Reddit mentions: The best burger & sandwich recipes books

I'm a bit of a cookbook junkie, so I have a bunch to recommend. I'm interpreting this as "good cookbooks from cuisines in Asia" so there are some that are native and others that are from specific restaurants in the US, but I would consider these legit both in terms of the food and the recipes/techniques. Here are a few of my favorites:


Pan-Asian

• Asian Dumplings - the masterpiece on all things dumpling
  
• Asian American - Dale Talde's (Top Chef) book with lots of Asian cultures' food in the US
  
• Asian Pickles - pickles and fermented foods from throughout Asia
  
• Lucky Rice - recipes from the Asian festival of the same name
  
• The Asian Grandmother's Cookbook - traditional cooking passed down to American cooks
  
  Burmese
  
  
• Burma:Rivers of Flavor - good focus on difference in Burmese cuisine from other regional
  
  Cambodian
  
  
• Num Pang - Cambodian sandwich restaurant in NYC
  
• Cambodian Cooking - GREAT book on Cambodian cuisine, supporting refugees
  
  Chinese
  
  
• Ken Hom Complete Chinese Cookbook - great primer for cooking Chinese food using ingredients commonly available in US
  
• China Moon - classic SF Chinese restaurant food
  
• Feeding the Dragon - modern culinary journey through all of China
  
• Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking - omnibus focused on the home chef
  
• Breath of a Wok - focus on wok technique at home
  
• Every Grain of Rice - wonderful Sichuan food for home cooks
  
  Indian
  
  
• Madhur Jaffrey Indian Cooking - actually, any of her cookbooks are wonderful for Indian cooking
  
• Savour Mumbai - looks at Indian cuisine as a melting pot in Mumbai
  
• The Indian Family Cookbook - modern South Indian food
  
• Indian Harvest - Vikas Khanna's family cookbook
  
• Made in India - classic Indian food, from street to home
  
  Indonesia
  
  
• The Food of Indonesia - everything you need for a rijstaffel!
  
  Japanese
  
  
• Japanese Farm Food - authentic rural Japanese cooking
  
• Preserving the Japanese Way - how to make awesome Japanese pickled vegetables
  
• Sushi Chef - not strictly speaking a cookbook, but "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" book in English
  
• The Japanese Grill - authentic hibachi and Japanese grill recipes
  
• Japanese Comfort Food - lots of traditional Japanese recipes
  
• Nanban - Japanese "soul food"
  
• Tokyo Cult Recipes - hip modern urban food from Tokyo
  
• Yum Yum Bento Boxes - updated modern take on bento boxes
  
• Ivan Ramen - traditional ramen for a Western audience
  
• Izakaya - traditional Japanese pub food & small plates
  
• Nikkei - emigrant Japanese food culture in South America
  
• Donabe - traditional Japanese hot pot recipes
  
• Kyotofu - very unique Japanese dessert cookbook
  
  Korean
  
  
• K Food - modern take on Korean street food
  
• Maangchi's Real Korean Cooking - great resource for Korean cooking in a non-pro kitchen
  
• Traditional Food - omnibus of four regions of Korean food
  
• Koreatown - authentic, approachable guide to Korean food in a US context
  
• Smoke & Pickles - Edward Lee's fusion of his Korean heritage and southern barbeque
  
• The Kimchi Cookbook - many, many recipes for kimchi...
  
  Malaysian
  
  
• Malaysian Cooking - good overview of Malay cooking
  
  Middle Eastern
  
  
• The New Persian Kitchen - modern Iranian food
  
• Ottolenghi - Israeli-Palestinian collaboration
  
• Persiana - dynamic modern recipes from throughout the Middle East
  
• Zahav - modern Israeli food
  
• Sweet Middle East - traditional and modern desserts
  
  Philippine
  
  
• Filipino Homestyle Dishes - good intro to classic Filipino dishes
  
  Russian
  
  
• Mamushka - focus on Ukraine
  
  Sri Lankan
  
  
• Hidden Kitchens of Sri Lanka - beautiful photo-cookbook on Sri Lankan cuisine
  
  Taiwanese
  
  
• The Food of Taiwan - um... food... from Taiwan
  
  Thailand
  
  
• Nong's Thai Kitchen - she beat Bobby Flay in pad thai
  
• Pok Pok - Portland's most AWESOME Asian restaurant
  
  Turkish
  
  
• Istanbul:Recipes from the Heart of Turkey - lovely focus on urban Turkish food
  
• Anatolia - wonderful approachable approach to Turkish cuisine
  
• Essential Turkish Cuisine - focus on history and evolution of Turkish food
  
  Vietnamese
  
  
• The Slanted Door - great Vietnamese restaurant cookbook
  
• Vietnamese Market Cookbook - focus on simple Vietnamese from fresh ingredients
  
• Into the Vietnamese Kitchen - traditional Vietnamese home cooking
  
• The Banh Mi Cookbook - the greatest sandwich in the world!
  
• Vietnamese Home Cooking - another great overview
  
  (edit: screwed up a couple links)

Meat, eggs and dairy are the major restrictions. Most meat dishes I've found are pretty easy to rework with tofu or other proteins because it's usually the spices and sauces you're really craving, anyhow. What you use in place of eggs varies, but baking is easy to rework. I was never a big "egg" person (scrambled eggs omelettes etc) but tofu scrambles are a wonderful thing. Dairy is also pretty easy -- soy/nut milks fill the void pretty happily and a few coffee places carry them, just takes some trial and error to find the types and brands you like. Coconut ice cream etc. is a thing. If you end up missing cheese I've heard nut cheeses are pretty great, but I haven't missed cheese enough to seek them out. There's a book "Artisan Vegan Cheeses" about making them yourself. There are also vegan cheeses like Daiya that can work very well on e.g. pizza. Honey is generally not considered vegan. Harder to empathize with bees, but swapping for agave nectar etc. is easy enough that I haven't looked back. There are a few small nonvegan ingredients you have to watch out for like l-cysteine (duck feathers) and fortified vitamin D3 (usually wool, though there are vegan ways to produce it), but you become familiar with them over time and avoiding them isn't very hard. Is It Vegan is pretty helpful when you're uncertain about something. It helps to get a good cookbook. Honestly seeing all the cool recipes in the Veganomicon is what made me realize that this whole vegan thing is actually pretty fun and painless!

re: Celiac, my diet's been mostly gluten-free just on account of living with my aunt who has Celiac's. It shouldn't be an issue at all. Just avoid seitan which is made from vital wheat gluten. I'm not as informed about the restrictions that come with Type 1 diabetes, but being vegan with type 1 diabetes is definitely a thing. Probably someone with more knowledge of diabetes will come around to give you some information. :)

Wow, 150 pounds is awesome! Congrats! the last bit is always the worst, I've lost 50 so far and want another 20. It seems like the first 50 flew off. But it's getting there.

