Vegan/Plant Based Diet Cookbooks

Also titled, The Post I Never Thought I’d Write

I’ve been reading cookbooks like novels, making grocery lists with ingredients I hadn’t heard of a year ago (jackfruit? spirulina?), and putting post it notes all over my huge pile of borrowed vegan cookbooks. With two very hungry little boys and a very picky husband, along with a gluten free Mama… we are kind of a mess to feed over here!

Hubby Bookworm and I have been reading and researching away, watching eye-opening documentaries about nutrition, and as a result our family’s diet has shifted. Again. I shared in the past the initial stage of our family’s eating shift, Not Just Brain Food: Our Family’s Real Food Revolution. Prior to that point, I was a processed food preparer, more than I could have called myself a cook. I’ve gained my footing and continued to move our family toward more of a plant based diet. I’m experimenting in the kitchen beyond my wildest dreams (nightmares?). I still don’t love it and more often than I like, dinner becomes a tear-inducing event, but I do love to learn. And I’m learning a lot. I’m brewing my own kombucha, baking with natural yeast (sourdough), and making my own nut milks, vegan ice cream, yogurt, and sour cream. I shake my head in disbelief frequently.

True to my librarian training, I have been reading widely and taking great advantage of interlibrary loan! Below are my new favorite go-to cookbooks.

When I look for a cookbook, my qualifiers are:

Lots of photographs (to inspire me and show me what in the world it should look like), preferably one for each dish
Reasonably not obscure ingredients that I can find without going to yet another store
No “cop-out recipes”– which, in the vegan category means a recipe for mac & cheese that tells you to go buy vegan cheese and melt it on noodles. Yes, that happened.
Helpful information– I like a balance of hearty front-matter which teaches me the author’s vegan ways, such as pantry staples, preparation tips, how to shop for ingredients that are unfamiliar (like, what section do you find spirulina in, anyway?), how to balance nutritional needs, what are crowd pleasers for little ones, and ways to modify recipes (how to make a recipe gluten free, or nut free, for example)

These cookbooks all fit the bill:

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How Not to Die Cookbook by Michael Greger. This cookbook is the follow up to Greger’s book of the same title, which examines the science behind diet and lifestyle changes that can prevent and reverse disease. The introduction to the cookbook contains a brief summary of the book’s research, and an impressive 138 references. I found his tone to be so inviting and reassuring that eating in a healthful, life giving way is attainable for everyone. The recipes are not complicated and specify exactly what about each makes it so good for you.

Minimalist Baker’s Everyday Cooking: 101 Entirely Plant Based, Mostly Gluten Free, Easy and Delicious Recipes by Dana Shultz. I first learned of Minimalist Baker through Instagram, then their blog. The cookbook is wonderful and so approachable! The tagline from the blog: “We share plant-based recipes requiring 10 ingredients or less, 1 bowl, or 30 minutes or less to prepare.” I’ve found the recipes to be simple and flavorful (we have to tone down the flavors for our particular taste buds, in fact!). The vast majority are gluten free, without trying. This is my favorite.

The Oh She Glows Cookbook and Oh She Glows Everyday by Angela Liddon. When reading Angela’s cookbooks, I feel like I’ve been taken under the wing of a wise friend a few steps ahead in her journey. There is such a warmth and encouraging tone that is disarming to a reluctant chef like me. She provides many tips and footnotes to her recipes, making it easy to customize these for my picky eaters. I pull from these volumes several times a week.

Isa Does It: Amazingly Easy, Wildly Delicious Vegan Recipes for Every Day of the Week by Isa Chandra Moskovitz. This one breathed new life into my repertoire. I love her mantra ABS “always be soaking” (nuts, of course). I need to get my hands on her other cookbooks- but I’ll wait till the next rut comes. My only slight complaint is that there weren’t photos of every recipe (maybe 75%?).

But I Could Never Go Vegan! 125 Recipes, Zero Excuses and But My Family Would Never Eat Vegan! 125 Recipes to Win Everyone Over by Kristy Turner. Here, Kristy takes common reasons that veganism isn’t a sustainable or even attractive lifestyle and turns them on their head with recipes: “All those special ingredients are way more expensive// Basic condiments that don’t break the bank; My friends won’t want to come over for dinner// Fancy dinner party recipes sure to impress.” The introductory section is packed with great tips.

Plant-Powered Families: Over 100 Kid-Tested, Whole-Foods Vegan Recipes by Dreena Burton. As you’d guess from the title, this one is focused on the kiddos! Although the recipes can stand on their own and aren’t kiddie recipes, you can tell this is written by a mom! She provides some wonderful tips for picky eaters, games that make adding healthy food fun, tips for time management/meal prepping, lunchbox packing, vegan meal swaps, and specific ways to win over kids who are developing their palette for new foods.

The Plantpower Way by Rich Roll and Julie Piatt. My husband alerted me to this book, after reading Rich Roll’s memoir, Finding Ultra. Roll has been named one of the top 25 fittest men in the world (according to Men’s Fitness) and was the first to complete five ironmans on five Hawaiian islands in under a week… and he’s vegan. His book, created along with his wife, includes information about sprouting, fermenting food, juicing, and creating vegan cheeses. He’s passionate about creating a lifestyle that is sustainable for an entire family.

The Help Yourself Cookbook for Kids: 60 Easy Plant-Based Recipes Kids Can Make to Stay Healthy and Save the Earth by Ruby Roth. As the title suggests, this cookbook was designed to get kids cooking! The design and layout is very kid-friendly– it’s colorful (even loud) and cute. Browsing through this with kids, they’re sure to find something eye catchingly yummy! Recipes are simple, with few ingredients and minimal steps.

Look for these at your local library, or at the affiliate links provided.

Do you love to cook, or like me live in denial that you have to prepare food every single day? Connect with me in the comments below, on my Instagram or Facebook accounts.