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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another earthy, delicious Leslie Cerier book, July 23, 2010
This review is from: Gluten-Free Recipes for the Conscious Cook: A Seasonal, Vegetarian Cookbook (The New Harbinger Whole-Body Healing Series) (Paperback)
I've long been a fan of Leslie Cerier's easy, earthy style of cooking, full of hearty grains, gentle seasonings, and organic produce. Though I'm not gluten-free, I added this book to my collection for all the above reasons.
The previous review is so unfair-- to give a book a one-star review because it has no photos? It would have been nice, for sure, but some publishers don't have the budget. And because there is a recipe for cooking short-grain brown rice? These instructions preceded a whole chapter on making healthier sushi, hence its inclusion. Also such instructions are good for people who buy grains in bulk and who are just getting familiar with healthier grains.
I've already made several recipes from this book and they are outstanding. Corn Grits with Sautéed Onion, Kale, and Cheddar (I used vegan cheese), Soba with Tempeh and Broccoli in Coconut Sauce, and Cilantro Pesto were all great. There are probably more dishes here for cool-weather cooking, so I'm looking forward to trying things like Spiced Yams with Pecans and Garlicky Baked Beans with Parsnips and Butternut Squash in the fall.
Aside from being good for gluten-free cooking, this book is a great introduction for using a wide array of whole grains we don't usually think of, like millet--it's such a tasty, healthy grain, and I rarely think to use it. Thanks, Leslie, for another great collection of recipes and tips! If you like this you'll also like Going Wild in the Kitchen, one of my favorite veg cookbooks.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good recipes, but not for everyday use, December 9, 2010
This review is from: Gluten-Free Recipes for the Conscious Cook: A Seasonal, Vegetarian Cookbook (The New Harbinger Whole-Body Healing Series) (Paperback)
For me, this book focuses less on practical gluten-free vegetarian cooking and more on how to use alternative grains. A huge number of the recipes rely on ingredients like teff or millet -- delicious additions, but expensive and not something I can afford to cook with every day.
Recipes also include hard-to-find ingredients like maca powder or Bhutanese red rice. I'm sure Madagascar pink rice is delicious, but I'm also sure none of my local markets carry it.
Other recipes, like the smoothies and sides, are accessible (and tasty!), and I love the short sushi chapter, but I was hoping for more dishes like those. In the end, this isn't going to be a cookbook I reach for often.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A book for all seasons, August 22, 2010
This review is from: Gluten-Free Recipes for the Conscious Cook: A Seasonal, Vegetarian Cookbook (The New Harbinger Whole-Body Healing Series) (Paperback)
Review from [...]
Gluten-Free Recipes for the Conscious Cook is a buoyant book, one that celebrates the vast offerings of the earth in their seasonal best rather than mourn the loss of gluten-filled grains. Embracing the gluten-free, Cerier leaps joyfully into discovery, leaving gluten-filled grains in the dust without a backward glance. Should you be dealing with gluten-free for health reasons, you will feel worries melt away as you dive into Cerier's delicious recipes. Should you merely be curious about the wide world of grains, happy discoveries lie ahead.
As a teacher, Cerier knows how to teach about the new grains, and offers tips on gluten-free cooking with ease and accuracy. Her writing is so infused with both her love of life and the foods that nourish it, that it is a pleasure to read. Her knowledge would be formidable if it was not so enthusiastically shared. There are tips throughout the book, such as the secret of putting sea vegetables in the cooking water with beans to reduce gas-producing enzymes. In what may be our favorite short section, Cerier devotes a few pages to cooking with color and artistry to turn kitchen tasks into kitchen pleasures.
The recipes are innovative and creative. Start the day with a "bountiful breakfast," advises Cerier. She gives recipes for Power Porridge with Goji Berries, Oat and Raisin Muffins, Coconut Quinoa Waffles with Maca, even includes a Miso Watercress Soup - a classic breakfast in Japan. For main course suggestions Cerier offers a wide range of grains and beans recipes such as Soba with Tempeh and Broccoli in Coconut Sauce, Roasted Vegetable and Quinoa Casserole, Savory Stuffed Winter Squash, Corn Grits with Sauteed Onion, Kale, and Cheddar, or a Coconut Curry Lentil and Millet Stew.
Listed as sides are a variety of recipes that might also serve as a main course. You will find Basmati and Wild Rice Pilaf, Coconut Jasmine Rice with Goji Berries and Shitakes, Madagascar Pink Rice with Cashews and Scallions, Bhutanese Red Rice Pilaf with Vegetables, Spiced Yams with Pecans, Tomato-Lentil Stew with Kale.
Cerier packs the book with sauces and toppings, often vital to grain cooking. Inspired by global discoveries, Cerier offers Russian Dressing, Italian Dressing, Moroccan Tahini Sauce, Thai Peanut Sauce. There are sauces from a Cilantro Pesto to a gourmet treat Red Wine with Porcini Sauce.
Desserts, often the bane of the gluten-free, are included with such luscious recipes as Hazelnut Butter Cookies, Date and Coconut Cookies, Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie, Topless Blueberry Pie, Granny Smith Apple Crumb Pie.
Gluten-Free Recipes for the Conscious Cook is a book for all seasons and for all who love good food.
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