As for recipes, I have looked through a number of cook books and they are all good and bad, and you never know which it will be till it's made. Thug Kitchen, as someone else mentioned, is a pretty good one, Veganomicon was considered the vegan bible for a while, still full of great advice and great recipes. It is Vegan but if you want you can always add in the dairy you like, or just enjoy it vegan as most taste awesome anyway and a little more healthy just means faster weight loss. ;)

Oh and, in case you haven't discovered this yet as it can help a lot, tofu isn't evil. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a huge fan of the pillowy tofu most people make, I've gotten used to it and sometimes enjoy it (especially in Chinese Mapo Tofu with fake ground round) but there's a trick to making tofu awesome! Freeze it and then bake it. I buy the firm or extra firm tofu, open it, get rid of what water there is, throw two or three (trust me, you'll want them) in a ziploc bag and freeze it for at least 24 hours (you can do less, but the longer the better). Defrost it, I throw the bag in a bowl of hot water for a couple hours and just replace hot water halfway through. Once it's defrosted completely (even the middle), give it a nice gentle but firm squeeze over the sink. It's like a sponge at this point, but a fragile one so don't squeeze too hard.

Many just use it like this, and it's not bad, good for soups especially as it soaks up flavour really well. But I like to do one more step, first turn your oven to 300-350 degrees Fahrenheit (150-175 celcius) and then I slice the tofu block into whatever shape I want, I usually just do half inch slices, then I throw it in whatever marinade I want to eat that night (soy sauce, olive oil, garlic and poultry seasoning is one of my favourites) and after it has soaked up the marinade I lay the slices out on a baking sheet or cookie pan and bake them for 20-25 minutes with a flip in the middle. They will turn into pretty decent little fake meat pieces, they don't have the texture quiet right but it's enough, and it's lots of protein as well which is always good.

Sorry for the length, but that tofu thing has made my life much happier and I only learned it after 9 years of being a vegetarian haha.

My staple dishes are curries, Indian and Thai most recently. I love some curry! You can use tofu, chickpeas, beans, lentils, etc. It's a great way to use up the rest of your veggies and clean the fridge. Curries are so flavorful and easy to make. There are even premade sauces if you don't want to make them from scratch.

• Patak's
  
  
• Archer Farms Curry Sauces
  
  
• Kitchens of India
  
  
• Thai Kitchens Curry Pastes
  
  My favorite cookbooks have been:
  
  
• Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook: Eat Like you Give a F*ck
  
  
• Vegan Richa's Indian Kitchen: Traditional and Creative Recipes for the Home Cook Her blog is really great as well: http://www.veganricha.com/
  
  
• Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen
  
  Some other blogs/youtubers I would recommend highly are:
  
  
• Hot for Food Lauren Toyota also has a blog: http://www.hotforfoodblog.com/ (My favorite recipe youtuber)
  
  
• Edgy Veg
  
  
• Mary's Test Kitchen
  
  
• So You're Dating a Vegan
  
  
• Sweet Potato Soul
  
  
• Show Me the Curry
  
  I am always branching out to new foods, Ethiopian is great for vegan cooking as is Indian, Thai, Italian, and Vietnamese. Soon you will take recipes you love and veganize them. Google search recipes you love and just preface it with vegan, the possibilities are endless.
  
  Build up your spice rack! Amazon is great for this, a great suggestion made to me was buy 1 new thing each time you grocery shop to expand your recipes and cooking.
  
  Thanks for your compassionate choice to join us and feel free to ask any questions you may have.

You obviously have more than enough individual suggestions already, so I'll just recommend three books instead in case you're a cookbook collector like me!

I'm also an omnivorous meat-eater but I'm happy to endorse these excellent, full-on vegan cookbooks by Isa Chandra Moskowitz:

Veganomicon. This is one of those comprehensive, encyclopedic things that could be—if you were a vegan—the only cookbook you own. It just covers everything, and I've never made anything from it that wasn't great. It's a manageable 336 pages, but they're dense; it's a book where every page has two or three recipes, not one where every dish gets a photo. Highly recommended.

Isa Does It. So this is like the sandwich-shop version of Veganomicon. Isa Does It (get it?) is vegan on easy-mode: here are sloppy joes and mac and cheese and, generally, all the casual vegan meals you could ever eat. Vegans over at /r/mealprepsundays should mass-produce burger patties from it. Not recommended quite as highly, but highly recommended for what it is.

Isa is just a really good cook, so her flavors and vegetable & grain choices have always been on point for me. My favorite thing about her writing, and what keeps me coming back to her as a meat-eater, is that she's never interested in creating meat substitutes. The vegetables are the point, after all, so she's making dishes where the vegetables are the showstopper. When she makes a burger it always feels just a little halfhearted compared to her rock-star vegetable dishes, which is why "Isa Does It" falls just short of "Veganomicon" for me. But it's still great.

For a really great chef who does somersaults to simulate meat dishes—burgers and chili and Thanksgiving turkey—it is well worth your while to pick up The Chicago Diner Cookbook by Jo Kaucher. I could tell stories about some large-scale orphan Thanksgivings I've helped to host, where we served a hundred people over two days with meat and vegan options flying everywhere. We practically scripted the vegetarian (vegan) half of these meals from the Diner cookbook. Here is what I know: a ton of starving Chicago artists of varying omnivore, vegetarian and vegan status absolutely destroyed Jo Kaucher's tofurkey year after year after year, while my SO's actual-turkey, which is damned fucking good, always took second place and became leftovers. Shit, I prefer Jo's tofurkey to real turkey and I'm the kind of guy who makes laap from scratch at home, which means I'll spend an hour mincing intestines on a cutting board that you wet with pig blood while you chop. That is, I don't go out of my way for tofu and still I adore Jo's tofurkey.

