If you’re adhering to a gluten-free diet because you have celiac disease or other health conditions that benefit from avoiding gluten, this is one cookbook you’ll want on your cookbook shelf. But be sure to take a look at it if you’re interested in exploring a variety of whole grains, too — regardless of what else you eat!
Leslie tells us all we need to know about this dietary choice, even if we’re new to the topic. She explains what gluten is, she looks at the health issues that prompt people to adopt a gluten-free diet, and she introduces us to ancient and exotic gluten-free grains: amaranth, buckwheat, corn, millet, oats, quinoa, rice, sorghum, teff, and wild rice. A chapter is devoted to basic grain cookery, including everything from cookware to modifications to change texture or enhance flavor (such as including seasonings and toasting grains before adding the cooking liquid).
The Bountiful Breakfast chapter includes directions for making nut and seed milks, smoothies and shakes, granola (Vanilla Hazelnut Granola, no less!), porridges, muffins, scrambled tofu, pancakes, and waffles. There’s even a breakfast soup!
You’ll find a handful of savory stews in the chapter on Main course sensations, along with loaves, pasta dishes, a quinoa casserole, and much more. You’ve come to the right book to dispel any lingering doubts about gluten-free recipes being boring. In this chapter alone you’ll find Shiitake and Kale Lasagna with Marinated Dried Tomatoes and Chevre as well as Red Lentil and Teff Loaf with Red Wine and Porcini Sauce.
There’s a chapter devoted to Sushi, and another on Savory Sauces and Tempting Toppings. For readers who want to experiment a bit without committing to an entire gluten-free meal, the Super Sides chapter is a great place to start. How about a Lemony Quinoa Salad with Toasted Sunflower Seeds or Spiced Yams with Pecans? Sweet indulgences include an array of cookies, puddings, pies, crisps, and bars. (I’ve put Mocha Coconut Rice Pudding and Cashew Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies on my dessert menus for next week!)
This unassuming paperback includes over 100 intriguing recipes, with straightforward directions that put most of them in the easy-to-prepare category. A glossary of ingredients and a section of resources are helpful, too.
Leslie encourages the reader to cook “like an artist designing a meal, composing with gluten-free whole grains, flours, and pastas complemented by a rainbow of local, seasonal fruits and vegetables.” To get you started right away, we’re happy to be able to include on our recipe site three recipes from Gluten-Free Recipes for the Conscious Cook for you to try. (You’ll also find some recipes from a couple of Leslie’s other cookbooks.) Let us know what you think!
Gluten-Free Recipes for the Conscious Cook by Leslie Cerier
After months of migraines, my hands and feet going numb, stomach in knots and extreme dizziness and fatigue I found out I had gluten intolerance. And going gluten-free after 25 years of eating “normally” was and still is one of the hardest things I have ever done. I have been gluten-free for about four months now, and I am still finding it tough. Especially at get-togethers, I see the spread of food and can’t eat a single thing there. It is such a difficult thing to get used to and at first it seems like you might just starve to death. It gets even harder when you are strapped for time and cash AND being vegetarian or vegan. After months of research it hasn’t gotten much easier. If this sounds like what you’re going through, or if you just want to eat better, I would pick up Leslie Cerier’s Gluten-free Recipes for the Conscious Cook: A Seasonal Vegetarian Cookbook. I am so thankful I was given this book and I use it as a guide everyday. All the information is laid out in a way that is easy to use and understand and the recipes and tips make the possibilities of gluten-free eating endless. Even if you don’t have gluten intolerance or Celiac’s, a gluten-free diet is much better for you…for everybody!Gluten is a protein present in wheat, barley and rye. It’s difficult to digest and doesn’t benefit us much. Manufacturers pump foods with it to give them longer shelf life and to taste better. The forward by Kathie Madonna Swift is a great briefing on the affects of gluten and the positive changes that come from going gluten-free. She says how changing to a GF diet can “prevent and cure many chronic health conditions” (IBS, migraines, chronic fatigue, neurological problems, diabetes, thyroid, obesity) and it can improve “autoimmune, inflammatory, gastrointestinal, dermatological and some neurological conditions.” It not only affects us, but it impacts the Earth. Wheat and other gluten grains are grown with harmful chemicals, while gluten-free grains can be grown without these methods. As Cerier says, “more nutrition from the same amount of land” because GF grains “offer superior nutrition and higher quality protein.”
