Vegetarians - what are your favorite recipes and cookbooks?

jennifermaria

jennifermaria

Cathlete
I'm looking to incorporate more vegetarian meals (my goal is to eventually become a full-time lacto-ovo-vegetarian at some point, but I'm easing my way there) - I was wondering what your favorite recipes and cookbooks are that you'd recommend?

Thanks in advance!
 
So much to choose from!

"How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" by Mark Bittman
"Veganomicon" & "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero
"Vegan With A Vengeance" by Isa C. Moskowitz

With the skills I learned from these, I can now veganize ANYTHING. I also LOVE this website:

www.veganyumyum.com
 
Vegan Yum Yum's Lauren Ulm just put out her first (I think) cookbook. It's my new favorite. :) The only drawback is that the cover is cracking and looking very shabby after only a couple of weeks. Other than that, it's great! The photographs are gorgeous too, which is something I look for in a good cookbook. They even lure in DH, who spots a photo and says, "Hey, can you make that?"

I just ordered The Vegan Table. I'll let you guys know what I think of it after I work through a few of the recipes.
 
OMG! The Veganyumyum cookbook finally came out?? I also just noticed that "Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar" is out, AND "Vegan Brunch", which has the amazing recipe for Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes. Sigh. There goes $45.

I just remembered that I have "Vegan Soul Kitchen", and that's a great one, too.
 
You guys are awesome, thank you!

Has anyone read The Thrive Diet yet? It's not so much a cookbook, as it is a book on the vegan lifestyle for those who are active in sports. I was perusing it on Amazon and put it on my wish list, but I didn't want to pull the trigger until I read more reviews on it. The ones on Amazon seem mostly positive, but I'm not sure if it's got enough recipes for me to be happy LOL. I mean, I'm already convinced it's a good lifestyle, you know? No need to sell me on that. I just want to know what food to make ;).
 
Last edited:
Almond Flax Chips!

My favorite recipe of the moment is my Almond Flax chips! Easy and chocked full of Omega 3's...
1.5 cup Almond Meal
1 cup golden flax meal
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup chia seeds or sesame seeds
(Optional sunflower seeds too)
dash of himilayan salt
seasonings of choice, I like rosemary and thyme
enough water to moisten the dry ingredients

Mix dry and then just add enough water to moisten the dry. Place the dough on parchment paper and place another sheet on top and then roll them into a flat sheet of dough, cracker thin. Then remove top piece of paper and cook in microwave for 10 mins or until hard all the way through, then break up into chip sized pieces and enjoy! You will never miss another cracker! Low carb and a high source of omega 3's!!!
 
l have read the Thrive Diet and I liked it a lot. It's a no nonsense view by someone who actually talks the talk and walks the walk. Although I think it is geared more towards people who lead quite an active lifestyle. The recipes are simple, only a few ingredients and I don't have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. My kids and I particularly like his power bars :D

My all-time favorite (although not totally vegan or even vegetarian - she actually prefers vegan but gives options how to incorporate dairy, meat or eggs in your diet) is The Raw Food Detox Diet by Natalia Rose. I really like how she explains things, for example why processed foods are so bad for you and why we keep overeating if we don't feed our body what it needs.

When I read the book at some point I had several of those "duh" moments where you think, boy this really makes sense! Why didn't I think of this?

I also like her new book Detox for Women.
 
The Thrive Diet stood out to me when I was browsing books because many of the books I saw were geared towards moderately active folks, and so protein and carb needs were based on that assumption. With marathon training, I have some specific needs for carb and protein intake, and so I wanted to see how I could make that work with plant-based foods. Plus I'm not huge on tofu (at least not in savory foods, though I LOVE it in sweet foods), so I liked that his recipes weren't tofu-based.

I just got a slow-cooker recipe book for vegetarians and a Betty Crocker book for vegetarians. I was looking through the recipes and they seemed to have a lot of comfort foods, which I love. I don't want to "miss the meat." I'd like to eat pretty much the same foods, but make veggies and plant-based protein the main stars. Just need some creative ideas to do this so I'm not eating the same 10 foods over and over LOL.
 
