By Beth Lawrence, TPC Partnership/Event Relations
Meatless Mondays are trendy, but transitioning to a plant-based diet at least once per week seems here to stay. Going plant-based is easy, and unbelievably tasty, when you’re armed with great Pinterest inspo — and these 5 cookbooks. Here are my favorite 5 plant based cookbooks you need in your kitchen.
Forks Over Knives: The Cookbook by Del Sroufe, Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Julieanna Hever
The cookbook that made me transition to plant-based eating. Forks Over Knives has some of my absolute favorite, mouth-watering, plant based and oil-free dishes (The Whole Foods Plant Based diet omits oil). Think savory meals, sweet desserts and perfect snacks. My favorite recipes are the Baked Spaghetti Squash with Spicy Lentil Sauce and the Lentil Shepherd’s Pie with Rustic Parsnip Crust. For dessert, the Peanut Butter Granola Bars and the Raspberry Truffle Brownies (I make mine gluten-free)!
Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela Liddon
Author Angela Liddon is the writer, photographer, and recipe developer behind Oh She Glows. An eating disorder survivor, she transformed her diet and her life, and now advocates for healthy, plant-based eating on her website and social media. Talk about positivity! My favorite recipes from this book include the Crunchy Oat & Seed Flatbread and her On the Mend Spiced Red Lentil-Kale Soup.
Skinny Bitch: The Ultimate Everyday Cookbook by Kim Barnouin
The foul-mouthed vegan’s favorite cookbook! I laughed (and cringed) my way through the first book, Skinny Bitch, and my mouth watered through the first run-through of the cookbook. It’s great for those starting out on the vegan/plant-based journey. My favorite dish? Lentil Tacos with Fresh Salsa, with Blood Orange and Black Pepper Sorbet for dessert!
Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi
This is a follow-up cookbook to the original Plenty, created by one of the world’s most beloved chefs. This book is not for beginners, by and large. The dishes are as impressive and delicious as they are unique, and the book includes recipes from cultures all around the world. While this cookbook is vegetarian, I can easily modify the recipes to be vegan if need be. A favorite is the Thai Red Lentil Soup with Aromatic Chile Oil, and the Pomelo Salad is just so fresh. Bonus points for the Indian Ratatouille.
Vedge by Rich Landau & Kate Jacoby
Not only am I obsessed with this power couple’s restaurant lineup, now I am able to make some of my absolute favorite dishes at home! With this one, I really struggle to pick favorite recipes. If I had to, I’d say the Roasted Baby Turnips with Maitake “Champignons au vin” and the Nebrodini Mushrooms as Fazzoletti. If you really want to impress non-meat eaters, make the Eggplant Braciole. It’s a gamechanger.