When Sean and I moved across the country we got rid of A LOT of stuff. It felt liberating to downsize. The only hard part was shrinking my book collection. I had almost 500 books, and they all meant something to me. After a lot of deliberation, I only kept things that I would re-read over and over again like Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Dickens, “Little Women,” poetry collections, and cookbooks. We’ve moved six times in the last seven years and I am glad that we can fit the books that I have in 3 boxes, instead of 30.
In honor of Meatless Monday, I’m sharing my favorite vegetarian cookbooks. These are the books that I will hold onto as we continue moving around. They are the ones that I continually turn to for dinner inspiration when I feel stuck. Reading cookbooks is relaxing and a great way to escape for me.
“Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook“ by Isa Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. I can not recommend this cookbook enough. Everything that Isa and Terry do is amazing. All of their cookbooks are full of healthy, yummy recipes that are inspiring and adaptable. Isa blogs at www.theppk.com and everything I have ever made by her is delicious.
“How to Cook Everything Vegetarian“ by Mark Bittman. My favorite parts of this book are the bean cooking methods and the pizza dough recipe. This is a huge book full of helpful tips and cooking methods.
“The Happy Herbivore“ by Lindsay Nixon. We make the Chorizo Quinoa at least twice a month. These recipes are easy, low-fat, super healthy and not intimidating.
“Passionate Vegetarian” by Crescent Dragonwagon. My mom gave me this vegetarian cookbook about eight years ago. It is a personal cookbook with great stories. This was my first veg cookbook so it will always mean a lot to me and I’ll keep it forever.
“Chloe’s Kitchen” by Chloe Coscarelli. I learned so many tricks reading this book, like adding brown sugar and rice milk to pasta sauces (it makes them so much better!). Avocado Pesto Pasta, Oh-la-la Lasagna, Mongolian BBQ Seitan, Cinnamon Rolls…so many yummy recipes in this cookbook!
I just got “Isa Does It” by Isa Moskowitz from the library. It is so good. Her recipes are fail-proof and I am excited to cook my way through it. She also shares a lot of the recipes in here on her blog. Her passion for vegan cooking is inspiring and always gives me new ideas. In most cookbooks I mark recipes that I want to make…I want to make every, single thing in this book. This is the cookbook that I will be buying for my family this holiday season!
Dinners this week:
- Butternut Squash Alfredo from “Isa Does it” with kale salad. Recipe is here.
- Greek Diner Salad and Broccoli Soup from “Isa Does it”
- Curry with Sukhi’s Spice Mix, tofu, and peas with rice (Tip: Cook the tofu before adding it to a curry. Mix a little sesame oil, grapeseed oil, tamari and turmeric and coat the diced up tofu. Bake for about 20 minutes at 425 until it is firm and crisp)
- Soup with Udon Noodles and Tofu (Easiest dinner ever! Warm about 6 cups of water, add 2 TB of miso, 1 TB soy sauce, a little srichacha, diced up carrots, tofu and kale, and udon noodles)
- Miso roasted delicata squash and sweet potatoes with kale salad
- Field roast sausage, Bubbi’s Saukerkraut, and vegetarian baked beans
Last night my friend and I went to a great cooking class by Katie’s Healing Kitchen. This girl has a fantastic, confident personality and is going to be a superstar! The theme of the class was a Plant Powered Thanksgiving. We had delicious food like Roasted Carrot Soup, Butternut Squash Mac-n-Cheese, Lentil and Wild Rice Stuffed Squash, Maple and Dijon Brussel Sprouts, Kale, and Apple Crisp. The meal was healthy, animal-free, gluten-free and delicious. I can’t wait to take more of her classes.
My Big Red Glasses 