Leslie Cerier treats GF cooking as an art form and a sport because you can transform the colors, shapes and textures of these grains and foods as you like, making them taste and look great! The first chapter is dedicated to introducing the GF grains: amaranth, buckwheat, corn millet, oats, quinoa, rice, sorghum, teff and wild rice. Cerier provides descriptions of each, as well as other useful ingredients like coconut flour and nut and seed meals. The second chapter gives instructions and suggestions on cooking GF grains and includes charts on liquid to grain ratios, which is one of my favorite things about this book (along with the glossary of ingredients and resources in the back of the book!). After this all the chapters are loaded with amazing recipes: breakfasts, main courses, sushi, sides, sauces and toppings and desserts. I won’t stop till I make and try them all. It is my dream guide to gluten-free cooking and as soon as you pick it up I guarantee it will be yours too!
Leslie Cerier (a.k.a “The Organic Gourmet”) is also the author of The Quick and Easy Organic Gourmetand Going Wild in the Kitchen. To learn more about Leslie, her classes, organic catering and consultations visit her website. Make sure to check out the many recipes on VegKitchen provided by Leslie.
“Gluten-Free Recipes for the Conscious Cook by Leslie Cerier”
Gluten-Free Recipes for the Conscious Cook, A Seasonal Vegetarian Cookbook by Leslie Cerier
Yes, as I expected, “Gluten-Free Recipes for the Conscious Cook” is a contribution to the cook’s reference library for those who are gluten sensitive or have a family member who cannot eat wheat. And, yes, it’s also a terrific introduction to the many other grains available to those who are interested shaking up their habitual dependence upon wheat flour.
But first and foremost, it’s a fine cookbook. I found it full of great recipes for tasty meals that make the body feel good. Leslie Cerier, the author, is a teacher, too, and that means that she explains things so that we’ll not only learn but learn to appreciate. (Be sure to see the section on cooking with color!)
I like eating, I confess, so a cookbook is not a hard sell. That said, I’m fussy about my cookbooks. The print has to be easy to read. (It is.) The pages have to lie flat easily. (They don’t. I put a piece of glass over the book-which is probably a good idea if you don’t want your copy to look like all of my cookbooks, as if illustrated by an abstract water-colorist whose favorite color is coffee-stain brown.) The book has to be organized well. (It is, with sections on breakfast – my favorite meal- desserts, soups, salads and entrees.) I also like a cookbook that is international without being impossible (shopping for ingredients should not be a scavenger hunt). Leslie’s book meets that criteria nicely.
“What about the recipes?” you ask. I thought you’d never.
Banana Pancakes with Cinnamon made with teff flour from Gluten-Free Recipes for the Conscious Cook by Leslie Cerier
I started by making the Banana Pancakes with Cinnamon; they were OK but seemed oddly chewy. That’s something that I should have expected – different grains have a different “tooth” and feel different in the mouth. After two bites, I was used to it. Please pass the syrup.
I made a batch of the Garlic Peanut Soup; of the four who tried it, three loved it and one person didn’t; unfortunately, that was me. I love peanut and I love garlic, but I didn’t care for the combo. That said, there wasn’t any left in the pot by the other three.
Granny Smith Apple Pie. Yowza, That’s very good. It kind of desert it makes you want to cook another right away. And eat another one right away. Also inviting are Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie, Topless Blueberry Pie, and I remember something about hazelnut and cookies that I’ll be trying.
The book has many sauce recipes, as well. Moroccan Tahini Sauce looks perfect as a topping for wraps with a variety of ingredients. Then there is my personal favorite, Thai Peanut Sauce.
Entrees run the course from Roasted Vegetable and Quinoa Casserole to Coconut Curried Lentil and Millet Stew. Add a side of Spiced Yams with Pecans.
Leslie Cerier, who specializes in whole foods and organic cuisine has more than 20 years experience. She is a national authority on gluten-free cooking and baking; teaches vegetarian cooking nationwide, and is the author of 5 cookbooks: “Going Wild in the Kitchen”, ”The Quick and Easy Organic Gourmet.” Leslie Cerier is a chef, educator, environmentalists, photo photographer, and recipe developer. www.lesliecerier.com
This cookbook is an informative and fun approach to preparing a full spectrum of gluten-free foods.
Perfect for people with and without gluten sensitivities; people who cook for those with gluten sensitivities; and nutritionists, dieticians, and other health professionals.
Included in the cookbook:
Cooking and baking with various sweeteners, oils, and seasonings
The magic of global flavors, using local produce, herbs, and spices
Delectable protein-based side dishes highlighting beans, soy foods, pasture-fed dairy, nuts, and seeds
Learn to cook like an artist as you master dishes ranging from appetizers to desserts and breakfasts to one-pot dinners, including pancakes, porridges, soups, salads, pasta dishes, pilafs, bread, sushi, and pastries.
