Simply Ancient Grains by Maria Speck – A Cookbook Review

I received a review copy of this cookbook in exchange for my review.  All opinions are my own.  This post contains affiliate links for Amazon; if you shop through them, a small commission supports this site at no cost to you.

 

If you want to learn how to cook with amaranth, bulgur, freekeh, quinoa, and many other ancient grains, Simply Ancient Grains: Fresh and Flavorful Whole Grain Recipes for Living Well is the cookbook for you.

It has elegantly composed photos that glow with color, and although there is not a photo for every recipe, there are enough to make you want to start cooking.

I liked how there were a variety of many different flavors within the cookbook.  And I was surprised by how much color could be incorporated into recipes that are based on grains!  Check out the Burgundy Bulgur with Blueberries and Orange Blossom Water if you don’t believe me.

I haven’t experimented much with ancient grains, aside from the occasionally box of quick-cooking quinoa, but this cookbook makes me want to go shopping and fill up a cart with exotic grains.  The style of writing inspires confidence and doesn’t intimidate.  There are also several helpful reference chapters that teach about the grains and about some of the equipment you might want to use for cooking them.

Recipe chapters are divided into Breakfast, Slow Mornings, Salads and Sides, Soups and Stews, Pasta, Simply Mains, and Simple and Sweet.  I appreciated the morning meal being divided into two chapters: “Breakfast” for quick dishes, and “Slow Mornings” for more involved cooking.

Overall, this is a high quality cookbook and I recommend it if you’re looking to add more ancient grains to your meals. 

  

Dried quinoa image by FreeImages.com