Favorite Cookbooks
I am a cookbook addict. I collect them, read them like novels, and pull them out over and over just to look at the gorgeous photos and to gain inspiration for healthy, delicious, interesting meals.
For today, I chose my favorite cookbooks that I use regularly and refer to often for plant-centered cooking. Some authors are fully plant-based and others are vegetarian. All use oil, but I find that I can now alter most recipes to be oil-free by simply leaving out the oil or replacing it with nuts or seeds. I encourage you to give these authors a look. Most of these can be found at our local library or would make terrific gifts.
LOVE REAL FOOD by Kathryne Taylor and her accompanying website www.cookieandkate.com are my favorite resources for plant-forward cooking. Kate is vegetarian, and many of her recipes contain cheese, which I simply omit due to its high saturated fat content. She is strongly plant-centered, though, with whole plant foods being at the forefront of her recipes. I have made a ton of her recipes, but my consistent favorites, which I return to again and again, are her Thai-Style Mango Slaw, her Kale Salad with Quinoa and Lemon Dressing, and her Kale, Apple, and Fennel Slaw with Tart Cherries. She has a whole section devoted just to dressings, and they are all excellent. I cook from her website at least once a week. You truly cannot go wrong with her flavor combinations.
THE VEGAN INSTANT POT by Nisha Vora and her website www.rainbowplantlife.com are also consistent favorites. I love Nisha. She is an excellent cook, a warm, funny, and welcoming video host, and her recipes are full of extra helpful details and tips. I've learned a ton by watching her cooking videos, and she is the person I go to when I want to cook anything warm and comforting. If you have a pressure cooker, you will love this cookbook. There are many "dump it and forget it" recipes, which require very little effort other than, throwing some ingredients into your instant pot and then walking away. She is fully vegan and loves intense spice, both of which I appreciate. My favorite recipes of hers are her West African Peanut Stew, her Basic (But Oh-So-Delicious) Indian Dal, and her Lemongrass-Ginger Kabocha Squash Soup.
SUPER NATURAL EVERY DAY by Heidi Swanson and her www.101cookbooks.com have been classics staples for years. Heidi has had a long and illustrious food career, so she is likely not new to those of you foodies out there. She's won two James Beard awards, and she's been doing plant-forward food for over two decades. Her flavor combinations are always intriguing, and you can't go wrong with anything she cooks. Heidi is vegetarian, and eggs and dairy feature heavily in her recipes. I find that I can modify most of her recipes without difficulty, though, and she has an entire vegan section on her website. Some of my recipe favorites include Broccoli Gribiche, Little Quinoa Patties, and Black Sesame Otsu.
The MINIMALIST BAKER'S EVERYDAY COOKING by Dana Shultz and her www.minimalistbaker.com website are also fantastic. The food in Everyday Cooking is entirely plant-based and it is a great entry point for folks moving toward plant-centered eating who want their foods to resemble traditional American fare. She has tons of entries like nachos, burgers, spicy BBQ sandwiches, and chocolate chip cookies. If you are looking to convert your family to more plant-centered eating with foods that taste very similar to familiar old favorites, this is a great place to start.
You also can't go wrong with anything by the Happy Pear. Led by twin Irish dynamic duo, David and Stephen Flynn, the Happy Pear is a plant-based empire, with numerous cookbooks, daily YouTube cooking videos, multiple restaurants, podcasts, and even health courses. These fellows are super high energy, great fun to listen to, and prolific in their plant-based passion. I adore them! I have RECIPES FOR HAPPINESS, but their other books also look terrific. I am eager to check out their new book THE VEG BOX when it releases in June. I particularly like their section in RECIPES FOR HAPPINESS on how to feed plant-based kiddos, with full lunch-box demonstrations and foods that will seem familiar to your wee eaters. Their Happy Pear podcasts are constant companions during my dog walks, and they are always inspiring and uplifting. You can find them at www.thehappypear.ie.
Happy Reading!
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