As climate consciousness and sustainability become ever more important, many people have been shifting away from meat-heavy diets. That means veggies have been getting a lot more attention, from the Veganuary movement, vegan and vegetarian celebrities popping up weekly, and more and more restaurants incorporating plant-based menus. And rightly so.
Adopting a plant-based diet is the “single biggest way” to reduce your environmental impact on earth, according to a study conducted by the University of Oxford. Cutting meat and dairy products from your diet could reduce your carbon footprint from food by up to 73 per cent. Not to mention that it’s also kinder to animals. Factory farming causes tremendous suffering to farm animals and has led renown author Yuval Noah Harari to call it “one of the most pressing ethical questions of our time."
But giving up or cutting down on meat and dairy consumption doesn’t mean you have to nosh only on bland tofu and chips. In this time of limited travel and social restrictions, we bring the world to your plate with a selection of vegan and vegetarian cookbooks with recipes from around the world. From Japanese to Jewish cuisine, to Greek and British favourites, there's a recipe to please every palate.
Whether you’re already vegetarian or vegan, or just wanting to add more variety of plant-based options to your diet, these ten plant-based cookbooks will make you rethink veggie cooking.
1
Ottolenghi Flavor: A Cookbook By Yotam Ottolenghi
Named one of the best cookbooks of the year by The New York Times Book Review, everyone's fave plant-based chef, Yotam Ottolenghi, delivers yet another great cookbook for vegetarian home cooking. Flavor is broken down into three parts, which reveal how to tap into the potential of ordinary vegetables to create extraordinary food: Process explains cooking methods that elevate veg to great heights; Pairing identifies four basic pairings that are fundamental to great flavour; Produce offers impactful vegetables that do the work for you.
It features inspired recipes like Aubergine Dumplings alla Parmigiana, Hasselback Beetroot with Lime Leaf Butter, Miso Butter Onions, Spicy Mushroom Lasagne and Romano Pepper Schnitzels, plus mouth-watering photographs of nearly every one of the more than 100 recipes. This book will surely become a staple in your kitchen.
2
On Vegetables: Modern Recipes for the Home Kitchen by Jeremy Fox
Californian chef, Jeremy Fox, is redefining plant-based cooking. Known for his game-changing approach to cooking with vegetables, Fox first made his name at the Michelin-starred restaurant Ubuntu in Napa Valley. Today he is one of America's most talked-about chefs, celebrated for the ingredient-focused cuisine he serves at the Los Angeles restaurant, Rustic Canyon Wine Bar and Seasonal Kitchen. In his first book, Fox presents his food philosophy in the form of 160 recipes to elevate and innovate your plant based home cooking. Recipes use creative methods and ingredient combinations (some a little more on the complicated side, but he’s a Michelin-starred chef after all) to highlight the textures, flavours, and varieties of seasonal produce and include basic recipes for the larder too.
3
Nobu Vegetarian Cookbook by Nobu Matsuhisa
Yes, you read correct. Chef Nobu Matsuhisa of the famed Nobu restaurants has put together a vegetarian cookbook. In his first cookbook Nobu to focuses on vegetable dishes, sharing his expertise and deep knowledge of Japanese cuisine in sixty recipes that showcase vegetables in all their variety. Throughout the book, the emphasis is on fine and healthy Japanese dining. Nobu's Vegetarian Cookbook features a wide range of cooking techniques—from marinating and pickling to steaming, roasting, boiling, frying, grating—to bring out the full flavours and textures of the vegetables, and also includes ten recipes for vegetable sweets and fifteen for cocktails.
4
Vegan at Home : Recipes for a modern plant-based lifestyle by Solla Eiríksdóttir
Icelandic chef Solla Eiríksdóttir shows how to make great vegan food at home for all kinds of occasions, whether a quick work-day lunch or special dinners with friends. The perfect book for a modern, plant-based lifestyle, its three sections cover: Basics (vegan staples such as nut milks and tofu); Everyday (breakfast through to dinner); and Celebrations, which spotlights a meal strategy for larger events. The 75 basic recipes for vegan staples such as nut milks and tofu provide the foundation for the 70 dishes that will take you from breakfast through to dinner. Recipes for hearty Vegetable Tagine, nourishing Sweet Potato and Smokey Lentils, and super light Spicy Strawberry Pavlovas will surprise and delight in equal measure
5
The Korean Vegan Cookbook by Joanne Lee Molinaro
Although Korean food calls to mind fish sauce, grilled meats and meat heavy stews, in this New York Times bestseller, Joanne Lee Molinaro highlights Korean plant-based ingredients like doenjang (fermented soybean paste), gochujang (chili sauce), dashima (seaweed) to create flavoursome vegan dishes. The Korean Vegan Cookbook features easy instructions and great photographs as well as personal narrative on how food has shaped her and her family’s life.
6
Hazana: Jewish Vegetarian Cooking by Paola Gavin
Food and cooking are at the heart of Jewish life. During their 2,000 years of exile, Jews migrated across the world taking their culinary heritage and traditions with them. Acclaimed food writer Paola Gavin takes the reader on a culinary journey through more than twenty countries from Poland to Morocco uncovering a myriad traditional vegetarian dishes that play such an important part in Jewish cooking. Through 150 recipes Paola leads us from North Africa to Italy, Lithuania, Turkey and beyond, examining the subtle differences and genesis of the dishes of these regions. With lavish, colourful food photography and a meticulously researched narrative, Hazana is a classic in cookbook writing.
7
Chetna’s Healthy Indian Vegetarian by Chetna Makan
A semi-finalist of The Great British Bake Off in 2014, Chetna Makin celebrates Indian food by bringing together 80 varied and vibrant vegetarian an vegan dishes such as garlic and tamarind soup, courgette kofta curry, beetroot and sweet potato korma.
8
Great British Vegan by Aimee Ryan
If you're craving your favourite British comfort foods, but also want to embrace a plant-based lifestyle, then Great British Vegan is the book is for you. This unique cookbook presents delicious vegan versions of classic British dishes, from bubble and squeak and beefy mushroom stew, to beer-battered to fish and chips, sticky toffee pudding or coffee and walnut cake. Whether you're vegan, flexitarian or merely interested in cutting down on your meat consumption, there's no reason you can't still indulge in all your favourite British classics, using easy-to-find ingredients. With more than 80 recipes to choose from, including Shepard’s Pie, Welsh rarebit and Banoffee pie, as well as great options for a Sunday Roast, you won’t feel like you’re missing a thing.
9
Vegan: The Cookbook by Jean-Christian Jury
Vegan: The Cookbook, brings together nearly 500 vegetable-driven reciped from 150 countries around the world by French chef Jean-Christian Jury. Featuring dishes from countries ranging from Albania to Zambia, it showcases the culinary diversity of vegan cuisine, highlighting regional fruits and vegetables, traditional cooking techniques, and universally delectable flavours. You will discover sweet and savoury starters, soups, salads, mains, and desserts for all to enjoy, accompanied by straightforward instructions and gorgeous colour photography.
10
The Greek Vegetarian Cookbook by Heather Thomas
Fresh vegetables are an integral part of Greek cuisine, and The Greek Vegetarian Cookbook showcases an array of delicious meatless breakfasts, soups, salads, vegetables, grains, and desserts. Drawing inspiration from all over Greece, the book simplifies this hugely popular cuisine with easily achievable, nourishing recipes so satisfying and tasty that they appeal to vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. Introductions to each recipe often provide additional information on ingredients and serving suggestions and many suggest variations to the dish itself.
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