When I told you all about my vegetarian journey, I teased that I had spent a lot of time reading books (both nutrition books and cookbooks) that helped me along the way.  I thought you might want to know which books I found to be particularly useful or interesting.  There are other vegetarian booklists floating around the Internetz and mine is pretty similar to those, but that’s because these books are good.  I refer back to them regularly, to clarify a point or to help me stay motivated, and of course I’ve got my nose in these cookbooks on a weekly basis.

Nota Baker: For clarification purposes, none of these books were given to me for free (except for one that was a birthday gift from my lovely mother-in-law, who is not affiliated with anyone in the publishing world).  I paid for each of them with my own money and I’m recommending them because I like them.  Also, I am linking to Amazon for convenience, but I am not an Amazon affiliate, I don’t care if you order from Amazon or by clicking the link I give you, and I think it would be pretty rock ‘n roll if you supported your local bookstore if you feel like purchasing a book on my list (or any other book for that matter).

Vegetarian Nutrition and Ethics

The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell: This granddaddy of vegetarian nutrition books was the first book I picked up when I was considering trying a vegetarian diet, and it was nothing if not eye-opening.  Dr. Campbell, a respected researcher (and Cornell professor emeritus, Go Big Red!) shares his magnum opus, a study of the occurrence of Western diseases in numerous Chinese rural counties.  What Dr. Campbell discovered was that Western diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity and many more were all but nonexistent in the rural parts of China where people ate almost no animal products.  Chinese-Americans, who shared the genetic makeup of the subjects of the China Study, showed no such results, indicating that the prevalence of these diseases is attributable to lifestyle (and specifically to the Standard American Diet) to a large degree.  Dr. Campbell also showed, in lab animal experiments, that it was possible to “turn off cancer” by removing animal proteins from the diet.  He devoted entire chapters to discussion of the effects of diet on many “diseases of affluence” and also described his experience with big government and NGOs, which (needless to say) were not happy to see the results of his research.  It was a fascinating book, and I’m not just saying that because this research was done at my beloved alma mater.  I learned a lot about what the Standard American Diet does to our bodies (and I even read somewhere that it was The China Study that convinced Bob Harper to go vegan… not sure if that’s true, but I think it’s awesome that Bob is out there waving the veggie banner no matter what his reasons!).

Thrive by Brendan Brazier: This is the book that proves that vegans can be just as strong and bad@$$ as omnivores!  Brendan Brazier is a vegan and a professional Ironman – how awesome is that?  Brendan went vegan when he discovered that a vegan diet dramatically reduced his recovery time, allowing him to get in more workouts and improve his racing performance; today he’s the mastermind behind the Vega nutrition line.  Oh, and he’s not some stereotypical jock – this is a smart, well-researched, thoughtful book about the effects of a plant-based lifestyle on athletic performance.  Now, I’m no elite athlete – I love to run and ride my bike, but I’m not going to be winning any races – but I was interested in Brendan’s book because I wanted to learn how I could utilize my diet to give me more energy to do my normal daily activities.  Happily, Thrive can help there too.  It was from Brendan that I first grasped the concept of alkaline v. acidifying diets and understood why that was important.  He also includes some cool recipes for homemade energy and recovery drinks.

Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr: Here is the new kid on the block.  Crazy Sexy Diet just came out in January and I was so excited when it finally ended up on my doorstep.  (I had to wait awhile, because it actually SOLD OUT on Amazon!)  Crazy Sexy Diet includes a lot of information about alkalizing diets that I remembered from Thrive, and it also discusses the benefits of juicing and eating a high raw diet (salad, YUM!), plus chapters on natural beauty care, stress relief, and so much more.  It’s truly a book about how to be your best self.  Kris is like your chatty girlfriend or big sister throughout, ready to guide you to a place of peace, love and veggies.  (You may know Kris’s name from her Crazy Sexy Cancer documentary and books, and while she shares a little about how changing her lifestyle helped her to rebound from a devastating cancer diagnosis and regain her health, this book is more a book for everyone, about how to prevent these diseases before they happen.)

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer: The lone vegetarian ethics book I purchased for my library, Eating Animals is about Jonathan Safran Foer’s inner exploration of the cultural reasons why we eat meat, in the face of impending parenthood.  He describes his own experience with on-again, off-again vegetarianism, discusses America’s meat-eating history, explains the environmental and public health ramifications of our addiction to meat, and even reports from deep inside a slaughterhouse.  It also includes interviews with everyone from PETA activists to beef ranchers who are trying to raise their meat humanely.  Parts of this book are extremely disturbing – the slaughterhouse scene especially was not for the faint of heart.  But it was worth reading for me and it definitely inspired me.  The book ends, not with an exhortation to the reader to become vegan because it’s the only ethical way to live, but simply with a plea to live more mindfully and to really think about our food choices.

Vegetarian and Vegan Cookbooks

How To Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman: This tome has it all.  Bittman includes hundreds of (delicious) vegetarian and vegan recipes, of course, but what I found most helpful was the introductory sections in each chapter, which explained generally how to cook different, maybe unfamiliar, vegetarian ingredients.  I owe my love of tempeh to Bittman.  And I fed his crispy tempeh to two hungry boys (the hubs and his buddy) over spaghetti and marinara sauce, and ended up with two very happy, well-fed video-game-playing machines.  But don’t just get it for the tempeh recipes.  As I am trying to branch into cooking more dried beans and legumes, I’m finding Bittman is always there with ratios and suggestions for me.  Love that guy!

Veganomicon by Isa Chanda Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero: Yum.  Yum yum yum yum yum.  Isa and Terry, the rock ‘n roll geniuses behind The Post Punk Kitchen, present a cookbook full of vegan comfort food.  This is where Tempeh Shepherdess Pie comes from.  Their recipes are warming to the tummy and the soul and they’ve been a fixture in my kitchen all winter.  I even whipped up a Veganomicon casserole for my firm’s Thanksgiving lunch (this one) and had to come home with the very bad news for hubby that it was All Gone.  These recipes are that good.

Eat, Drink & Be Vegan by Dreena Burton: Dreena Burton is a Vegan Goddess.  Her recipes are foolproof and family friendly.  I can see them being the perfect vegan recipes to serve in a house with kiddos – they are simple and nutritious but also yummy and fun.  So far, everything I’ve made from ED&BV has been a hit with the hubs, but pasta with Dreena’s “Hide The Lentils Sauce” has become a particular favorite in our house.  We have it several times a month.  In fact, I have some sauce leftover in the fridge right now…

Love Soup by Anna Thomas: Although all of the books above are good, I’ve saved for last the one that is nearest and dearest my heart.  Anna Thomas is the fairy godmother of vegetarian cooking, if you ask me.  Back in the 1970s, Anna was fed up with the bland and boring vegetarian options she was eating, so she blessed the world with The Vegetarian Epicure, a book for vegetarians who want to eat food that tastes like food.  Love Soup is her newest effort, a book entirely devoted to soups and stews and their accompaniments (there are a couple of bread, salad and dip recipes in there to round out your soup feasts, but they are not the focus of the book).  The recipes are all vegetarian and mostly vegan (and even the non-vegan ones are easily veganified).  I love soup and Anna’s are fantastic.  I know, I know, a book about soup?  But it works.

These are not the only vegetarian books and cookbooks in my library, but they are the ones I enjoy the most and learn the most from.  Of course, I’m never done learning, so if you have great recommendations, please send them my way!