The Whole Grain Cookbook (Paperback)

~ A. D. Livingston (Author) "The Native Americans were farming long before the Europeans arrived in the New World..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Here are recipes, from the familiar oat to exotic ancient crops, a celebration of the good eating to be had from whole grains.

Grain truly is the staff of life-tasty, versatile, and highly nutritious. In The Whole Grain Cookbook, A. D. Livingston brings his encyclopedic knowledge of world cuisines to bear on the wonderfully diverse possibilities offered by grains. These authentic, eclectic, homespun recipes show the various grains at their best, whether on their own or cooked with meats and vegetables. Rediscover the goodness of barley, oats, corn, and wheat in recipes for Turkish barley and yogurt soup, oat museli and scones, and corn pozole. Experience the marvelous flavors of newly available ancient grains such as amaranth and quinoa, first grown by the Aztecs and Incas, and enjoy the delicious taste of millet, a Middle Eastern staple since prebiblical times.

This delightfully inclusive cookbook also has tempting recipes for chickpeas, buckwheat, spelt, nuts, seeds-and even acorns.

Also included is information on where to buy whole grain, how to store it, and how to grind your own meal and flour with a home milling machine (as with coffee and pepper, freshly ground grains are more flavorful, and cheaper, than store-bought). Appetizing, informative, and uncomplicated,

The Whole Grain Cookbook is a resource you'll turn to again and again.

From the Back Cover

Grain truly is the staff of life - tasty, versatile, and highly nutritious. From the familiar oat to exotic ancient crops, The Whole Grain Cookbook is a celebration of the good eating offered by grains. These authentic, eclectic, homespun recipes show the various grains at their best, whether on their own or cooked with vegetables or meat. Rediscover the goodness of barley, oats, and corn in such recipes as Turkish Barley and Yogurt Soup, Applejack Oat Cake, and Pozole. Enjoy the marvelous flavors of newly available ancient grains such as amaranth and quinoa, first grown by the Aztecs and Incas. Taste the diverse possibilities of rice in recipes ranging from Balinese Pancakes to Azerbaijani Rice Pilaf to Norwegian Rice and Almond Pudding. This wonderfully inclusive cookbook also has tempting recipes for chickpeas, beans, buckwheat, spelt, nuts, seeds - and even acorns. Also included is information on where to buy whole grain, how to store it, and how to grind your own meal and flour with a home-milling machine (as with coffee and pepper, freshly ground grains are more flavorful, and less expensive, than store-bought). Appetizing, informative, and uncomplicated, The Whole Grain Cookbook is a resource you'll return to again and again. (7 X 91/4, 320 pages)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press; 1st edition (August 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585740470
• ISBN-13: 978-1585740475
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #363,548 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great information about grains, September 23, 2003

By A Customer

This book contains interesting and informative information about just about every grain plus some legumes, nuts, and seeds. The only problem I have with this book is that it seems that the recipes were not tested. The first two recipes I tried did not work they way there were written which makes me hesitant to try any others. Another thing that makes me feel that perhaps these weren't tested is that there are no recipes yields so you don't know how many of a cookie your making or how many servings a recipe will make.

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The "Staff of Life" just got a bigger menu., December 29, 2002

By	Wendy A. B. Whipple (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Many folks know that eating whole grains is better than eating the processed stuff you get at the grocery story. The problem is, there are relatively few cookbooks for using some of the more "exotic" grains.

This cookbook gives you recipes for more than 20 different grains, seeds and nuts. The recipes go way beyond bread, and encompass the globe. You'll find things like Millet Soufflé, Duck Soup with Barley, Sopa de Avena (Oatmeal Soup), and Gingersnaps (made with whole berry wheat flour). Most of the ingredients are easily obtainable, especially if you have access to a good health food store.

The author does a fair job of giving lots of sources for buying some of the less common grains. Websites would be helpful, but I can understand why he would not include them (since web addresses change all the time). A bit of time spent online can put you in contact with any number of suppliers.

I would have appreciated more time spent on the section for grinding your own grain. There are a number of home grain mills on the market, and it would have been nice if he had taken some time and discussed the pros and cons of various mills.

While cooking with whole grains is part of a healthier lifestyle, this is not a health-food cookbook, nor is it vegetarian. There are meatless recipes, and there are low-fat recipes, but that isn't the point of this book. Livingston is introducing the reader to a vast array of grains and ways to prepare them.

Since the recipes aren't any more difficult to prepare than recipes from any average cookbook, the hardest thing will be finding the grains; head to your local health food store. Even some large supermarkets are stocking small packages of whole grains in their health food/organic aisles.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not recommended, February 26, 2007

By	WI book woman (Madison, WI) - See all my reviews

I was looking for a user friendly whole grain cookbook. I was disappointed in this one. A lot of the recipes are on the "weird" side or use hard to get ingredients. For instance there is a recipe for Amaranth Pancakes which calls for acorn flour. Where do you find acorn flour--not a staple in my cupboard.

I think there are better choices when looking for a whole grain cookbook.