Anyway, I hope those are fun suggestions that might be useful. :)

That's great! I'm glad I could help. Did you get a chance to try any non-dairy milks yet? I tried "Tempt" brand chocolate hemp milk the other day it was sooo great. Really smooth and creamy.

As far as recipes go, I'd recommend that you pick up a copy of Veganomicon: http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-Ultimate-Isa-Chandra-Moskowitz/dp/156924264X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262068128&sr=8-1

It's helpful in that it tells you how to cook grains, legumes, vegetables and beans quite simply and easily. You can make your own meals using this knowledge. However, it also has a whole boat load of recipes that are almost always delicious.

Personally, I love to cook indian food. This is my basic recipe for a curry: http://www.reddit.com/r/food/comments/ae8q2/i_love_indian_food_and_am_starting_to_get_into/c0h533g

Also, make nut cheeses and creams. They're better for you and the environment than any of the fake cheese substitutes you'll find in stores. Cashew cream is basically cashews soaked in water over night and then blended up in a food processor. It is delicious. Add a few things, and you've got a great "cheese" for a pizza (you don't even need to soak them for this).

Good luck! If you have any questions about anything, I'd highly recommend joining the PPK forums here: http://www.postpunkkitchen.com/forum/index.php - there are plenty of friendly and sane vegans there who will gladly help you. I've also PM'd you my email address and I'm happy to help.

If you're into faux turkey, my faves (in order): Match, Field Roast (uhh the en croute whatever ones), Gardein, Tofurky. Match (everything they make) is juicy and perfectly flavored. The Field Roast en croute turkey thing was amazing (I loove the crusty part). Gardein is mostly boring because they're my go-to faux meat brand so I'm used to the flavor. Also their stuffing has raisins and weird colorful rice in it. Ew. Tofurky's pretty basic, but they were what I always had before vegan turkey selection exploded, so I might just have nostalgia for them.

This green bean casserole recipe.

Mashed potatoes you make the normal way. Just through whatever vegan butter and milk in them with salt and pepper.

I use a pumpkin pie recipe from a cookbook and I feel weird about posting things like that, so PM me if you're interested?

I don't know how Canadians roll on holidays, and my family's pretty boring anyways (the only difference between what I eat and what they eat besides mine being vegan is they usually microwave a can of corn also) so I can't think of much else thanksgiving-y. Repeat for xmas and easter. Seitan might also be a good idea. If you don't have wheat gluten on hand, I've heard of people making it with regular flour (I think they let it sit longer so gluten bonds can form). I've never made it for holidays, but there's a lentil soup(ish thing) in Veganomicon that would probably be delicious/amazing with whatever you're having. From where I can see, you can see the recipe if you do the "Look Inside" thing on amazon, so that's why I linked it. Just scroll down through the table of contents, it's under soups ("French Lentil Soup with Tarragon and Thyme") and on page 141.

I tried to think of holiday food that didn't involve faux whatever, but I'm definitely not one of those vegans that scoffs at imitation meats and cheeses and whatnot. I eat them all the damn time.

I keep trying to end this and I keep failing: I've never had homemade shephard's pie, and actually never had it before going vegan (I'd never heard of it) but that sound like a delicious holiday thing. Since I've only ever had this premade microwaveable one, I'm linking because I imagine if you combined those ingredients with some yummy spices you would have positive results.

I'm really done this time D:

I worked at a grocery store, cleaning the meat department. It was gross as hell, and I was the best cleaner there, which meant that overall, meat departments are awful awful places. So I stopped eating meat. These days, I think we don't need to kill things to eat, so in general we shouldn't if we don't have to. I try not to be strident or to push vegn eating on other people (I'll still go to lunch with people who eat meat, for example) because it's really annoying.

This was 1992, and I haven't eaten meat, fish, chicken, or anything like that since. I still eat eggs and dairy a little, but lately dairy makes me ill so I am cutting out the milk as well. I eat a ton of soy because it's useful and versatile.

Free-range meat and eggs are just to make people feel a little better about eating them. Same with "happy meat." It's nice that it's not factory farming, but you're still raising an animal for the sake of killing and eating it. It seems hypocritical to me.

Let me see... Favorite meals? I like to make burritos with various forms of TVP and fake meaty things. I make a damn fine dry-fried sake-miso-marinated tofu with udon. I've made a bourbon reduction sauce with spice-rubbed dry-fried fake chicken strips. I've made breaded and pan-fried tofu "wings" in buffalo sauce. I could go on, but you get the idea-- I don't eat brown rice and plain tofu every night, or, really, ever.

Your last question-- tofu shouldn't be lumped in with fake meats. It's not really an attempt to emulate meat in any way-- it's a totally different kind of thing. It does take some thought to cook it-- you need to figure out marinades and different frying techniques, and you can't just throw it in a pan and know it'll come out tasting great without you having to do much with it. On its own it's a flavorless lump, but it soaks up marinades and spices like crazy, and you can cook it a bunch of different ways for different effects. Generally you'll want to cook with extra-firm tofu, and you'll want to press the liquid out of it before cooking it (I put it between paper towels on a plate and put another plate and some books on top for half an hour or so).

Fake meats are useful for converting recipes (like the bourbon reduction I mentioned before) since you can usually drop in a package of fake chicken strips from Trader Joe's in place of chicken in most things. (And you can always get a package of Tofurky and make a sandwich.) Some of them are really expensive; some are not very good. Some are better for cooking in different ways. You may have to try them, or get advice from people who have already done a lot of cooking...

Beware of tempeh. It's a weird sort of fermented grain thing, and it's very difficult to make it totally palatable. I still don't cook with it much since it's easy to do poorly and it's super gross if you aren't careful with it. Consider that an advanced vegetarian protein and get used to cooking with tofu first. 8)

If you're curious, Veganomicon is a FANTASTIC cookbook. You could eat from it for years without getting bored:

http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-The-Ultimate-Vegan-Cookbook/dp/156924264X

If you want to cook various ethnic foods, I've had a good time with Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian cookbook:

http://www.amazon.com/Madhur-Jaffreys-World-Vegetarian-Meatless/dp/0609809237

It has all kinds of stuff to try out, and goes into detail on methods and techniques of cooking different vegetarian proteins.

There are also vegan and vegetarian message boards around if you want to ask people who do more cooking and have tried a lot of things.

