Cookbooks

Are you shopping for cookbooks this season? Books to give as gifts or books for yourself?

One of the cookbooks on my list is the Oh She Glows cookbook by Angela Liddon.

I took this book out of the library not too long ago, after waiting my way through 27 other people on hold for this book. A library loan just didn’t do it justice. It wasn’t enough time to really read the book (I love reading cookbooks) and try out a few recipes, and I couldn’t renew the loan because there were more people in the hold line after me. So, I guess I just have to buy it or have it given to me as a gift.

Another cookbook I’ve been meaning to add to my collection is the Eat to Live cookbook by Joel Fuhrman.

Now, I already own the Eat to Live book by Dr. Fuhrman:

This is the book that tipped me over into a plants based diet. After years of reading about and researching diet and nutrition, in a layman’s way, and after years of trying out new whole foods recipes and after years of being an almost vegetarian, this book convinced me that a straight up plants based diet was the way to go … for weight loss and maintenance, for health, for stopping disease. That was over four years ago.

It’s kind of funny, talking about diet books that have influenced me … when I was going through my cookbook bookcase …

The are the top three shelves of my five shelf cookbook bookcase.

… I came across these books:

These are the books that really set me on my quest for better health through diet. I remember trying out those recipes that were all about protein combinations and the ingredients were painstakingly broken down into complete protein combinations. We know now that we don’t have to be so scientifically careful about combining food in a meal. As long as we eat a variety of food all the time, our bodies will figure out the combos just fine. Nevertheless, Frances Moore Lappe was a groundbreaker and a game changer. Although I don’t use these books anymore, I don’t want to get rid of them because of the influence they had on my life.

Okay, so I’ve shared a couple of cookbooks I’d like to add to my cookbook collection. Now, here are some books I already own that you may like for yourselves or to give to a special vegan in your life:

Oh Isa! I currently own two of her cookbooks, check out her blog, Post Punk Kitchen, regularly and have read all her other cookbooks on loans from the library. Yep, she rocks my vegan world! This book, Appetite for Reduction, is my favourite. The recipes are all delicious (okay, I haven’t tried them all, but I’ve read them all and there isn’t one in there that I wouldn’t make and eat), the recipes are all low to no fat (just what Dr. Fuhrman ordered), the descriptions are helpful and fun to read. Love it! Some recipes from this cookbook that I featured on my blog are Caesar Salad for Vegans, Everyday Quinoa Chickpea Salad, Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad, Smoky Split Pea Soup.

Here’s another Isa cookbook I own. I got this last Christmas with a book store gift certificate.

Now, this book I’m really loving. I’m really taking my time with it, reading it in batches, savouring it. I actually haven’t made too many recipes from it, but I will! The reason I haven’t done a lot of cookbook recipe making over the past year is because I subscribe to so many vegan food blogs now from which I pin a lot of recipes and I’ve been using Pinterest as my cookbook!

Here’s another great vegan cookbook – Sarah Kramer has written a few delightful vegan cookbooks. I own two and this is one of them. Try out Black Bean Soup with Avocado Salsa and Faux Feta from this book. (On a what-a-small-world side note, I used to babysit Sarah Kramer when we both lived in Regina in the 70’s)!

Forks Over Knives, the movement and the cookbook, have influenced many a vegan/plants-based eater. I have two books:

 
And here are a couple of yummy recipes from or adapted from the books – Mediterranean Dahl and Cream of Broccoli Soup.

I also have several cookbooks that are vegetarian not vegan and even quite a few cookbooks that are neither. Take my Moosewood collection for example:

These cookbooks are vegetarian, and sometimes even suggest fish for a recipe. But there are loads of vegan recipes plus I really just love the concept of this restaurant. I want to take a vacation to Ithaca some day just to eat at Moosewood! Try Toasted Sesame Sauce from Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health.

 I posted Bourguignon on this blog a couple of years ago. The recipe came from this book:

This book is not at all vegetarian. But it does feature beans and you can’t do a beans cookbook without lots of veg recipes, can you?!

I have several great cookbooks on my shelves. I thought I’d share some of them today. I’ll leave you with a picture of the bottom two shelves of my cookbook bookcase. And, yes, that big black box on the bottom is my recipe file, absolutely loaded with recipes I’ve been collecting for over 20 years! And beside the black file case, is Mrs. Beeton’s Cookery and Household Management that my Grandad bought for me in England for my 21st birthday! Thank goodness there were no weight restrictions on luggage back in those days!