The Quintessential Quinoa Cookbook: Eat Great, Lose Weight, Feel Healthy

After reading some of the negative reviews, I almost didn't buy this book. On the recommendation of a friend who has followed the author's blog for several years and tested and tasted the free recipes she posts online, she assured me that this book was a real winner.New to quinoa and looking for some guidance, I was happy to find detailed instructions on the preparation methods and especially, the admonition about rinsing the saponin off (didn't know what saponin was, that it was on it or that it had to be washed off!).The real deal:The book is comprehensive and exhaustive in its approach covering every conceivable meal type and enough variety to satisfy the most finicky of eaters.The recipes are clear and concise and unlike most other cookbooks I have, the flavor profile isn't generically bland. I hate cookbook authors that try to pander to everyone and make recipes that taste like a homogenously diluted version of the ingredients used. With every calorie counting, I want my food to pack a flavorful punch and Quintessential Quinoa does not disappoint.I love Italian food but hate the feeling after I indulge in white carbs from pasta and pizza crusts. I also love spicy food.I first dug into the healthier versions of Eggplant Parmesan (love it!), Black Bean Spaghetti, Polenta Lasagna, Roasted Red Pepper Quinoa Cannelloni & Sun Dried Tomato & Goat Cheese Pizza. I have to say that I was impressed with each approach and the results were nothing short of outstanding.....and I wasn't left with white carb hangover!I also liked the Chili Rellenos Breakfast Casserole which provided a nice zing first thing in the morning.Everything I've tried has had fantastic flavor! (and that's what I was really looking for)Having been involved in various forms of printing and publishing for more than 20 years, based on a prior review, I was interested to see what the true quality of the book was, especially the binding. The book arrived in a full color jacket. The book cover is actually a case wrapped cover (something I wasn't expecting) which means the cover is image based and coated (nice in case you spill on it since the spill can be wiped off without damaging or staining the cover). The interior pages are a very thick stock and are actually coated and non-porous (also helping in their resiliency against spills in the kitchen). The photography is a refreshing mix of studio shots and impromptu "right out of the oven" candids. Studio shots done with a food stylist are wonderful but can be very debilitating to the average cook when their final achievement doesn't remotely resemble the work of a professional photographer, food stylist using fake non-food look alike products to imitate food (due to the actual food melting because of the studio lighting) and a Photoshop expert. Personally, I like to know what my food is actually going to look like when I'm done. To put this in perspective, it's kind of like the difference in seeing the images on TV of a Big Mac versus what you actually get at McDonald's......not that I eat at McDonald's (anymore). Long story short, you want studio shots? You got 'em. You want real working kitchen shots so you can know what it will actually look like? You got 'em. Best of both worlds.The binding. Where shall I begin? After the prior reviews critiquing the binding, I couldn't wait to see what all the fuss was about. To my amazement, the book actually uses oversewn binding, not cheap glue binding! The prior reviewers obviously didn't know what they were actually looking at. There simply is no stronger binding than an oversewn binding (yeah, it's called oversewn for a reason because the pages are actually oversewn together...with thread). NYU Library has the following commentary on oversewn binding on their website, "oversewn binding is reserved for only those instances when its overwhelming strength is truly warranted, such as for thick, heavy volumes or books printed on coated stock such as journals.". Hmmm, a cookbook using a binding known for its overwhelming strength and for books printed on coated paper. It becomes apparent that the author/publisher were desirous of putting out a supremely high quality product that would hold up after years of abuse.As other reviewers have stated, the book contains different variations of prep methods for gluten free, vegetarian, etc. I don't have a problem with gluten and I am not a vegetarian so those additions don't really apply to me but I can see how they would be useful if you have those requirements.In short:The book is high quality built for years of use and abuse and that's not opinion, that's factThe recipes cover the gamut of every possible palate and meal typeThe recipes taste fantasticWhether you're new to quinoa or a quinoa connoisseur, this cookbook is sure to please.

