Book Review: Quinoa Cuisine

There are not many foods that can provide nearly all of the nutrients essential for life.  Rich in protein, iron, calcium, potassium, fiber, and vitamins B and E, quinoa can do just that.  This incredibly versatile food has inspired Jessica Harlan and Kelley Sparwasser's, Quinoa Cuisine - 150 Recipes for Super-Nutritious, Amazingly Delicious Dishes.  Each of these recipes is categorized using icons that place them into groups such as 30 Minutes or Less, Freezes Well, Gluten-Free, Kid Friendly, Vegan, and Vegetarian.  The first chapter of the book includes basic recipes of building block components that are used in more complex recipes later in the book.  The authors also include a helpful appendix that combines groups of recipes for different occasions such as Thanksgiving Leftovers and Valentines Day for Two.

In addition to the recipes themselves, Harlan and Sparwasser also discuss some of the history of quinoa.  Classified as a pseudograin by nutritionists, quinoa is being used more often as a substitute for traditional grains due to its many health benefits as well as its taste and texture.  But it has been popular in South America for hundreds of years.  It was first cultivated by the Incans in the Andes Mountain Region that is now Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina, and Chile.  It was almost completely wiped out by Spanish explorer Francisco Pizarro when his occupying force declared it illegal.  After their independence from Spain in the early 19th Century, Andean nations experienced a resurgence in quinoa cultivation that continues to this day.  In the early 1980s, quinoa was first introduced into the United States by California based Quinoa Corporation. Although most of the quinoa cultivation still takes place in the Andes Mountains, it has recently been grown in mountainous regions in North America since it is a hearty crop that survives drought and thrives in cool, dry, high altitude regions.

In our review, we tried the Spinach and Black Olive Calzones which used the book's recipe for Quinoa Pizza Dough.  The dough was very easy to make and is versatile in that it can be used for many variations of pizza and calzones. The combination of mozzarella cheese, black olives, and spinach wrapped in this light, flavorful crust was amazing.  For dessert, we tried the recipe for Quinoa Carrot Cake with Maple Cheese Frosting.  After trying this recipe, we ditched our old recipe for carrot cake by Alton Brown.  This is a top-notch cake recipe that you have to try.  This book includes many other interesting international recipes such as Kimchi-Quinoa Salad, Tabouleh  Salad, and Grilled Lamb Chops over Greek-Style Quinoa Pilaf.  This is a great little cookbook that is well-organized, easy to navigate, and is packed with delicious, healthy recipes.  We give Quinoa Cuisine 5 stars out of 5.