Spelt Healthy! Quality Whole Food Cooking and Baking with Spelt [Perfect Paperback]

Marsha Cosentino MA (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Most of us know little about spelt, its health benefits, and least of all, how to cook and bake with it. This fabulous introduction to the flowing grass, whose fruit is a grain, includes information on the historical use of spelt, the arguments for its place in a healthy diet, and simple and complex ways to integrate it into a recipe. The recipes allow the reader to indulge in comfort foods, but Cosentino, a field archaeologist and historian, is conscious of staying away from prepackaged items. At the end of the book, there is a convenient appendix with a listing of nutrition information for each recipe. This is not only for the serious cook but also for those with an affinity for natural, whole, and slow-cooked foods. It is also good for readers who follow the blood-type diet, because each recipe is marked for its ideal blood-type match. Recommended for every public and academic library with a cookbook or nutrition collection. --Library Journal

I would rcommend this book to anyone seeking to improve his or her health without the strictures of a diet. This groundbreaking book presents a nutritional lifestyle that I heartily recommend for all who want to eat healthfully and at the same time enjoy fine food. Lively, enjoyable and loaded with useful information, this book makes cooking wih spelt a pleasure. --Dr. Suzanne Bentz, physician and nutrition expert

About the Author

Marsha Cosentino, M.A. grew up in a household of fine cooks where whole food cooking was the norm. She started cooking with spelt in the 1980 s due to her archaeological field work and growing fascination with the heirloom grains, chiefly spelt. As a field archaeologist and researcher, she found that recipes are artifacts of the past no different than the cooking vessels she excavated. Because of its inherent good taste and long history of use, she refused to accept the conventional wisdom that dull leaden foods were the recipe boundaries of spelt cooking. Then in 1999 she read Dr. Peter D Adamo s work on blood type eating. He suggests that what our ancestors ate strongly influences our food preferences and metabolic functions today. He recommends spelt over modern wheat because of Spelt s superior nutritional profile and antiquity. This galvanized her to further research using spelt as the basic grain in her whole food cooking. Thus began the odyssey of bringing spelt from ancient hearths to modern kitchens, from Roman bakeries to your oven and giving spelt brand new life in the wide variety of delicious foods that appear in Spelt Healthy!

Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Autumn Rose Press; 1st edition (September 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977463559
• ISBN-13: 978-0977463558
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #619,445 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #95 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Special Diet > Whole Foods

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A welcome addition to personal, family, professional, and community library specialized cookbook collections., June 9, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spelt Healthy! Quality Whole Food Cooking and Baking with Spelt (Perfect Paperback)

So many modern wheats have been genetically engineered for specialized uses ranging from 'pop tarts to envelope glue' that they have actually become deleterious to the health of many people. 'Spelt' is an organic 'bread' grain that retains its ancient genetic profile, is naturally self-enriched, especially high in B vitamins, and for those who have developed an aversion to modern wheats, far easier to digest. It is an all-around grain that enjoys an excellent flavor, is absolutely nutritious, and is suited to whole food dishes ranging from baguettes to delicate fruit pastries, from stuffed mushrooms to soups, and salads to pizzas. "Spelt Healthy! is a specialized cookbook that culinary expert Marsha Cosentino has compiled to showcase the versatility of this ancient grain in baking and cooking. There are more than 200 featured, kitchen-cook friendly recipes based on spelt. One of the more unusual nutrition informations provided are the Blood Type eating notations (A, B. AB, O). Another special feature is the section of 'Food Intolerances and Allergies'. There is even a 'Shopping for Spelt' appendix. The recipes range from Whole Grain Waffles with Spelt Sprouts and Fruit Bits; to Pao Doce (Massa Sovada or Portuguese Sweet Bread); to Coated Pan Fried Fish Fillets; to Chocolate Chip Florentines. Combining the features of a reference, a guide, and a recipe collection, "Spelt Healthy!" is a welcome addition to personal, family, professional, and community library specialized cookbook collections.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great and easy to follow recipes, October 8, 2006

By 

Pete Huie "Food Aficionado" (Seattle) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Spelt Healthy! Quality Whole Food Cooking and Baking with Spelt (Perfect Paperback)

Spelt Healthy! has delicious recipes in every category from breakfast to dessert. Ms. Cosentino provides in depth research into the advantages of cooking with spelt, from its nutrition, taste, and is great for those with food allergies. The book also includes many recipes utilizing other whole foods and includes detailed information on the benefits of each of the types of whole food the recipes use. The recipes are delicious, easy to follow, and the ingredients are available either at grocery stores or in some cases specialty grocers like Whole Foods.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interested in Spelt Flour and healthy, delicious recipes?, June 23, 2008

By 

L. Wilson (Biloxi, MS) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Spelt Healthy! Quality Whole Food Cooking and Baking with Spelt (Perfect Paperback)

!!!Spelt Healthy! Quality Whole Food Cooking and Baking with Spelt Do you wish to understand why problems abound with wheat? Do you want to know what makes Spelt Flour so valuable to our bodies? This book is a plethora of information and with many, many recipes you can't help but want to try ......anything you can dream up serving for any situation. With all the info inside the covers, one would think it is complex...NOT. It's simple to follow and understand. Also she uses regular ingredients that you would want in your kitchen anyway. The spinach pesto is out of this world, and so easy. Ms. Cosentino has created an encyclopedia on Spelt along with all the recipes. I was little skeptical when ordering it, then fasinated with the book when I received it...could NOT put it down. This author values the "Eat Right for Your Blood Type" and has incorporated which blood type can reap the rewards of each recipe, and what variations to make for an alternate blood type. This book is worth every dime you will spend on it, and much more as well...amazing !!!