The biggest problem when starting out vegetarian will be going out to eat. You may find that your favorite restaurants are no longer good places for you to eat, or that going out with friends involves more negotiation. It also depends on where you live. Most largish cities will have at least a few vegetarian or vegan restaurants, or will have restaurants with veg options on the menus. Be prepared for some disappointing or annoying experiences while you figure it out. Finding local vegns to hang out with will help that, but you may have to be firm with your friends and convince them that it's not just a phase and that you're not just trying it out for a while. (This assumes, of course, that it's not just a phase and that you aren't just trying it out for a while.)

Be prepared for people to give you a hard time. Don't be afraid to tell them that it's your decision and if they have a problem with it they can go to hell (or perhaps something more polite). Lots of people will think it's clever to start asking you things like "what about plants? aren't plants alive too?" and "Chickens have a brain the size of a peanut-- they're not intelligent or anything!" and "clams are so simple they're hardly animals at all!" and so on and so forth. A million stupid and time-worn jokes. Just be ready.

People also like to argue with vegetarians about things because they think you're judging them. Ideally, you aren't judging them-- if you are, I'd suggest hiding it unless you really want to get into a fight, since people take it very personally. I usually tell people that it's my decision and I don't really care what they do.

Anyway, it's a great decision to make, although it's not always easy. There are lots of groups of supportive people out there, and it's a lot easier to go veg these days than it was back in 1992 (or earlier! Imagine eating vegetarian in the US in the 70's!). Good luck! Ask questions, and don't be afraid to try stuff!

I could slap your beautiful face right now. But it's okay, because I know some kick ass cook books that will show you how to make yummy vegan food. Betty goes Vegan is a cookbook that vegan-izes classic american dishes. Also the Veganomicon might as well be the vegan bible when it comes to cooking. Every recipe I've tried in this one has been delicious. Personally recommend the Spiced Sweet Potatoes and the Herbed Scalloped Potatoes because they are pretty easy to make.

Also The Sweetest Vegan is a fantastic food blog that also has amazing food on it. It's another one where everything I've tried has been amazing. I haven't tried out anything on Vegan Dad but I know a bunch of vegans who love his stuff. He also has a cook book out but many of the recipes are online. The Vegan Stoner is good because he/she makes recipes that are cheap and fast. Another one that I haven't tried out too many on but I know is popular.

For raw eating I would head over to Fully Raw Kristina I buy food from her fully organic co-op and she is a huge sweetheart. She has several recipes and tips on her youtube page and she also has her own website with some other information. Also if you can't find the answer to a question you have about eating raw you can easily contact her via email.

Both my partner and I are vegetarians and we both like to cook. We often cook enough food to have leftovers, so our go to "quick meal" is often reheating leftovers.

If you like Indian food, this Easy Chana Masala recipe is one of our favorites. You can skip the mango powder if you don't have it/can't find it/don't want to bother getting it.

For making rice, if you don't have a rice cooker, having a gas stove is the best. But if you have electric, the best method uses two burners - 1 on high to bring the rice to a boil and the other on low to cover and simmer on. I usually do a 2 to 1 ratio water to rice and simmer white rice around 15 minutes, brown rice around 45 minutes. I also enjoy a curry rice as a side dish - simmer 1-2 tsp curry powder in butter or oil for 2 mintues; add 1 cup rice, 2 cups vegetable broth, 1 bay leaf, and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil and then simmer 15 minutes for white or 45 minutes for brown rice.

For making beans, canned beans work pretty well when pressed for time, but I recommend using dried beans for better flavor and texture. Soaking your beans overnight really helps to reduce your cooking time on dried beans, but that does mean you have to plan ahead.

I'm not sure if you want cookbook suggestions, but here are a few good ones that I like:

• Veganomicon
  
• The Heart of the Plate
  
• The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook - not exclusively vegetarian, but it has a lot of good vegetarian recipes
  
  If you're looking for recipes, there are a lot of vegetarian/vegan food blogs out there and you can also check out /r/VegRecipes and /r/veganrecipes.

My family is mostly German, so meat is a pretty big part of what we ate (sausages, schnitzels, and a lot of bbq-ing). I went veg in high school and it wasn't too much trouble for me - my parents didnt' cook two meals, but just an extra veggie protein for me when I wanted that. The other things were vegetarian anyway (like potatoes, vegetables, and most soups).

I strayed away until I was in my early twenties. Then it was a bit more difficult because none of my friends were vegetarian and we all ate out a lot. It was a short transition (went cold turkey) but I had a package of chicken breasts in my freezer that I told myself I was allowed to eat if I wanted to since I had already purchased them. I never ended up eating them and 3 months later gave the package to my room-mate so they wouldn't go to waste. It was helpful to know that I had this plan in case I got weak, but was motivated enough to not give in.

Veggie burgers can taste amazing or meh... depends on the variety. Many replicate meat quite well and actually taste better considering it leaves you feeling a little lighter than a meat burger. If you want the "meat" kind then avoid grain burgers as they taste a bit more "natural". I personally like those, but they aren't really a replacement.

Downsides are that you can sometimes be considered an outcast at meals - sometimes people make a big deal out of trying to make sure you're "okay", and that you have enough to eat. Just be polite and easy going to get through this kind of stuff. It's no big deal. Also, you need to be careful how you talk about your own vegetarianism - always let others make their own decisions and don't judge them (out loud at least). Having discussions is good, but don't get into any arguments or be preachy. It only turns people off of the lifestyle and reinforces a stereotype of "the preachy vegetarian". Talk about the positives when people ask you about your new diet and leave out the horror of animal welfare and factory farming until someone seems truly interested in these things. You can mention that you're veg for ethical reasons (if that's true), and that you don't want to contribute to the suffering of animals, but don't get into gory details - most people feel threatened by that and it usually turns into a ridiculous argument. Remember that your diet is your choice, and they have the freedom to make their own choices. Show them how easy and delicious being vegetarian is rather than how awful their lifestyle is.

Upsides are plently, here are a couple:

• longer average lifespan
  
• you're minimizing you impact on animal suffering
  
• you're minimizing your contributions to environmental issues associated with meat farming
  
• delicious food options that many meat eaters never experience
  
• usually less expensive than eating meat
  
• a generally healthier lifestyle
  
• not having to have 3 separate cutting boards for meat, fish and veggies - just one for everything!
  
