The Whole Grain Cookbook

In one of the first recipes he uses a mixture of amaranth, barley and acorn flour and says that you can use anything to replace the acorn flour, such as flax seed,etc. That's the only time that the author uses a "weird" ingredient. And actually acorns are everywhere and he tells you how to process them if you desire to add acorn flour to your pantry. There is a section for every type of grain and the recipes start with recipes for that particular grain, such as Rice Croquettes, Boiled Millet, Oatmeal Pudding, Indonesian Crackers, etc. and then it will have a recipe or two for what you can do with the grain if it's ground into flour. I like the book because I wanted to know what I could make with amaranth flour, or sorghum flour, etc. He/She has a recipe for flatbread using sorghum flour, Sorghum Chapatis, Amaranth Crepes with Bananas and Lemon Sauce, Buckwheat Blini's, Millet Pancakes, and Chickpea Fry bread with Pecans to name a few. I am trying to limit my consumption of wheat so this book fits my needs well. Of course it also covers Wheat, and Barley, etc.

Many folks know that eating whole grains is better than eating the processed stuff you get at the grocery story. The problem is, there are relatively few cookbooks for using some of the more "exotic" grains. This cookbook gives you recipes for more than 20 different grains, seeds and nuts. The recipes go way beyond bread, and encompass the globe. You'll find things like Millet Soufflé, Duck Soup with Barley, Sopa de Avena (Oatmeal Soup), and Gingersnaps (made with whole berry wheat flour). Most of the ingredients are easily obtainable, especially if you have access to a good health food store. The author does a fair job of giving lots of sources for buying some of the less common grains. Websites would be helpful, but I can understand why he would not include them (since web addresses change all the time). A bit of time spent online can put you in contact with any number of suppliers. I would have appreciated more time spent on the section for grinding your own grain. There are a number of home grain mills on the market, and it would have been nice if he had taken some time and discussed the pros and cons of various mills. While cooking with whole grains is part of a healthier lifestyle, this is not a health-food cookbook, nor is it vegetarian. There are meatless recipes, and there are low-fat recipes, but that isn't the point of this book. Livingston is introducing the reader to a vast array of grains and ways to prepare them. Since the recipes aren't any more difficult to prepare than recipes from any average cookbook, the hardest thing will be finding the grains; head to your local health food store. Even some large supermarkets are stocking small packages of whole grains in their health food/organic aisles.

Barley, oats and corn are the feature of this cookbook, which packs in recipes for using whole grains in a fresh way. Desserts and breads feature heavily in these dishes, which also include plenty of main course options.