Top 5 Cookbooks for beginners...

December 7th, 2014

There's way too much people out there discussing their morning make-up routine (mine consists mostly of not finding lip balm and then leaving the house without it, after taming the already reduced unruly eyebrows with some clear goo that can't be good for you), discussing what the must-haves are for next season or whatever super hip photocopier they've bought now, usually in top-5-format. I promise you this will not be one of those posts. We're doing this so I can refer to this post when people ask me what to cook for me, but also because I wish I'd known what cookbooks would've worked for me before I went vegan. There would have been way less collapsed tasteless lemon cupcakes with runny frosting. Also, can you believe it's been more than four-and-a-half years of veganism? I did not, but recently people started asking so I guessed five and was not that far off. Still really liking it, not planning to change anything about it, and making a morning smoothie that has all of the fats (chia and flax) and vitamins (blend the orange-ones from the vegan society through it, those are amazing) is a life saver if you are a forgetter of vitamins! But on with the reviewing.

The Mothern Vegetarian Kitchen by Peter Berley
Probably the best cookbook I've ever had. It's comprehensive. It's slightly macrobiotic. It is mostly vegan, but he makes a fair point about when he chooses to use animal products. He made me not only like, but love fennel. Need I say more?

Vegan Pie In the Sky, Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, Cupcakes Take Over The World by Isa Chandra Moscowitz and Terry Hope Romero
Listed in order of preference. They taught me how to bake. I credit them with much of the knowledge that makes me cringe whenever I see someone butchering a brownie by over-mixing. They have a very good troubleshooting-sections and general guidelines. Their recipes have so far failed me twice, which isn't a bad score considering that I've baked with them almost exclusively for 6 years (before I actually went vegan, I did a lot of vegan baking), sometimes making it up as I go along. These will help you understand every other baking recipe that much better. We will get into the gluten-free some other time, though there is a few gluten-free options in there.

Vedge by Kate Jacoby and Richard Landau
Because I desperately hope to one day be sat down at a table with maybe some candles and preferably no flowers, and then be served a few dishes from this book. I'd like it to be a romantic thing, but it doesn't have to be. I really like the recipes, it's how I would cook if I were good enough to think of recipes like these by myself. The pictures were also a huge inspiration. The smashed potato is now a staple in this household.

Veganomicon by Terry Hope Romero and Isa Chandra Moskowitz

I was unsure if I should list this book, but I will, because it's a really good starting point. You could go quite far with just this book and nothing else. It has vegan desserts, general tips and guidelines, recipes for different occasions, from casserole to super-fast pasta, everything is there. I don't like it as much as Peter Berley's or Vedge, because it isn't always my kind of cooking, but it is straightforward and it has a lot of basic information. It would probably take some time for you to get bored cooking exclusively from this, not even sure if that would ever happen. Also, no nonsense with fake meats and cheeses, only some tofu and recipes for making seitan.

The last one was a toss up between Clean Food by Terry Walters and Everyday Raw Express by Matthew Kenney. But I have already raved about Clean Food and Clean Start and we will get back to those books in the future. I chose Raw Express not because I am a raw foodie, but because it is the perfect book to learn a bit about raw food. Learning about raw "cooking" techniques can really help you cook more diversely, with or without heat. Say what you will of the raw foodies (and there's plenty to say, both positive and negative), but they know their salads and healthy snacks and desserts. There's a raspberry parfait in there that is to die for. It is one of my favorite dessert recipes, and one of the easiest at that. And it takes 15 minutes to prepare. And it will woo whomever you're trying to woo, as long as you keep in mind that half a portion is enough to last you a week...

Posts bewaard in: Cookbooks,Food in General,Review