Cookbooks
- Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz – This was my first vegan cookbook, and it remains a favorite five years after buying it. There are so many great recipes contained within, and I have been almost always pleased with the results. My favorite recipes from this book are: Banana-Pecan Pancakes, Tempeh Sausage Crumbles, The Best Pumpkin Muffins, Apple Pie-Crumb Cake Muffins, Corn Chowder, Stewed Tofu & Potatoes in Miso Gravy, Punk Rock Chickpea Gravy (I reduce the lemon juice to just a splash & play around with the spices), Pizza Dough, Seitan (this is my go-to recipe for seitan), Brooklyn Pad Thai (it’s fantastic), Tempeh Reuben (best.sandwich.ever.), and Raspberry Blackout Cake with Ganache-y Frosting (my favorite cake of all time; it always amazes people when they learn that it’s vegan).
- Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero – Amazing cupcake recipes in a cute little book. Great pictures & decorating tips, too!
- Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero – A sequel of sorts to Vegan Cupcakes, this book contains recipes for – you guessed it! – cookies. But in addition to cookies, this book contains fantastic recipes for bars & brownies.
- Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz – A great cookbook that has many options for vegan brunch items, including omelets, quiche, waffles, pancakes, muffins, and cinnamon rolls.
- Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero – As you can probably tell by the fact that I have all of their books listed here, Isa & Terry are two of my favorite cookbook authors. This book has been referred to as the vegan version of The Joy of Cooking. It’s huge & has all sorts of recipes – ranging from basic, all-American type fare (the Pot Pie and the Leek & Bean Cassoulet are awesome) to the exotic (Vietnamese Seitan Baguette with Savory Broth Dip). Try the Chickpea Cutlets!
- The Vegan Table by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau – Recipes are organized by season & by group size (couples, small groups, and large groups). The Creamy Macaroni & Cashew Cheese is absolutely amazing (and I used to love traditional dairy-based mac & cheese!). I have loved every recipe in this book so far, but I especially like the Matzoh Ball Soup, the Panini with Lemon-Basil Pesto, the Warm Spinach Salad, and the Portobello Mushrooms with Herb-Infused Marinade (I scale back the tamari & add more water to the marinade). Colleen also offers a lot of helpful lifestyle tips.
- The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau – Gorgeous photos & delicious recipes. The author took hundreds of traditional recipes & veganized them, yielding amazing results. The layout is really convenient, the index is so detailed (which satisfies my inner organization freak), and the instructions are easy to follow. In addition to baked goods, this book also has recipes for teas, smoothies, puddings, and more.
- The 30-Minute Vegan by Mark Reinfeld & Jennifer Murray – As you may have suspected from the title, every recipe in this book can be prepared in a half hour or less. In addition to cooked vegan food, it has many recipes for raw, living foods vegan dishes. Beautiful photos, too!
- The Conscious Cook by Tal Ronnen– Beautiful book that proves that upscale, “fancy” food needn’t contain animal products. Great book for entertaining! The author is the chef who prepared the food for Oprah’s highly publicized 21-day vegan cleanse back in 2008.
- Eat, Drink & Be Vegan by Dreena Burton – To be honest, I find the index in this book quite annoying (it’s not well organized or detailed enough for my liking), but the recipes are superb. Great hummus, soup, salad dressing, and cookie recipes (among other things). I adore the Living Caesar Dressing.
Informational Books
- The Food Revolution by John Robbins – My all-time favorite book! Robbins details what we can do to prevent cruelty to animals, help stop global warming, feed the hungry, avoid genetically modified foods, be healthier, and live longer.
- The Vegan Sourcebook by Jo Stepaniak – This book has a little bit of everything, especially for the new vegan (or someone who simply wants to better understand veganism). It explains how veganism is a lifestyle (not just a “diet”), as well as how we can all “live with conscience, conviction and compassion.”
- Becoming Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Plant-Based Diet by Brenda Davis & Vesanto Melina – Both authors are registered dieticians & offer clear and detailed nutritional advice for thriving on a plant-based diet. The health benefits of veganism are explained in great detail.
- The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, PhD – This book examines more than 350 variables of health and nutrition with surveys from 6,500 adults in more than 2,500 counties across China and Taiwan, and conclusively demonstrates the link between nutrition and heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. A fascinating, eye-opening read.
- Healthy at 100 by John Robbins – Another great book by the former heir to Baskin-Robbins, in which he examines the diets & lifestyles of people in four of the world’s healthiest (and longest-living) cultures.
- Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer – The first nonfiction book by the award-winning novelist. Foer discusses where exactly our food comes from while considering the arguments against eating animals.
- Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. – While this is technically touted as a weight loss book, I think it’s useful even for people currently maintaining a healthy weight because Dr. Fuhrman explains nutrition in such an empowering way. He has helped many dangerously overweight people shed weight & regain their health through a plant-based diet.
- The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Raw by Mark Reinfeld, Bo Rinaldi, and Jennifer Murray – I wouldn’t necessarily suggest this book for a beginner vegan, but it’s really great for those who want to incorporate more raw/living foods into their diet. There’s not a lot of confusing hype; it’s a straightforward book about the benefits of incorporating raw foods in everyday eating. Lots of delicious recipes, too!
