SV Resource Guide: Vegetarian Cookbooks

Savvy Vegetarian's Favorite Cookbooks

These are cookbooks which we own and use often.

All of them are from excellent and experienced vegetarian cooks - passionate about vegetarian cooking, possessing vast amounts of knowledge, and a strong desire to teach others how to cook.

There is a wealth of information about vegetarian diet in each of these cookbooks, and a broad variety of reliable, adaptable recipes for different tastes. Many recipes are vegan, or can easily be converted to vegan.

We recommend the following cookbooks as guides and references for vegetarian cooks from beginner to advanced.

Cabbages and Roses

Transitional and Ovo-Lacto Vegetarian: Debbie Nothaft, 1st World Library, 2003
Recipes by a divinely inspired cook, from 12 years of catering for vegetarians and near vegetarians. We often use these recipes or adapt them to vegan, because they are simple, delicious, quick and failproof.

Fresh From The Vegetarian Slow Cooker

Slow Cooker or Crockpot Recipes: Robin Robertson, Harvard Common Press, 2004
The first chapter tells you everything you need to know about slow cookers, and how to use them, before you get to the 200 delicious recipes for everything from appetizers to desserts.

Heaven's Banquet, Vegetarian Cooking for Lifelong Health the Ayurveda Way

Ayurvedic: Miriam Kasin Hospodar, Dutton, 1999
Practical, flexible, simple approach to Ayurvedic cooking, integrates International & Western cooking, with vegan alternatives. Suitable for beginning cooks.

Lord Krishna's Cuisine - The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking

Indian Lacto-Vegetarian: Yamuna Devi, Bava Books, 1987.
An exhaustive resource - the Indian vegetarian version of The Joy of Cooking'. Detailed descriptions of ingredients, equipment, cooking techniques, menus, and hundreds of delicious recipes.

Lorna Sass's Complete Vegetarian Kitchen

Pressure Cooking, Wok Cooking, Steaming: Lorna Sass, William Morrow, 2002
All purpose vegan cookbook, bursting with useful information not found elsewhere, such as selection, storage and cooking basics for ingredients from A - Z, plus hundreds of time-saving healthy recipes using pressure cooker, wok and steaming techniques.

Not Just For Vegetarians

Transitional and Ovo-Lacto Vegetarian: Geraldine Hartman, Self Published, 2004
Ideal for transitional veg, or non-veg who want a healthier, lighter, more varied diet. Flexible and familiar recipes - comfort food from your childhood, or favorite family recipes in a vegetarian version. Not for calorie counters!

Quick Fix Vegetarian

Quick Egg-and-Dairy-Free Meals: Robin Robertson, Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2007
Eat quickly without frozen entrees and fast food. Simple cooking techiques, shortcuts, and strategies for novice or seasoned vegetarians or vegans allow healthy meals in 30 minutes or less.

The Moosewood Cookbook 15th Anniversary Edition

American Vegetarian: Mollie Katzen, Ten Speed Press, 1992.
New improved version of the original, with the original recipes, lettering and drawings, plus new & updated recipes, and a proper index, which makes it much easier to use. If you can find a copy - wonderful, if not, try a later edition of any of Mollie Katzen's cookbooks.

The Vegetarian 5 Ingredient Gourmet

Simple and Easy: Nava Atlas, Broadway Books, Random House Publishers, 2001
For beginners, children and teens, busy people, the cooking challenged, and the lazy. Lots of information about ingredients, cooking techniques, and shortcuts, plus a menu planner, and suggested menus with every recipe.

The Vegetarian Family Cookbook

All Purpose Vegetarian: Nava Atlas, Broadway Books, Random House Publishers, 2004
Mostly vegan, useful for everyone from beginners to experienced vegetarian cooks, with information on vegetarian lifestyle, nutrition, ingredients, cooking techniques, and tips, along with menu suggestions for each recipe.

The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook

Pregnant and Nursing Vegetarian: Cathe Olson, Simple Natural Books - GOCO Publishing, 2005
Healthy, vegan friendly, nourishing recipes for Mom and family, pregnancy and breastfeeding advice, nutritional tables, sample menus, shopping lists, cooking lessons, and time saving tips. Unique recipes and hard-to-find information.

Vegan Express

Time Crunch Vegan Cooking: Nava Atlas, Broadway Books, Random House Publishers, 2004
This is a very usable cookbook with a lot of great stuff packed into it, from basic vegan nutrition, to grocery shopping tips, to a wide variety of quick flavorful recipes accompanied by handy menu suggestions.

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

Gourmet Vegetarian: Deborah Madison, Broadway Books, 1997
A complete cookbook, packed with information about all aspects of vegetarian cooking, equipment, ingredients, and 1400+ excellent recipes, for everyone from beginners to seasoned cooks. The recipes are oriented to contemporary urban and gourmet tastes.

The New Laurel's Kitchen

Basic Vegetarian Cooking: 1986, Brian Ruppenthal, Carol L. Flinders, Laurel Robertson
This cookbook harks back to the '70's brown-rice-crunchy-granola style of vegetarian cooking. But we still like the nutrition tables, the simple family oriented recipes, the love and sincerity with which it is written. Good for beginning cooks.

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