  Before you make the transition, have a plan (buy some alternatives and talk to your family), and also write down the reasons you're doing it in pretty elaborate detail. If you are tempted to eat meat, read your reasons again and remind yourself why you made the change in the first place. Add to the list as you grow and change in perspective.
  
  Lastly, if you plan to cook a lot, get the Veganomicon. I've found this book to be indispensable since a friend gave it to me.

Hey! I see you're a new vegan! You might want some good resources for vegan cooking and recipes. Check out some of my favourite vegan cookbooks:

Veganomicon has really good recipes and some basic recipes.

Minimalist Baker. She's got an amazing blog that I cook from all the time. It's maybe my favourite vegan source for recipes.

Thug Kitchen. Not my favourite recipes, but the book is hilarious. Also a blog.

Oh She Glows Also really healthy, lovely vegan food. Also a blog.

Good luck with your new journey, and I hope these bring you some fun ideas!

"Mastering the Art of French Cooking" is her classic, in every library and its pretty easy to find at a used bookstore for next to nothing. Quite a few of the sauces will involve some creative keto work to get aroud the roux but at least it'll be an interesting experiment.

I just picked up How To Cook Meat second hand and have been working my way through the cuts of meat I would've been less likely to buy on my own. Combine it with a former favorite from my past life, Veganomicon and I've got a nearly limitless supply of new meat and veg dinners.

I'm lucky that vegan years helped me out in the "omg this food is so boring" phases so now I've got all kinds of methods to deal with it but getting a cookbook and plowing through every recipe in it is still one of my favorites. Modifying recipes to be animal product free before and carb and sugar free now makes it all the more interesting. Last month I got on a medieval cooking kicking and started making the amazingly named: Grave of Small Birds.

Oh yeah, I used to be vegan...I am into it.

Taste: It is very bland by itself, but no one that I know eats it straight. It can be made into many tasty things. It is in a lot of faux meats. It is a lot like tofu in that it takes up the flavor of things around it. I think that Isa Chandra is like... the wheat gluten goddess. All of her recipes involving wheat gluten that I've made I've been a fan of. I'm a big fan of her "Chickpea Cutlet" recipe ([recipe here] (http://www.theppk.com/2010/11/doublebatch-chickpea-cutlets/)).

Check out [Veganomicon] (http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-The-Ultimate-Vegan-Cookbook/dp/156924264X) and [Isa Does It!] (http://www.amazon.com/Isa-Does-Amazingly-Delicious-Recipes/dp/0316221902/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427495938&sr=1-1&keywords=isa+does+it). Both of those books have winning recipes that use wheat gluten as an ingredient.

Expense: Varies wildly. If you find it at a hippie woo-woo place in an individually sealed package (e.g., Bob's Red Mill), the markup can be insane. On the other hand, you can get it cheaply per pound if you can find it in a bulk bin at a place like Whole Foods.

You can get it at an extra "discount" if you find it in a bulk bin but label it as some kind of flour. ;)

My Experience: I made some dang tasty recipes with the stuff, but eventually, I stopped eating it because I personally find that I don't tolerate it as well (it just made me gassy). But more importantly, the recipes I like it best in have a higher protein to carb ratio than I'd prefer during a cut...and when I'm bulking, I'm too busy filling my face with all the things so I usually forget about wheat gluten.

Hope this helps!

> Stalk me!

Pretty much the only place we can say that without it being creepy :)

In this exchange, I would give you the book that made me realize that you can have pretty good meals with no meat in it. It's called New Recipes From the Moosewood Restaurant. I'm an omnivore but I like a good steak or a good vegetarian meal. I don't believe every meal should have meat in it.

Here's my favourite recipe from it:

West African Groundnut stew

Serves 6 (you could always make it smaller but there's so much stuff in it it's easier if you make a big recipe)

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
  
• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
  
• 3 garlic cloves minced or pressed
  
• 3 tablespoon fresh grated ginger root
  
• 2 tablespoon ground coriander
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (or to taste)
  
• 4 cups chopped onions
  
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
  
• 4 cups peeled and cubed eggplants
  
• 1/4 to 1/2 vegetable stock
  
• 1 cup chopped zucchini
  
• 2 green peppers, coarsely chopped
  
• 2 cups tomato juice
  
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
  
  Steam or boil the potatoes until tender
  Meanwhile, sauté the garlic, ginger and spice in oil for a minute.
  Add the onions and cook until they soften.
  Add the tomatoes, eggplants and some vegetable stock. Simmer for 10 minutes.
  Add the zucchini and green pepper and simmer until every is tender (about 20 minutes)
  Drain the sweet potatoes and add them to the stew. Also add the tomato juice and peanut butter.
  Simmer on low heat for 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally.
  
  Serve on rice, couscous or millet.
  
  The book suggests serving garnished with hard boiled eggs halves, pinaples and banana slices. It seems weird but it's actually fits pretty well. My mother replaces the pineapples with mandarin oranges.
  
  And if I was shopping for Christmas, I'd send you a bra from Bravissimo. They have two unique characteristics among bra makers:
  
  
• They do believe that 32FF exists.
  
• They don't believe they should charge an arm and a leg for that size.
  
  

I really want this cookbook or TNG. TNG I want because its my favorite show and season 1 is especially awesome, but its expensive. The cookbook I really want so that my whole household (me, my husband, and my roommate) who all watch that show can create awesome delicious recipes. We like to cook for each other sometimes and make new things. It's a great way to spend an evening.

I had a lot of fun blasting 80's music and rocking out while cooking dinner tonight! I was only alive for one year of the 80's but I love the music, the movies and in high school I was very inspired by the fashions too! Never really thought about the foods of the 80's before now though, more new things that wouldn't have happened without this challenge.

I made the vodka sauce recipe from the Veganomicon cookbook, substituting cashew cream for immersion-blended almonds. It was so good!! This will definitely become a regular dinner!

The walnuts were simply cooked with some brown sugar.

The raspberry vinaigrette is from the Vitamix website and was easy to make and pretty good I substituted apple syrup and agave syrup for the honey in this recipe.

"Blackened Aspargus" might not actually be a thing, and it's really just sauteed in olive oil with salt and pepper and no cajun spices at all, but I thought that one more 80's element would really round out the meal!

Yeah blandness is not something I'm into. I was 16 when I first went to the dark side, and I tried to find as many awesome recipes as I could to convince family and friends I wasn't just a masochist, haha.

