Vegetarian Cooking and Nutrition Resource Guide

Books:

The Answer To Cancer - Is Never Giving It A Chance To Start, by Hari Sharma, M.D. & Rama K. Mishra, G.A.M.S. with James G. Meade, PH.D, Select Books, 2002. This is a book everyone should read, because it's informative, helpful, compassionate, and upbeat. Unlike most "must reads", Answer To Cancer is both wise and witty. James Meade's sense of humor is priceless, making a frightening subject easy to take. You can order it from Amazon.com  and also read the reviews.

Becoming Vegetarian - The Complete Guide To Adopting A Healthy Vegetarian Diet, by Vesanto Melina, R.D., Brenda Davis, R.D., Victoria Harrison, R.D., Macmillan Canada 1994. I feel like these authors wrote this book just to help me out. Although it was published in 1994, it's still completely relevant. It's a book I'd feel compelled to write if they hadn't already, but instead, they've done all the hard work. The main focus is vegetarian nutrition, but there's a good introductory chapter, "What is a Vegetarian?", another chapter on how to shop vegetarian, one on vegetarian diplomacy, and a few recipes in the final chapter. There's also a chapter on vegetarian nutrition for pregnancy, lactation and vegetarian children. Although it was published in 1994, this book is still completely relevant. The main focus is vegetarian nutrition, but there's a good introductory chapter, "What is a Vegetarian?", another chapter on how to shop vegetarian, one on vegetarian diplomacy, and a few recipes in the final chapter. I would have liked to see more chapters on making the vegetarian transition, including cooking and social adaptation, because those are the hard parts. But hey, that's what Savvy Vegetarian is for! You can order this book from Amazon.com

The Bone Density Diet, 6 Weeks to a Strong Body and Mind, by George J. Kessler, D.O., P.C. with Colleen Kapklein, Ballantyne Books 2000. Even though this book on preventing and overcoming osteoporosis is written by A Man, and I suspect he may have some incentive to recommend HRT, there is more than enough excellent material on the alternatives to make it worthwhile. Kessler recommends a diet that leans toward the vegetarian, and thus is easily adapted to vegetarian diets. According to this book, osteoporosis, which afflicts most elderly N. American women, and a significant percentage of men, can be completely prevented, and reversed at any age. Kessler tells you with great confidence exactly how. You can order it from Amazon.com  and also read the reviews.

Cookbooks:

I know there are many other excellent cookbooks, and I'd like to hear about them - these are ones I know & use often. The authors have in common that they love food, and are excellent cooks; they are extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of vegetarian cooking and nutrition, and they are all great teachers, as well as charming & witty. There is a wealth of information about vegetarian cooking in each of these books. The recipes are both reliable & adaptable to different tastes. Many recipes are either vegan, or can easily be converted - Judy Kingsbury

Heaven's Banquet, Vegetarian Cooking for Lifelong Health the Ayurveda Way, by Miriam Kasin Hospodar, Dutton, 1999. This cookbook does a wonderful job of explaining the ayurvedic approach to vegetarian cooking. Miriam Hospodar makes it practical, flexible and simple, and includes a mind-body type questionnaire. She also seamlessly integrates International & Western cooking. Her recipes are pretty much fail-proof, and suitable for beginners. Some of the recipes include dairy products, but not eggs - there are many great recipes for eggless muffins, quick breads, cakes, cookies etc., and the author gives vegan alternatives. The book includes vegetarian cooking lessons, historical background, an index to ingredients, a source list, and lots of great quotes, such as, " Life is a combination of magic and pasta" - Frederico Fellini.

