Grist: A Practical Guide to Cooking Grains, Beans, Seeds, and Legumes

The only grain and legume cookbook you need!

Shortlisted for the 2022 Art of Eating Prize

As featured in Epicurious, Modern Farmer, Refinery29, Shape, Plated, Eater, Food52, Midwest Living, Bon Appetit, MindBodyGreen, The Infatuation, Associated Press, On the Menu, and NPR's The Splendid Table.

Make grains the easiest, healthiest, and most exciting stars on your table. Abra Berens, a James Beard semifinalist for Outstanding Chef and the author of Ruffage, shares more than 300 recipes and variations, plus substantial reference information to help you discover the next great grain. Grist includes more than 125 recipes for 29 different types of grains, legumes, and seeds that, in combination with vegetables and lean proteins, are the stars of the healthiest, most variable, and most satisfying meals—many of them gluten free. 

Home cooks will be attracted to the reference quality of the book, its beauty (more than 100 gorgeous photos and 30 illustrations) and heft (125 recipes + 300 variations = 448 pages), as well as the great writing, relatable voice, author authority, and unique recipe style. New and seasoned home cooks alike will find themselves turning to this guide to develop a repertoire of approachable, big-on-flavor recipes.

THIS IS THE A TO Z OF GRAINS, BEANS, AND LEGUMES: The content is deep and authoritative, but also wide-ranging, with information and recipes for 29 different grains, legumes, and seeds: Amaranth, Barley, Black-Eyed Peas, Buckwheat, Bulgur, Chickpeas, Common Beans, Corn, Cowpeas, Crowder Peas, Farro, Fava Beans, Field Peas, Fonio, Freekeh, Legumes, Lentils, Lima Beans, Millet, Oats, Quinoa, Rice, Sorghum, Split Peas, Soy Beans, Teff, Tiny Seed Grains, and Wheat Berries.

REFERENCE BOOK: Organized by type of grain/legume/seed, each chapter offers authoritative info and tips that home cooks can use to deepen their knowledge of ingredients and broaden their stable of techniques. The recipes are simple, generally quick to prepare, and use ingredients that are easy to find or often already in people's pantries.

FOLLOW-UP ON SUCCESS: Ruffage by Abra Berens was named a Best Cookbook by the New York Times and Bon Appétit, was a 2019 Michigan Notable Book winner, and was nominated for a 2019 James Beard Award.

"Things in my kitchen have changed since Ruffage arrived. This organized, easygoing guide to 29 vegetables offers a few cooking methods for each one, supplemented by several variations."—Kim Severson, New York Times

"[Ruffage] is a total classic in the making."—Christina Chaey, associate editor, Bon Appétit

"Crammed with exciting ideas that encourage creativity, this lively book will quickly become an essential item in the home cook's library."—Library Journal (starred review)

Perfect for:

• Home cooks seeking to take their skills to the next level
• Busy people who need easy recipes for clean eating but still want them to taste good
• Fans of beloved cookbooks known for their simple, healthy recipes such as The Moosewood Cookbook, Half Baked Harvest Every Day, or Ottolenghi Simple

Abra Berens is a Michigan chef, author, and former farmer. Through every recipe written and meal served, she aims to tighten the connection between eaters and growers. She believes we can invest in a stronger, more equitable food system for everyone, from producers to grocers to consumers. Her cookbook Ruffage: A Practice Guide to Vegetables was a 2019 Michigan Notable Book winner and James Beard Award nominee. Her dinners at Granor Farm in Three Oaks, Michigan, made her a James Beard semifinalist for Outstanding Chef: Great Lakes.

EE Berger is a Detroit-based photographer focused on food, lifestyle, product, and portrait work.

Lucy Engelman is an illustrator who puts pen to paper in Pittsburgh, PA.