Basically anything from Isa Chandra Moskowitz is going to be good. She is all about flavor.

If you like Italian food, Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen is bangin'. ByChefChloe has a ton of her recipes. Mama's spaghetti and meatballs is one of our favorites. I usually make the meatballs and serve with pesto, I'm not really crazy about spaghetti.

One of my favorite restaurants is The Grit, and they also have a cookbook. If you check out the preview/look inside feature, you'll find a recipe for black bean chili that I dream about from time to time. A lot of my friends still live in Athens and I use them as my excuse to go eat there. There's also a yeast gravy recipe you can see in the preview, and that over some of their tofu (next page), brown rice, and steamed veggies... I think I know what I'm prepping for lunches next week now, haha.

Find a good vegetarian cookbook. Two fantastic ones for vegetarians are How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman, and Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison. Both of them have tons of recipes which don't use fake meat or processed ingredients.

If you're serious about reducing or avoiding all animal products, you might want to look for a good vegan cookbook as well. I like the Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Romano. It's good because it covers a huge range of dishes, and if there something you're especially craving (like Sloppy Joes or Chicken Pot Pie) you can usually find a reasonable analogue.

I'm basically vegetarian for practical reasons when I eat with friends or at restaurants, and vegan when I cook for myself at home. If you're going to be relearning how to cook without meat, I've found it's really pretty easy to take the extra step and cut out dairy and eggs as well.

Good luck. We're here if you need it. In the meanwhile, here are some good vegan cooking starters:

Chloe's Vegan Italian Cookbook
Some are simple, some less so. All so far have been fantastic.

The Lotus and the Artichoke
Lots of restaurant favorites and a good way to get your feet wet on things like tofu, seitan and tempeh.

Joy of Vegan Baking
Hands down the best vegan cookbook I've ever had.

I don't think you will have to worry about getting sick! Hopefully you start to feel more energy and less allergies if you stick to a plant based diet, which I definitely would recommend. Those substitutes might help you with your transition though, so don't rule them out completely if you feel like you are going to eat non-vegan to fulfill a craving.

I definitely recommend getting a good cookbook though or finding a good website, and teaching yourself to cook. Once you do that it is habit, and you won't think of cooking any other way. Check out this website:
http://www.theppk.com/

And I always recommend this book for newbies. It really helped me when I became a vegan!
http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-The-Ultimate-Vegan-Cookbook/dp/156924264X

Be careful with equating vegan with healthy. Cutting out meat and dairy from your diet doesn't make it a good diet. Eating healthy foods does - like plenty of vegetables, nuts, beans, and legumes, plus fruits. I would suggest getting a vegan cookbook ( Veganomicon is a good one). It has delicious recipes and will teach you how to work in foods like soy and seitan into your cooking routine as well.

Remember, the more your cook your meals yourself, the healthier they will be (generally). Also, just because something is vegan (french fries) doesn't mean it is healthy. Good luck with the turn-around. Go get 'em.

try this one man http://www.amazon.ca/Veganomicon-The-Ultimate-Vegan-Cookbook/dp/156924264X it doesn't have pictures which is disappointing but the meals are super taste. Or there is this one http://www.amazon.ca/Vegetarian-Bible-Garden-Nicola-Graimes/dp/1407524283/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1344894830&sr=8-8 this one has some pretty simple recipes

Honestly the internet is a great place to find meals too.

My [crockpot chili recipe] (http://www.voxpopnj.com/2010/12/512/) is as hearty as meat based chili and loved by vegans & omnivores alike! Simple, cheap, and a good way to ease into vegan eating, or serve when hosting people with a variety of dietary habits.

Also, highly recommend Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero - filled with great traditional dishes made vegan including an incredible version of mac-n-cheese called "Mac Daddy".

My favorites are the Veganomicon and The Homemade Vegan Pantry

Depending on your frame of reference neither is super cheap but I highly recommend them.

I've picked up a few free ebooks but I've never made anything from one. I guess my favorite free vegan cookbook is googling any item + vegan then making that.

Congrats! I went vegetarian when I was 18 and taught myself to cook over the next few years (and I'm still learning, 9 years later). I would recommend picking up a beginner vegan cookbook (for example). I second retirethecow's recommendation of my all-time favorite the Veganomicon, which has a range of simple to more complicated (and DELICIOUS) recipes and tips for preparing veggies in a basic, every-day way.

Remember: The key to a truly healthful vegan diet is eating a pile of veggies every day. Get to know the produce department and impress your friends by knowing the difference between a turnip and parsnip.

Well I didn't see this topic, but strangely enough was involved in an exhibit on BBQ as a social convention in a museum I used to work at.

I know what you're thinking. Yes, the research was delicious.

Anyway it was a while ago, but one of the books we leaned on was Holy Smoke: The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue

There's some pretty interesting history in it. I'll think back and see if I can remember any of the other texts we used.

The Veganomicon is good, as is The Vegetarian Goddess cookbook. They can be a little froo-froo in places, but the recipes are good. Nice thing about goddess is that it gives seasonably appproprita foods. We went veg for a while, and I dropped weight and felt better. Went back to meat, started feeling sluggish. Our goal is 80/20 veg/meat, seems to be a good balance.

http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-Ultimate-Isa-Chandra-Moskowitz/dp/156924264X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404513269&sr=1-1&keywords=veganomicon

http://www.amazon.com/Recipes-Vegetarian-Goddess-Delectable-Through/dp/1567180167/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404513372&sr=1-1&keywords=green+goddess+cookbook

I love to make soups; black bean, split pea, chili, tomato, lentil, etc., and serve them with a big salad topped with avocado, and sometimes baked squash. Root veggies, avocado, and beans are my go to "fill me up" items.

I also like to grill a ton of different veggies and then mix them into the soups when I serve. Sort of like a vegan stew.

I can't stress enough how important the Veganomicon cookbook is for new Vegans. It is worth every penny.