I like the Healthy Hedonist which is actually a "flexitarian" cookbook. Since I am veg I have never tried the fish/chicken recipes but I love the veg recipes and use the book frequently. I have alot of veg books and this is one of my "turn to" ones when I don't know what to make.
 
jennifermaria said:
The Thrive Diet stood out to me when I was browsing books because many of the books I saw were geared towards moderately active folks, and so protein and carb needs were based on that assumption. With marathon training, I have some specific needs for carb and protein intake, and so I wanted to see how I could make that work with plant-based foods. Plus I'm not huge on tofu (at least not in savory foods, though I LOVE it in sweet foods), so I liked that his recipes weren't tofu-based.
Click to expand...

In this case, I think "The Thrive Diet" might be a good item to add to your cookbook library. I liked the book, and it has been useful to me as a way of figuring out how to incorporate more non-soy proteins into my diet. It is very performance-focused: Brazier really sees food as fuel, and his recipes are designed to deliver the maximum nutrient punch possible. There are some exotic ingredients involved - these can easily be obtained from Whole foods or the health food store, but I know availability varies depending on your location.

I share his view a lot of the time, but I also view food as a vehicle for deliciousness. So I end up using his guidelines for smoothies and salads a lot, but I usually go to a different cookbook for dinners and such.
 
I happen to like Vegetarian Suppers by Deborah Madison.

Oh, and I'm a vego-carnivaro-lacto-pescitaro-beero-wino. :p
 
jennifermaria said:
Has anyone read The Thrive Diet yet? It's not so much a cookbook, as it is a book on the vegan lifestyle for those who are active in sports. I was perusing it on Amazon and put it on my wish list, but I didn't want to pull the trigger until I read more reviews on it. The ones on Amazon seem mostly positive, but I'm not sure if it's got enough recipes for me to be happy LOL. I mean, I'm already convinced it's a good lifestyle, you know? No need to sell me on that. I just want to know what food to make ;).
Click to expand...
I've read both that one and Brendan's previous book (just called "Thrive"). I don't really use the recipes, but "Thrive" got me into maca, chlorella and some other super foods. Both books have good info on avoiding/reducing stress through nutrition that I think makes them worthwhile.
 
JodelleFitzh20 said:
My favorite recipe of the moment is my Almond Flax chips! Easy and chocked full of Omega 3's...
1.5 cup Almond Meal
1 cup golden flax meal
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup chia seeds or sesame seeds
(Optional sunflower seeds too)
dash of himilayan salt
seasonings of choice, I like rosemary and thyme
enough water to moisten the dry ingredients

Mix dry and then just add enough water to moisten the dry. Place the dough on parchment paper and place another sheet on top and then roll them into a flat sheet of dough, cracker thin. Then remove top piece of paper and cook in microwave for 10 mins or until hard all the way through, then break up into chip sized pieces and enjoy! You will never miss another cracker! Low carb and a high source of omega 3's!!!
Click to expand...

Sounds good, with dehydrating rather than microwaving (http://www.mercola.com/article/microwave/hazards.htm , http://www.mercola.com/article/microwave/hazards2.htm ) . I might try that recipe (maybe with chia, black sesame AND sunflower seeds!)
 
jennifermaria said:
I got flax seed meal to make the flax chips! Just one question: is nutritional yeast different than regular yeast?
Click to expand...
Yes.
Nutritional yeast is specially grown on molasses, is a pretty yellow, and tastes cheesy.
Brewer's yeast is a by-product of the brewing process, is brownish, and a bit bitter (some recipes call for 'brewer's yeast,' but they really mean nutritional yeast...at least they should, if they want it to taste good!).
Neither of the above are like baking yeast (the 'yeast' in them has been deactivated).
 
Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everybody. It is very big but it goes to all the basics, all the veggies, and a huge amount of variety. It is a one stop shop for all things vegetarian. I rely on it totally.
 
New Books

New book out at Barnes and Noble - "Clean Food" by Terry Walters.

Also Mariel's Kitchen by Mariel Hemingway. While not totally vegan it has many dishes that are.

What I like about both these books is that they are seasonal geared.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top