Favourite Cookbook?

[Roberta]

What is your all-time favourite vegetarian cookbook, and why? I wonder if there are some out there that seem to pop up on everyone's list, or if each person tends to find their own special book.

[Heather Havey]

Eating For Beauty, Wolff

It is so honoring of the healing powers of food and really shows, in my opinion, the beauty and sacredness of all food groups.

It is a raw food book, and it continues to be my favorite one. It is not a cookbook, then, but a book about fruits/vegetables/other foods and offers ways to view them as well as prepare them - raw.

Enjoy, Namaste, Heather

[Roberta]

I think my personal favourite (so far, anyway) has been "Vegetarian: Over 300 Healthy and Wholesome Recipes Chosen From Around the World". A very good resource.

[Tara]

"Passionate Vegetarian" by Crescent Dragonwagon is a favorite of mine. Besides fabulous recipes, Dragonwagon includes a lot of anecdotes that make the book more than just a vegetarian cookbook. I also really like "Vegetarian Comfort Food" by Jennifer Warren. The Shepherd's Pie is awesome!

[Roberta]

Mmmmm.. comfort food! :)

[Kathryn]

I just purchased "The Gluten-Free Vegetarian" and I would recommend it for those vegetarians or vegans who also have food allergies.

[Billione]

Roberta, My favorite has to be "The Vegetarian Bible" by Sarah Brown. It is not a traditional cookbook. It has recipes but it gives you so much information about the essentials of vegetarian foods. I love it so much. I learned more about food from this book than I learn in all of my 31 years of eating! LOL

[Kyle]

"Simple Suppers" by Moosewood. Can't recommend it enough.

[Jennie]

I really like Laurel's Kitchen. It doesn't have glossy food photos, but the recipes are varied and consistently good. You can find a good recipe for any vegetable you've heard of, and plenty of vegetable's you don't know about. Also,it is a very good guide on how to eat a balanced vegetarian diet.

[Alien]

Oh, Crescent Dragonwagon's Passionate Vegetarian is marvelous (see my review). It's definitely my favorite cookbook. It's a large book full of imaginative, delicious and reasonable dishes (you know, no need to hop on a plane to find the ingredients...). The book is really well written too and she includes variations (incl. vegan) for many recipes. Like Tara, I enjoyed the stories as much as the recipes themselves.

[Roberta]

I'm also really looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World." Cupcakes! Yes!

[Debbi]

Greetings -- just joined goodreads yesterday, so I hope it's ok to jump right in. My fave cookbook is an old Victory Garden Cookbook, which I loved so much I went on ebay and bought add'l copies to give to friends and family. While it does not eschew meat, it focuses on vegs, which I think makes it a good transition cookbook for reshaping thinking about what constitutes a "main" dish or a "complete" meal. It's organized alphabetically by veg, which makes it a fabulous resource for inspiration based on what's available in the season or in the fridge. Each veg recipe group is preceded by literate and sometimes amusing discussion of growing, storage and general prep tips, and the recipes range from the common and traditional to the uncommon and exotic. Have had this for about 20 years and still use it every week!

[Sandra]

As far as favorite cookbooks,"Moosewood Restaraunt Cooks at Home" gets used a lot around my house though not nearly as much as "More-With-Less Cookbook" which was published by the Mennonites. This is not a strictly vegetarian cookbook, but its premise brings me to a third reason that many of us become vegetarians. This book takes the stance that Americans eat far too much meat and that in doing so we are using more than our fair share of the world's resources. Frances Moore Lappé's Diet for a Small Planet is a must read for all vegetarians and also takes a in depth look at this vital element of the vegetarian movement. I think with our slowly dawning realization that the Earth doesn't not have limitless supplies of many things, including oil, clean water and aerable land, an urge to decrease our dietary footprint should be a huge motivator for more people to become at least partially vegetarian.

[Donald]

Just back from a trip to Ithaca and Moosewood (of course): marvelous every time. My favorite cookbook, however, has to be The Greens Cook Book" with its wonderful uses of herbal flavors. It's a daily inspiration for whatever's fresh in our area, but I only rarely actually follow the recipes....

