Quinoa Cuisine Cookbook Review & Recipes

How familiar are you with quinoa? Have you cooked with it, eaten it prepared by someone else or have avoided it entirely? No matter what your experience is I just read a cookbook you might enjoy.

Quinoa Cuisine by Jessica Harlan & Kelley Sparwasser- 150 Creative Recipes for Super-Nutritious, Amazingly Delicious Dishes

Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is a superfood. It is one of the few foods that can provide nearly all the nutrients essential for life. It is thought of as being a grain but it is in the goosefoot family and related to beets, spinach, and chard and the seed is mainly what is consumed. The roots of this food, also known as "gold" or "mother crop" go all the way back to ancient Incans. This food was introduced commercially into the USA in the 1980s. Quinoa is also gluten-free!

Here are the chapters (most are broken into Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall) and some recipes worth trying:


Chapter 1-Essential Recipes: Buttermilk Pancakes, Buttermilk Biscuits, Pizza Dough and Rice Flour Pie Crust
Chapter 2-Breakfasts:Honey Cinnamon Granola, Tri-berry Smoothie, Asparagus-Provolone Quiche and Pumpkin Waffles
Chapter 3-Starters: Multigrain Crackers, Hummus, Quinoa-Crab Salad in Lettuce Cups, Thai Summer Rolls and Sesame-Quinoa Cheese Straws
Chapter 4-Salads: Green Mango Salad, Tabouleh Salad, Fried Green Tomato Salad and Quinoa Caprese Salad
Chapter 5-Soups and Stews: Mulliatawny Soup, Bloody Mary Gazpacho Lemony Chicken Noodle Soup
Chapter 6-Side Dishes and Pilafs:Beef Pot Pie, Stuffed Artichokes with Garlic Lemon Aioli, Polenta Fries, Asian Style Edamame and Shiitake Pilaf and Grilled Quinoa Cakes
Chapter 7-Meat and Fish: Horseradish and Sour Cream-Crusted Tilapia, Crab Cakes, Suffed Trout, Fish Tacos and Stuffed Park Tenderloin
Chapter 8-Vegetarian: Quinoa Mini "Meat" Loaves, Stuffed Acorn Squash and Stuffed Acorn Squash
Chapter 9-Desserts: Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake, Not-So-Nutty "Peanut Butter Bars", Lemon Glazed Pound Cake, Funnel Cake Bites and Ginger Peach Shortcake
Chapter 10-Picnics, Packed Lunches, and Other Portable Goodies: Shrimp, Cucumber, and Quinoa Salad, Sun-dried Tomato and Mozzarella Stromboli, Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars
Chapter 11-Parties, Potlucks and Presents: Puttanesca Bake, Mini Pizzas, Quinoa Corn Pudding, Ginger Biscotti and Rich Chocolate Zucchini Bread

The book is very educational. All the recipes include symbols to designate them as 30 min. or less, Freezes well, Gluten-free, Good for company, Healthy choice, Kid friendly, Vegan and/or Vegetarian. Serving sizes are given as well as stories and tips.

After reading this cookbook, I was very inspired to cook with Quinoa. I will be cooking from the book and share recipes! Check out the below recipe. Doesn't it look and sound great?

Asian-Style Edamame and Shitake Pilaf

There’s no reason that rice always has to be the go-to grain for Asian-style meals. With its neutral flavor, quinoa is a great complement for Asian entrées, and black quinoa makes for an especially striking contrast against the green edamame in this dish. This pilaf is excellent with miso-glazed salmon, soy-braised tofu, or teriyaki chicken.

Serves 4
30 Mins or Less, Good for Company, Healthy Choice, Vegetarian

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced ¼ inch thick
2 green onions, sliced, white and green parts separated
1 cup black quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 cup frozen edamame, thawed
½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
½ teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the
mushrooms and sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened and browned, about 5 minutes.
Remove from the pan and reserve.
2. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons canola oil to the pan along with the white parts of the green
onions. Sauté until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the quinoa, water, soy sauce, and edamame;
bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the water has been absorbed and the
quinoa is tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the mushrooms, cover, and let sit for
5 minutes.
3. Fluff with a fork and stir in the sesame oil and rice vinegar to combine. To serve, transfer to a
serving bowl or individual plates and garnish with sesame seeds and the green parts of the green
onions.

Thanks to the sponsor for providing a copy of the cookbook for me to review. Where needed, my own tasty opinions are shared.