Review: FOR THOSE NEW TO QUINOA
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 27, 2013
My family and I are trying to incorporate quinoa into our meals.  I enjoyed reading this book very much.  This book is not simply a compilation of recipes; it gives plenty of basic information about this "superfood."I liked reading about the origin of this grain, quinoa cultivation, and quinoa's nutritional value.  Also, it was good to learn that quinoa is gluten-free and why."SAPONIN"One heading in the book that my wife and I found to be extremely interesting was "Saponin Content."  My wife and I have always known to wash quinoa seeds before preparing them, but we never knew why.  Saponin is a bitter resin (seed coating) that is actually the quinoa plant's natural defense mechanism against birds and insects.  Since we get organic Bolivian quinoa from our farmers market, washing is very important for us.BASIC INSTRUCTIONS FOR COOKING QUINOA:Throughout this book readers are instructed cook quinoa for a certain amount of minutes "or until the quinoa is ready."  Folks new to quinoa probably won't know what quinoa looks like "when it is ready."  Also, readers are instructed to "set aside" the quinoa after removing it from the stove.  Should it be strained or should it sit in the cooking liquids?  My wife and I have found that a two parts water to one part quinoa ratio works very well. The quinoa cooks like rice and will fluff with a fork when ready.  This method works for us, but Ms. Barth might have some ideas that could improve on our method.RECIPES/SOME INGREDIENTS UNCLEARMAC AND CHEESE:The recipes in this gem of a book are full of flavor with plenty of seasoning.  The first listed recipe is for "Baked Quinoa Mac and Cheese."  This recipe calls for a nice mix of Cheddar and Mozzarella Cheese.  One thing though, Ms. Barth has garlic listed as one of the ingredients, but she does not indicate how much garlic should be used (one clove, a few cloves?).  I guess this could be "to taste."QUINOA WITH CHICKEN AND VEGGIES:A recipe I immediately prepared was "Quinoa with Chicken and Veggies."  I already had most of the ingredients in our fridge/pantry.  Again, this is a flavorful dish with lots of nice spices.  Basil and thyme are listed as two of the required spices.  But... again Ms. Barth does not tell readers how much of these spices to use. Additionally, the directions for this recipe never even mention basil and thyme, so I had no idea of when to add them when preparing this dish.  Feta is also a listed ingredient, but feta is also not mentioned in the directions.  Of course, it was obvious that this cheese was a finishing touch.  The finished dish was wonderful! I must tell you that the flavor of the leftovers only gets better with time.NO INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING GARLIC:I have skimmed most of the other recipes, and from what I can see, there are other instances where garlic is not quantified (for example, Quinoa Veggie Soup, The Perfect Side, Tomato Chickpea Delight).  Again, I'm guessing this is all "to taste," but for a novice cook these recipes should be more specific.FINAL COMMENTS:This book is a comprehensive guide for those new to quinoa.  I enjoyed reading it and I got some new recipes for my family's meals.  I recommend this book, but I caution novice cooks about what I believe to be a problem with basic quinoa cooking instructions and spices not being quantified.  For this reason, my rating is 4 stars.  If the author includes more specific instructions about basic quinoa preparation and amends some recipes with specific instructions for spice content, my rating will of course go to 5 stars.