[Mariel]

And I will say that Vegan with a Vengeance ties with La Dolce Vegan as my current favorite veggie cookbooks.

[Jen]

When I was first starting out as a vegetarian, Bonnie Mandoe's Vegetarian Nights: Fresh from Hawaii and Nava Atlas's Vegetariana showed me how to do it. It's been 15 years and thanks to their delicious recipes, I haven't looked back!

[Sheila]

The "Vegan Cupcakes Take over the World." is a great book. The vanilla are so yummy! As are many others but I have to say these are the best cupcakes I have ever eaten and have been very popular even with friends who don't even know what a vegan is!! We are not vegan but love to try different recipes!

[Alien]

What do they use to make the frosting for the Vegan cupcakes? Soft Tofu?

[Mariel]

no, they don't use soft tofu. you use what you would normally use for frosting - depending on the recipe. powdered sugar that's vegan (not made with bone char), earth balance spread (butter alternative that's much better for you), chocolate, etc. of course for cream cheese frosting you would use tofutti cream cheese.

[Alien]

Oh, ok. I have certainly tasted some wonderful recipes for vegan frosting that used soft (or is it silken) tofu so was just wondering if this book included any of these. I don't tend to like buttercream type frosting so my mind went first to cream cheese frosting and tofu is a great alternative for this. :-)

[Roberta]

Actually, there are some frostings in VCTOTW that use silken aseptic tofu (such as Mori-Nu). One that looks *really good* in the photos (I haven't tried it yet) is the chocolate mousse frosting. The buttercreams in this book all seem to be made with Earth Balance margarine, soy milk, and confectioner's sugar.

[angeleen]

my favorite cookbook is "the vegetarian gourmet's easy international recipes" by bobbie hinman. it is fantastic. it has recipes from all over the world with delicious tricks to replace the meat in these dishes with tofu and other veggie-friendly substitutes. before i became vegetarian i was so picky. being vegetarian has opened me up to all kinds of exotic tastes i wouldn't have had anything to do with before and many times i was sad that i couldn't try new, interesting-sounding dishes because of the meat in them. now i can!

[Audrey]

For anybody raising young vegetarian children (I am raising 2 girls), I highly recommend Vegetarian Express : Easy, Tasty, and Healthy Menus in 28 Minutes(or Less!).

[Alexyss]

definately moosewood cookbook!

[Robert]

Moosewood is good, but for sentimental reasons, I have to stick with Anne Thomas' two "Vegetarian Epicure" volumes, the first vegetarian cookbooks I ever owned. I still use them regularly, even though they are literally crumbling away...

[Billione]

I am not familiar with Moosewood. Thanks!

[Tracy Ann]

I always seem to end up opening "The Peaceful Palate". Simple, yet tasty food.

[David]

_The_Health_Seeker's_Yearbook_ by Victoria Bidwell,
or _The_Health_Promoting_Cookbook_ by Dr. Alan Goldhamer

[sdw]

Thanks for the recommendations. I just picked up Vegetarian Express. My biggest complaint with most vegetarian cookbooks is I spend all day making the meal and end up with exorbitant shopping lists. I can't wait to try this one out.

[Lauren]

i really like vegan with a vengance, and veganomicon. they have reasonably quick recipes with easy to find ingredients.

[Wendy]

I love anything by Dr John McDougall or Mary McDougall. Start with The Mcdougall Quick and Easy Cookbook or The Mcdougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss will save your life. Are there any other "Mcdougaller's" out there?
Seriously though, anything by him is life changing. I will admit, hard to stick to but I am trying very hard. If you do you will loose 2.5lbs a week!! Oh yeah, by the way-all vegan too!

[Karla]

As a new vegan I found "How it all Vegan" reaalllyy helpful and delicious. Also "Nonna's Italian Kitchen".

[Stacy]

Students Go Vegan, since I am not a wizard in the kitchen (actually, I don't even enjoy cooking.) This book makes it easier.

