Don't worry, you're not missing out on anything. The software and process for "Getting Started" are still very much in flux, so we haven't produced a printed guide yet- it would be outdated pretty quickly!
Right now the best place to get started is here: http://flotil.la/start/
You currently need Raspbian Jessie, but I'm putting together a Wheezy-compatible version today and we'll eventually replace this with a grown-up install process that uses apt-get.
As for Recipe Cards, they'll be superseded by Cookbook, but we'll have some printed ones on the way. We'll pop some out in an envelope to anyone who has their kit already and wants the cards.