This book is not a wower, but, it's ok. Make sure you read the recipes before going to the grocery store; you'll need to find different ingredients that I would bet is not in the average kitchen.

This book was a real disappointment. There was a number of fringe ethnic dishes with poor taste appeal. Too many of the same types of recipes. Don't waste your time!

A very good, detailed book using these items. Perfect for when using emergency supplies. Lots of color pictures and easy recipes.

This book had great reviews. It is thorough. I haven't tried recipes yet but it's a great book.

We love this book! It has some of the best recipes that we have ever made! It is quite extensive and has broadened our tastes into grains and beans that we have never even heard of before. Finding some of the ingredients was a little tricky at first, then we started to let our fingers do the walking and had better luck finding some of the odd ingredients at the smaller ethnic stores and health food stores than the supermarkets. But definitely call first. It was a hit and miss affair. The absolute best thing about this book was that they include the nutritional value for each recipe which in invaluable for maintaining certain diets like weight watchers. Needless to say almost everything in this book is low in points because of the sheer amount of fiber in them. We LOVE this book!!! get it you won't be disappointed!

Even though this book lacks pictures the great number of recipes more than makes up for that. There are great recipes for dips, snacks, soups, salads, side dishes, main dishes, breakfasts, breads, and deserts. I've tried several side dishes, a bean salad, and a quinoa recipe. I had to adjust the quinoa recipe due to not having an ingredient but it still turned out great. There are many recipes to choose from for someone like me who is challanged at what to do with rice, beans, and grains. I am just discovering whole grains after living much of my adult life preparing ready-made sidedishes and meals from boxes, cans, or frozen items. I have been learning how to shop at our local Whole Foods and other natural foods stores so I need all the help I can get. This book helps make my learning process easier. Yipee!

I have lots of cookbooks, but this is my everyday source. It's not overly dependent on cheese and other fatty ingredients, and yet Ms. Chesman doesn't shy away from them. Same with unusual ingredients--I can find quite a few recipes to choose from based on my pantry, but there's plenty of inspirational cooking here. All the recipes are simple, and use simple, healthy ingredients and every single one I've tried has turned out wonderfully. Mostly vegetarian, the few recipes that recommend meat ingredients offer vegetarian alternatives. I was looking for a cookbook like this for a long time and was so pleased when I started cooking from it and realized I'd found exactly what I was after!

I would have really appreciated carbohydrate numbers and serving sizes (1 C, 2 C, etc.). This was my major issue with this book. The recipes were interesting and varied.

I purchased several vegetarian cookbooks at one time once my boyfriend and I made the decision to become flexitarians. This book, more than any other, has helped us make this transition. Yes, I grew up in the south and know how to cook beans & greens and vegetarian chili. This book introduced me to quinoa (my new favorite!) and got me thinking about how to approach cooking in a whole new light. Highly recommended for vegetarians, or even meat eaters who need to add some fiber to their diets. Well written, and the recipies are simple and easy to follow. I wish there were pictures - I'm just a visual person, and I tend to prefer cookbooks with photos.

I purchased several vegetarian cookbooks at one time once my boyfriend and I made the decision to become flexitarians. This book, more than any other, has helped us make this transition. Yes, I grew up in the south and know how to cook beans & greens and vegetarian chili. This book introduced me to quinoa (my new favorite!) and got me thinking about how to approach cooking in a whole new light. Highly recommended for vegetarians, or even meat eaters who need to add some fiber to their diets. Well written, and the recipies are simple and easy to follow. I wish there were pictures - I'm just a visual person, and I tend to prefer cookbooks with photos.

With the exception of ONE recipe, which I found bland, everything I've tried in this book has been exceptional. I use it all of the time.

Great recipes for year 'round cooking and eating. Includes the full spectrum of snacks, dips, breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.

This is one of the best cookbooks I own (and I own a lot of them). Chesman starts out the book by going through everything you really need to know about legumes, rice and grains -- the different types, how each should be bought, stored and used, what each is good for, what each tastes and feels like in the mouth, etc. Her shopping and storing tips are worth the price of the book alone, but the recipes take it into the realm of the sublime. The book is well organized by broad chapter, e.g., beans, or rice & beans, with a clear listing of the recipes in each chapter and then the recipes themselves. Each recipe opens with a brief description of the dish or a positive feature about it and is then followed by a very clear list of ingredients and cooking instructions that are almost impossible to mess up. Chesman also gives nutritional content info including the overall protein, fat, sodium, and fiber of each dish, as well as the percentage of calories from fat. Most of the dishes are, or can very easily be, vegetarian, but she gives instructions on how to add meat and make certain dishes more traditional, such as adding salt pork to boston baked beans. She also gives alternatives such as turkey bacon for some dishes, so that the recipes can be adapted for vegans, non-vegan vegetarians, non red-meat eaters, etc. So far I have made Mediterranean White Bean Soup with Fennel, Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Chickpeas, and Brown Rice and Lentils. All have been unbelievably great and really easy. The dishes freeze well so busy people can make a lot and freeze them in single-serving bowls, or have a party and feed a lot of friends or family without a lot of work.

This book has a lot of great ways to add vegetables and protein to one's diet and get a lot of flavor without a lot of fat. All cookbooks should be this great. I can't recommend it highly enough.

I ordered three whole grains/beans cookbooks at one time, and so far this one has been my favourite by FAR. I feel as though I will be able to happily cook through this book from cover to cover. I like the author's criteria for a good bean or grain recipe:

1) should taste great
2) should be quick and easy to make
3) should not require following a recipe slavishly

I couldn't agree with her more.

Regarding the "fart" comment earlier - beans have fiber, which moves waste out, avoiding cancers and other intestinal problems. There is actually less gas if people eat enough fiber regularly. Most people don't, so that is what causes gas in the system.

Combining beans and peas (also called legumes) with any kind of seed grain(whole wheat, rice, sesame, corn) results in complete protein. Adding a little dairy like yogurt to the mix, and you have all the possible amino acids. Peanuts, oddly, also are part of the legume family.

I'm a returning student and eating out was one of the things I had to give up to survive on my smaller budget. This cookbook helps because I can make meals that I like better than most restaurant food with little fuss and cheap ingredients. The recipes are easy to follow and the introductory content helped me understand the basics of bean preparation so I don't have to rely on over-priced, high-sodium content canned beans!

There are many good bean books on the market, but this one is perhaps a cut above the rest. The recipes are easy, delicious, and plentiful. A great addition to your bean book collection, or the only one you'll want if you are creating one.

This cookbook is an excellent resource for both vegetarians and meat eaters alike. Chesman writes in a very easy to read style and her recipes are delicious. Normally I can only find a few recipes in a cookbook I want to try, but there are dozens in this one I am dying to try. The nutritional information is an additional bonus.