Lord Krishna's Cuisine - The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking, by Yamuna Devi, Bava Books, 1987. Lacto-vegetarian. Indian vegetarian cuisine is, in my personal opinion, the best in the world. Maybe it's too hot for most N. American tastes, but if you make it yourself, you can cut way back on the hot spices, which lets the other flavors come through. This book is an exhaustive resource - the Indian vegetarian version of The Joy of Cooking'. There are detailed descriptions of ingredients, equipment, cooking techniques, menus, and hundreds of delicious recipes. My approach in using this book has been to simplify the instructions, not be concerned about missing ingredients, cut down the hot spices, and omit the onions (I don't eat them).

The Moosewood Cookbook 15th Anniversary Edition, by Mollie Katzen, Ten Speed Press, 1992. The original Moosewood Cookbook was the first vegetarian cookbook I bought - I loved the hand lettering and illustrations, and Mollie Katzen's commentary. I also loved the recipes, many of which have become Old Family Favorites. I lent the book to someone a few years ago, and it disappeared - it was falling apart anyway. I recently went to e-bay, and found this new improved version. It has the original recipes, lettering and drawings, but it now has new & updated recipes, plus a proper index, which makes it much easier to use. If you can find a copy - wonderful, if not, try a later edition.

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, by Deborah Madison, Broadway Books, 1997. This is a recent addition to my cookbook shelf - I've had it less than a year, and it's still in the exploration stage. There's a lot to explore - it's packed with information about all aspects of vegetarian cooking, equipment, ingredients, and 1400+ excellent recipes. It is literally for everyone from complete beginners to seasoned cooks. The recipes are oriented to contemporary urban eating habits, and it tends to the gourmet. So far, I can say that the salad & grains recipes are great. Every time I want to prepare a fancy meal, I go straight for this book. The only quibble I have is that there seems to be onions & garlic in almost every recipe, and I don't like them. But that's no big deal - I just leave them out.

The New Laurel's Kitchen, 1986, Brian Ruppenthal, Carol L. Flinders, Laurel Robertson. It's another cookbook I've had for a long time - I wore out the first copy, and recently ordered the 1986 edition. I like the nutrition tables, and the simple, family oriented recipes, the love and sincerity with which it is written. Nothing can go wrong in your vegetarian kitchen as long as you have Laurel Robertson and friends to protect you. I refer to it often to make sure I'm still on solid ground.

Magazines:

http://www.vegetariantimes.com - a magazine for vegetarians. Lightweight, a quick read, recipes, useful tidbits of information, but sometimes fluff, or incomplete information, as in a recent article stating that soy was now safe to eat. The article didn't mention that soy has at least 16 known allergens, and should still be used with caution. This issue also featured many ads for soy products. Read with a grain of salt. I include this magazine because any publication that supports vegetarianism is a good thing - let's not be picky about the quality of journalism.

Links:

Ayurvedic Health: Much of ayurvedic wisdom concerns eating your way to health, and this site includes dietary advice and recipes. http://www.mapi.com Articles, preventative health advice from Vaidya Mishra, ayurvedic cooking, herbs and more.

http://www.vegsoc.org Vegetarian Society of the U.K. - a free membership site where you can get vegetarian nutrition info, and find out about the vegetarian scene in Europe.

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl  USDA. Free search for the nutrient content of most any food, either simple, as in cheese, or by brand name, as in Kraft Macaroni & Cheese

http://www.vegsource.com Vegan political activist online newspaper. Lots of articles & links. Informative.

http://www.biointegrity.org/health-risks/health-risks-ge-foods.htm Why concerns about health risks of genetically engineered food are scientifically justified.

http://www.greenpeace.org/campaigns/ Green Peace has massive amounts of information on the world wide fight against GE. Find out which foods are GMO free

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=512   I was looking for information about cholesterol, for my own education, and came across this page, which answered most of my questions.

http://www.greenpeople.org/ This site claims to be the world's largest searchable database of eco-friendly products, including food co-ops, whole food grocery stores, and farmers markets

The Savvy Vegetarian Resource Guide is for anyone seeking information about: alternative medicine, environmental issues, green living, non-GMO, organic food, vegetarian cooking and nutrition, women's health, etc.

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