I was excited to receive my copy of this book based on all of the great reviews, but I suspect many were written by friends of the author, as this book is in no way worthy of a 5 star review.Let me be specific:(1) Writing: The writing for the book is EXTREMELY amateurish. I like to feel that the author of a book on a single subject is knowledgeable about the topic. Not so here. There is nothing new about quinoa that you can't find simply by googling "quinoa nutrition" or "all about quinoa." Then there are really childish/odd comments, like the description for quinoa flour. The author says it smells like feet or dirt. Would anyone want to use quinoa flour after such a description? Were there no editors for this project to suggest a different description? The sad headnotes and writing continue throughout the book. Really, really bad.(2) Photos: Oh my. These are really sad. Like recipe cards from the 1970s. They were taken by the author, which could be a good thing (given that there are so many amazing self-taught food bloggers who take high quality photographs); sadly, such is not the case here. These might be ok on a blog, I suppose, but they look extremely amateurish and unappealing and are in no way what you would expect to find in a professionally published cookbook. Bad lighting, bad styling, very unappealing.(3) Recipes: Thus is, of course, what I was most interested in. In a word, sad. Unappetizing. Like low-fat diet recipes my mother made in the 80s when I was a kid, but now with quinoa stirred in. Like another review mentioned, it seems like the author took a bunch of regular low-cal type recipes and added some quinoa, then, ta-da! now I have a quinoa cookbook. If you are looking for fresh, whole foods type eating, this is anything but. Also, given that this is the "quintessential quinoa book", I was expecting the author to do quinoa flour recipes. There are so few sources for recipes and I for one really like the way quinoa flour tastes. Well, forget it. Maybe 5 recipes using a little bit of quinoa flour in combination with regular wheat flour.(4) Quality of printing: This is worth mentioning since a cookbook is meant to be used on a regular basis. This is really low-end printing (i.e., done on the cheap). First, you can barely open the book because it is very cheaply bound. I am not exaggerating. You can literally only lift the cover about an inch, then you have to break the binding just to open the book! The paper quality is very cheap, and the photo pages make everything look brownish. You have to see it to believe it. I began to think this was a self-published book, it is so bad, but apparently skyhorse publishing is a "real" publisher.(5) Nutritional information: Is this a joke? A lot of the information is missing, including the calories!!! Also, the serving size is not given in portion size (e.g., exact portion, piece, amount ) but only in grams! Am I supposed to buy a scale and measure each serving in grams? Ridiculous.I think it is worth noting that only TWO of the five star reviews are Amazon Verified purchases. I wish I had noted that before buying the book; I would not have given them much weight! One is written by a reviewer who says she purchased the book a year ago--and it has only been out for less than a month!!!In sum, I cannot stress enough that you should save your money and buy another quinoa book; you have no where to go but up! I am sending this one straight back to amazon! Dreadful.

I bought this cook book after going through Wendy's website and getting her almost daily recipe emails. I had just received it and my parents came for an extended stay and the cookbook ended up going home with dad so I am back to buy my second one. I stumbled across quinoa at Trader Joes one day and bought the box of red quinoa not really knowing what it was but was impressed with the protein content and ease of use. Then not knowing what to do with it beyond the recipe on the box I typed quinoa into my browser and up popped Wendy's site and this cook book which had not made it to print at that time. The cook book is filled with easy to make and great to eat simple recipes for me to learn more about cooking with. I am not a chef, let alone a "cook" and my needs are simple since I live alone. I love her recipes and am learning how to enjoy foods again beyond something pre-packed from Trader Joes. I can't wait for my 2nd cook book to come, and the reason I bought this cook book in the first place is she has a picture of EVERY recipe, that should be mandatory for any cook book in my opinion.

There are some really good recipes in this cookbook and is really informative about using Quinoa. The recipes I have tried so far were really delicious. However, the recipes demand quite a few speciality items which I would not regularly have on hand in my kitchen. I live in a rural area in Nova Scotia and not so easy buy some things. I don't regret buying the book because it is well laid out and the recipes will broaden the scope of our vegetarian food, but when I compare it to the Moosewood cookbooks - Moosewood wins.

Not a regular eater of Quinoa, so I'm not a great go-to to get the most accurate review from. I haven't yet tried any of the recipes but I thought it would be a great book to have when I do.

This book has some wonderful recipes. It is great for people just discovering quinoa and also for people who have been enjoying it for awhile. From breakfast to salads to burgers, it covers a wide variety of uses. I have only been using quinoa for breakfast and salads, so this book has given me more options that I can't wait to try! A great buy!

Lots of great, easy to make and healthy recipies. Quinoa is a complete protien making it a great alternative to meat for those who are trying to cut back on their meat consumption.

You get to try food another way. You get to know quinoa. Recipes are easy. I still have to get used to quinoa.