[Cherie]

I LOVE the Moosewood Cookbooks. Jeanne Lemlin also has some terrific cookbooks--I haven't made much out of them, but I love the way she describes the recipes.

[Sarah]

super natural cooking by heidi swanson. i have been vegetarian for 8 years and have used a lot of cookbooks in my day. i have made probably 10 things out of this book and everything is very tasty and healthy. some vegetarian cookbooks rely too much on cheese and noodles and this one really mixes it up! fantastic pictures, too!

[Kerri]

Unplugged Kitchen by Vianna LaPlace

While not 100% meat-free, this book is mostly veggie. i like it because it focus on simplicity in recipes... two or three items put together in the right way can be really delicious and remind you why you love vegetables to begin with.
i love love love this cookbook and have used it for years now.

[Laura]

I'm a big fan of Veganomicon and Vegan with a Vengeance. Veganomicon has a great index sorted by "Supermarket Friendly", "45 minutes or Less", and "Gluten Free". Also menus are provide to give suggestions on pairings. Awesomes.

[Laura]

Also, Ecological Cooking by Joanne Stepaniak is great. Simple but informative...she'll totally school you on complete proteins.

[Greenthumbr]

I also love the moosewood cookbooks. Prior to becoming mostly vegan I also loved "World of the East Vegetarian Cooking." Some of the recipes are complex but soooo good if you have the patience to make them.

[[deleted user]]

oh, man - Please Don't Feed the Bears!

[Kate]

I have a lot of favorite cookbooks, but I'd say Vegan With a Vengeance is one of the best I've found (and Isa's other books too: Veganomicon, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World...). Seems like those two popped up a lot here...

[Joy]

I have to agree with Vegan with a Vengeance and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. I think I C Moskowitz comes up with the best vegan deserts in the entire universe. I also love all Sarah Kramer's books. Some of the recipes are a little simpler, which is useful!

[Sharron]

I love all the Moosewood Cookbooks. They are as great to read as use. I also love Vegan Planet and Vegetarian Planet. These two cookbooks use recipes inspired from around the world.

[Lorian]

VEGANOMICON!

[Rai]

Lots of great cookbooks mentioned here. Cooking with Peta is one of my faves - lots of simple, easy, delicious recipes!

Rai

"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.” ~ Immanual Kant

[Jayme]

Hi there, I'm pretty new to the group and some of your threads look pretty dead, but I thought I'd see if anyone is still out there.

My favourite baking book is hands down The Joy of Vegan Baking The Compassionate Cooks' Recipes for Sweets and Traditional Treats. For cooking I have two; Veganomicon The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook and Vegan Yum Yum Decadent (But Doable) Animal-Free Recipes for Entertaining and Everyday.

[Emily]

Hi, friend Jayme. :) I'm pretty new here too. A few of my favorites: Vegan Planet 400 Irresistible Recipes with Fantastic Flavors from Home and Around the World, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World 75 Dairy-Free Recipes for Cupcakes that Rule, and Vegan Vittles Recipes Inspired by the Critters of Farm Sanctuary. I've been getting into Raw Food a little bit too, and my fave raw food un-cookbook is Ani's Raw Food Kitchen Easy, Delectable Living Foods Recipes. My favorite new veggie cookbook (I can't get enough yummy soups.) is Love Soup 160 All-New Vegetarian Recipes from the Author of The Vegetarian Epicure.

[Emily]

Jayme wrote: "Hi there, I'm pretty new to the group and some of your threads look pretty dead, but I thought I'd see if anyone is still out there.

My favourite baking book is hands down [book:The Joy of Vegan B..."

I really like The Joy of Vegan Baking too.

[Jayme]

Emily wrote: "Hi, friend Jayme. :) I'm pretty new here too. A few of my favorites: Vegan Planet 400 Irresistible Recipes with Fantastic Flavors from Home and Around the World, [book:Vegan Cupcakes ..."

Hey Emily!

I love love Vegan Cupcakes too! It never misses.

[Roberta]

Thanks everyone, for continuing this thread, and Happy (Vegetarian) Holidays to all!