Here are some great cooking sites and videos:

http://www.connoisseurusveg.com/easy-vegan-pho?

http://www.connoisseurusveg.com/39-last-minute-vegan-thanksgiving-recipes?

http://www.connoisseurusveg.com/50-cozy-vegan-fall-stews?

http://www.connoisseurusveg.com/butternut-squash-kale-chickpea-massaman-curry

https://minimalistbaker.com/

https://www.reddit.com/r/veganrecipes/

http://veganfoodlover.com/

http://ohsheglows.com/

http://www.isachandra.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF-ACPYNN0oXD4ihS5mbbmw

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCudzojQxnLAI7uQPVYJy_oQ

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr1PC384fLPw5PxyXecQDTw

You need the Veganomicon. It has been the best for helping me learn cooking techniques, stock my pantry, and find foods I enjoy that are healthy. http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-The-Ultimate-Vegan-Cookbook/dp/156924264X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334275750&sr=8-1

Also, I keep track of my food intake and activities here: http://www.fitday.com
It has helped so much.

Welcome to the fold. :)

Here are the ingredients I used:

• Whole wheat pizza dough purchased from grocery store (ball of raw dough)
  
• Marinara Sauce from Veganomicon
  
• Life Changing Mozzarella (doubled the recipe) from Fuss Free Vegan: 101 Everyday Comfort Foods
  
• red onion
  
• red pepper
  
• sauteed mushrooms
  
• green olives
  
  
  I'm going to freeze them to have on hand for late-night snacks!
  
  
  One ball of dough made 10 pizza pockets (3 not pictured). I have about 1 cup of mozzarella left, and 2 cups of marinara left... which is the perfect amount to make vegan hamburger helper lasagna with tomorrow :)

If you're into seitan and other vegan food, check out theppk.com . They have some great free recipes on the site and some awesome cookbooks as well such as the Veganomicon. If you're new to seitan and don't want to jump in right away, may I suggest chickpea cutlets which use wheat gluten but also contain chick peas (which gives a more complete amino acid profile anyway). One of my favorites. I highly recommend Isa's stuff.

I've heard great things about this vegan cookbook from vegan friends, so that's always an idea.

Does he have runes? You could get him a set and make him a lovely pouch to hold them in which you could embroider with whatever is of special meaning to you both...

My best friend is vegan and she loves this book.

Sorry I don't know any of the recipes off hand.

That's the first time I've heard that reason to eat vegan. You must be adventurous!

Many current vegans started off for reasons other than animal rights (myself included). But it seems that once one stops eating animals (for whatever reason), your mind is able to open up to the idea that animals are not ingredients, but rather living beings. It seems strange to me that most people do not view farm animals as living things; then again, I once held that same view myself. Logically, it is clear that animals are alive and can feel pain. But when you eat them, there is a stubborn mental block that prevents this realization.

I'm glad for any reason that people eat less animals. Hopefully when your month is over, you can think about extending your time being kinder to animals and the planet!

If you want a great cookbook, get Veganomicon.

Whole Foods is a life saver if you have one around. I like to buy bulk lentils, Quinoa, beans, rice, nuts, grains etc. You can even find that (most of the time) organic veggies are easy to come by. I think a whole foods vegan diet is a lot cheaper than one that uses substitutes and replacements, that's where you get the more pricey stuff. It's junk food anyway.

For example, for lunch at least once a week I make some quinoa, steamed radishes, carrots and whatever other veggies I have, steam a bit of kale at the last minute and lightly throw on a tahini-lemon-dill sauce. It's just the little things. Get a copy of Veganomicon


Best of luck! After the first 2 months or so (for me) the desire to eat cheese was gone. I mean, it's expired baby animal food if you really think about it. YUCK!

Upvote for the Veganomicon recommendation. It was the first veggie cook book I ever bought and it is absolutely wonderful for beginners and experienced cooks alike. The first few chapters are dedicated to instructions on how to prepare just about every kind of grain, legume and vegetable you'll commonly come across. The recipes in the book are also delicious and for the most part quick and simple to prepare. Definitely give this one a try.

Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen might help make the transition a little easier. I've made a few things from there that have all been great. Her Rockin' Ricotta is really yummy.

I just bought the book "Green Burgers" which is not entirely vegan, but the recipes are easy to adapt. It's not exactly healthy but some of the burgers are simply amazing - stunning and really tasty.

I haven't tried them unfortunately :( I'm in Canada and they're only available in the US from what I know. But apparently they're amazing and taste like the real thing.

Yeah unless you do it well tofu tastes bland. You've gotta wrap the tofu in paper towels, and place some heavy stuff on top (e.g. textbooks) to press it in for around 20-30 mins, so that you get all the water out of it. That way it'll soak up all the sauce.

Try out some bean curries and stir fries too, those are my favourite. In fact if you wanna get a cookbook, I recommend this or this times a million. Not a single recipe I've made in those books that all my meat-eating friends haven't loved.

Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook is a pretty effing sweet cookbook. There are a number of vegan "cheese" recipes in it. I love them, but acknowledge my tastes are different from an omnivore's. I don't think of them as a direct substitute for cheese but as something else entirely (similar to how you shouldn't think of tofu as mock chicken...it's tofu).

But I definitely encourage you to experiment. My favorite "cheese" recipe involves cashews, lemon juice + other spices, and tofu (all blended together) to make a mock ricotta. Does it taste exactly like ricotta? I don't know...pretty sure it doesn't. Is it tasty? Damn straight.

Check out the The Noma Guide to Fermentation - lots of great fermentation ideas for vaccuum-sealed stuff. You can also check out r/fermentation

It's also very useful for brining and marinating things, and is a great way to wet-age steaks.

The Veganomicon Cookbook is awesome. Really good for inspiration!

Not fashion-related, but there are some pretty cool gift ideas in the Home & Lifestyle sale areas. Got Matty Matheson's cookbook for $10; it's currently $21 on Amazon.

are you good with recipes? maybe a beginer level cookbook would be your jam.

peta's always good for cookbooks.
http://www.amazon.com/PETAs-Vegan-College-Cookbook-Delicious/dp/1402218850

and veganomicon is quite popular as well.
http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-Ultimate-Isa-Chandra-Moskowitz/dp/156924264X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416511134&sr=1-1&keywords=veganomicon

both are good starter level cookbooks.

i'd reccomend cooking in big batches and freezing stuff.

if this doesn't work, try your local asian or indian grocery store. they have a ton of instant meals for dirt ass cheap (like a buck or 2 each) many of which are vegan..


congrats on going vegan too, btw!

Veganomicon is a good one: http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-The-Ultimate-Vegan-Cookbook/dp/156924264X

But, there's no perfect cookbook. I do the majority of my cooking by searching for a recipe online and adding the word "vegan". I highly recommend watching Earthlings -- it's more effective at ending meat cravings than any recipe book.

