A Round-Up of the Best Vegan Cookbooks

Published on Thursday, February 19, 2009, by Lessley Anderson / Edit Post

I’ve been cooking a lot of vegan food recently, and have been excited about three cookbooks:

You Won’t Believe It’s Vegan!.
This is from the “Won’t Believe It’s …” series, which also includes “You Won’t Believe It’s Gluten Free.” It has incredibly easy and accessible recipes. Nothing takes very long, and it’s good for basics. Some of my go-to favorites: vegan pancakes, vegan tofu cheese (for putting on pizzas or in lasagne), and a dish called the “love bowl”: marinated tempeh layered with brown rice, black beans, kale, and peanut sauce.

Veganomicon.
These recipes from Isa Chandra Moskowitz are a little more complex—good for making on Sundays when you have more time. The recipes in here are really, really good, and will impress non-vegan dinner guests. Recently I’ve enjoyed the vegan moussaka (the best I’ve ever tasted, vegan or non), and a kind of Brazilian-esque stew with tomatoes, plantains, pinto beans, and cilantro. The desserts are all awesome too, particularly the jelly doughnut muffins.

Vegan Fusion. This book is from The Blossoming Lotus, a now-closed vegan restaurant on the island of Kauai. It’s really good for flavorful, Asian-style sauces to put over steamed vegetables and grains. The coconut sauce, with raw almond butter, is sublime.

Chowhounds are discussing their favorites as well.

ALLNew Finds
POST A COMMENT |4 Comments

COMMENT

  • I am telling you, this cookbook is BOGUS and not worth the money. Case in point: There is not a single recipe using cabbage, except for one recipe that uses sauerkraut. How can someone make a vegan cookbook without including cheap, flavorful and nutritious cabbage? Oh, but there are recipes involving the use of all sorts of arcane ingredients like agave syrup and freakish fruits that most of us...+READ

    I am telling you, this cookbook is BOGUS and not worth the money. Case in point: There is not a single recipe using cabbage, except for one recipe that uses sauerkraut. How can someone make a vegan cookbook without including cheap, flavorful and nutritious cabbage? Oh, but there are recipes involving the use of all sorts of arcane ingredients like agave syrup and freakish fruits that most of us can hardly purchase. This was a fluff vanity publication in my opinion and not a legitimate vegan compendium, as it sets itselt out to be. Far better to buy Bittman's vegetarian cookbook and substitute for dairy whenever it arises in a recipe.-COLLAPSE

  • I love the New Farm Cookbook for full-fat vegan comfort food. It might be a little too "crunchy" for feeding non-vegans, but the brownie recipe alone is worth it! Seriously....the best brownies.

    I'm having a ton of luck with Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Suppers cookbook. It's not all vegan, but much of it is. I don't have trouble finding vegan recipes (they're all over the web, there are a...+READ

    I love the New Farm Cookbook for full-fat vegan comfort food. It might be a little too "crunchy" for feeding non-vegans, but the brownie recipe alone is worth it! Seriously....the best brownies.

    I'm having a ton of luck with Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Suppers cookbook. It's not all vegan, but much of it is. I don't have trouble finding vegan recipes (they're all over the web, there are a billion cookbooks out now, and I'm pretty good at converting regular recipes).

    My challenge is crafting MEALS that aren't just a collection of side dishes. I love to have dinner parties, but I only have a handful of complete, impressive meals that will satisfy omnivores. Deborah Madison is helping. Anyone else have any ideas?-COLLAPSE

  • I love the New Farm Cookbook for full-fat vegan comfort food. It might be a little too "crunchy" for feeding non-vegans, but the brownie recipe alone is worth it! Seriously....the best brownies.

    I'm having a ton of luck with Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Suppers cookbook. It's not all vegan, but much of it is. I don't have trouble finding vegan recipes (they're all over the web, there are a...+READ

    I love the New Farm Cookbook for full-fat vegan comfort food. It might be a little too "crunchy" for feeding non-vegans, but the brownie recipe alone is worth it! Seriously....the best brownies.

    I'm having a ton of luck with Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Suppers cookbook. It's not all vegan, but much of it is. I don't have trouble finding vegan recipes (they're all over the web, there are a billion cookbooks out now, and I'm pretty good at converting regular recipes).

    My challenge is crafting MEALS that aren't just a collection of side dishes. I love to have dinner parties, but I only have a handful of complete, impressive meals that will satisfy omnivores. Deborah Madison is helping. Anyone else have any ideas?-COLLAPSE

  • I once had a British book which had excellent information on the nutrition of various food types for vegetarians--including beautiful photographs--but the recipes included were awful. It was a good primer. glorious photos, a primer for complete proteins, and my introduction to caramel cracklings and webbings. Something along the line of Modern Vegetarian Cuisine, but I can no longer find the...+READ

    I once had a British book which had excellent information on the nutrition of various food types for vegetarians--including beautiful photographs--but the recipes included were awful. It was a good primer. glorious photos, a primer for complete proteins, and my introduction to caramel cracklings and webbings. Something along the line of Modern Vegetarian Cuisine, but I can no longer find the reference.

    The other source which needs to be added is the Indian tome, Lord Krishna's Cuisine, The art of Indian Vegetarian Cuisine-COLLAPSE