section on deserts, rice puddings and other kinds of sweets with some original suggestions. Overall, however, few of the recipes sparkle with creative flair, many are variations of what you intuitively mix together yourself if you are moderately creative and have a well stocked kitchen. If you are an experienced cook looking for creative and exciting input, i.e. you flick through books and then assimilate suggestions to incorporate into your own cooking you might want to have a look at the Ajurvedic cookbook by Mirjam Gazin Hospodar, which also has many grain, rice etc recipes, however not low-fat and more time intensive than the rice beans and grain cookbook. If you 1) are not experimental when cooking 2) want step by step solid instructions 3) don't like spending ages in the kitchen 4)like healthy low-fat fare 5) want a good summary of grains, rice, pulses and how to treat them and don't already have a book, then this book is a very good choice for you.

156 of 160 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Super book - demystifies beans and rice! October 16, 2002

By Eric B. Wolf

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm a returning student and eating out was one of the things I had to give up to survive on my smaller budget. This cookbook helps because I can make meals that I like better than most restaurant food with little fuss and cheap ingredients. The recipes are easy to follow and the introductory content helped me understand the basics of bean preparation so I don't have to rely on over-priced, high-sodium content canned beans!