This cookbook is hot off the shelves, and it's what they call a holiday stocking-stuffer for that health-oriented foodie family member or friend. There are 170 recipes for quinoa, which is about 160 more than you'd think existed. Lots of bright, pretty photos are interspersed with the recipes, and everything you ever needed to know about the ancient South American grain is explained - history, varieties, cooking times, and so forth.

For a "superfood", quinoa has never really caught on in any mass-culture way. I first cooked with it as a chef in the late '80s, using the grain as a substitute base in tabouleh salads and such (there's a quinoa tabouleh recipe in the book).

It's got a nice, nutty taste, and the nutritional benefits are many - contains all eight essential amino acids and is a great source of protein (24 grams in just one uncooked cup). Quinoa is greatly appreciated by those with allergies to gluten, too.

Many of the recipes in this book are ones I won't personally use - healthy or not, I don't really see the need for putting quinoa in quiche or chocolate chip cookies. But quinoa pancakes or Moroccan chicken on quinoa are certainly worth trying. So is a pomegranate, almond, and feta salad with black quinoa. I am also intrigued by the recipe for a quinoa salad with cucumber, dill, and toasted almonds, which I'll share with you tomorrow.

Quinoa 365:The Everyday Superfood
Authors:Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming
Food photography:Ryan SzulcWhitecap Books, Canada

Price: $29.95 for the 198-page book. $19.77 on Amazon.
Rank on Amazon: #8,236 - but #5 in the Rice & Grains category.

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