Brilliant! Thank you! This has sent me down a immense trail of reading today... I'm presently reading The NOMA Guide to Fermentation and prepping to do the Miso recipie from that book - From what I'm reading, as long as modern controls are put in place, it dosen't sound too different than brewing fish sauce. Will defiantly try this out(when we are brave enough).

Veganomicon followed by Vegan Brunch as a close second. That Isa is amazing! Nearly every recipe I've tried (and I've tried tons) has been amazing and she mostly uses simple ingredients and many of the recipes are quick and easy. I'm obsessed with the vegan omelets in Vegan Brunch and the Tofu Florentine and Jelly Donut Cupcakes in Veganomicon.

Chiming in here with the most fantastic Italian vegan cookbook- Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen (it's an Amazon link, fyi)! I've made so many recipes, including homemade pasta from her cookbook and it's awesome.

I love these books

https://www.amazon.com/30-Minute-Vegan-Dinners-Plant-Based-Meals-ebook/dp/B07F68LNLN/ref=sr_1_3?

Sam Turnbull also has a great site called "It doesn't taste like chicken"

https://www.amazon.com/Fuss-Free-Vegan-Everyday-Favorites-Veganized-ebook/dp/B01MSA7D5B/ref=sr_1_1?

https://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Meal-Prep-Ready-Go/dp/1641522909/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?

https://www.amazon.com/VBQ-Ultimate-Vegan-Barbecue-Cookbook-ebook/dp/B075G2V4Z9/ref=sr_1_2?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1476736073/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1476736073&linkCode=as2&tag=chechl-20&linkId=S6J36OAGZZ7OH3H5

This is definitely the one me and my family most often use. Delicious and easy meals.

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


amazon.co.uk

amazon.ca

amazon.com.au

amazon.in

amazon.com.mx

amazon.de

amazon.it

amazon.es

amazon.com.br

amazon.nl

amazon.co.jp

amazon.fr

Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, amazon.nl, amazon.co.jp, amazon.fr, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.

Try a recipe from this new cookbook if you want a delicious vegan sandwich! Looks amazing!

I'm going to give you what every one of my veg friends (I'm a vegetarian too) would say is the Vegetarian Bible: Veganomicon.

It's the BEST!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/156924264X

I hope it's the Pioneer Woman cookbook. She's fantastic!

Also, after looking through your cooking list, I think we should be friends... I like food.

The Noma Guide to Fermentation!

It's basically the bible for modern fermentation techniques perfected by one of the best restaurants in the world.

First, thanks to The Edgy Veg cookbook. This meal was my first time using this book and if just some basics went this well, I'm looking forward to the rest of her recipes!

We made her "Become a Master of Seitan: Chicken Burgers or Schnitzel" from page 38-39, the only difference being instead of making her vegetable broth from scratch we used the Orrington Farms chicken base, and instead of using a Dutch oven we threw it in the Instant Pot for 20 minutes at high pressure and allowed it 20 minutes of lapse time before releasing.

For breading, we made the "Eggcellent Eggless Dip" from page 35 (unsweetened soymilk and cornstarch, heated and whisked). Standard katsu procedure: dipped the seitan pieces into potato starch, then "egg" wash, then panko. Fried in vegetable oil.

For the curry, we used S&B Golden Curry, which surprisingly came up when I googled vegan Japanese curry! Pleasantly surprised to see it didn't have dairy in it (unlike you, Vermont Curry!). Sautéed potatoes, onions, garlic, and carrots, then followed directions on the curry box. Rice was just made as usual in the Instant Pot: water and rice, nothing fancy.

The Noma guide does a lot of ferments in vacuum sealed bags. I've done their blueberries and it worked well (just salt and berries). Watching the bag slowly inflate over a couple of days was kind of a trip. If you are looking for a wide range of ideas, I highly recommend picking the book up. It does a good job of not only presenting the ferments but explaining the science (and history) behind them as well.

Edit: Pic of the blueberries in case anyone was curious

Veganomicon has some awesome food porn and is besides amazing.

I have a few recipes that I've done myself! However, most of my recipes that I get I find online. Here are a few good sources!

http://ohsheglows.com/

http://www.theppk.com/

http://vegweb.com/

http://www.vegkitchen.com/

My girlfriend also two books which we use A LOT:

Appetite For Reduction

Veganomicon

If you would the few recipes that I have, I'd be glad to give them to you! I'm about to be really busy at the moment, so I don't have time to type them up (all of my recipes are stored in my head lol) but I have the day off tomorrow so I will type them up then :)

Oh man, you've been missing out.

This cookbook has amazing recipes: http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-Ultimate-Isa-Chandra-Moskowitz/dp/156924264X/

I love making lasagne or risotto for special occasions. It takes awhile to prepare, but it gives an incredible homely feeling when you share the dish.

You're so rad for coming back to it for the animals!

As far as books go, I'm a big fan of the Veganomicon and Isa's other books. Love her recipes and versatility!

As far as getting everything you need, as long as you're eating enough calories (as adopting a high fiber diet can trick your body into thinking you're full of calories when you're operating at an actual deficit), and taking a B12 supplement, the only other things you might want to consider are a vegan D3 supplement for the wintertime and an Omega 3 supplement if you aren't adding flax or chia into your daily diet! Everything else is abundant in the plants if you're eating a varied diet!

You got this. You so got this!

These are the ones on my wishlist:


The Vegonomicon


Everyday Happy Herbivore


Thug Kitchen


But I could never go vegan!


Oh She Glows Cookbook


I personally own The Vegan Stoner Cookbook and I like it a lot.

There's a very good cookbook called Mad Hungry The whole "feeding of men and boys" thing it has going is a little schticky, but meh. It's an excellent intro book that goes into stocking basic kitchen equipment, pantry staples, time saving tips and whatnot. Her recipes are all fairly simple without any exotic ingredients, but every one I've tried has become a standard.

Check out Great Grilled Cheese looks like a fluff-type book but is much better, the combinations are very good/inspiring (Taleggio with Rosemary Grapes on Focaccia; dessert grilled cheeses/paninis like Chocolate Hazelnut & Goat Cheese seem to really blow people's minds) also Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book which just makes me miss Thursday nights and martinis all the more.

The Hunger Games book series was actually the last book that I actually read for pleasure. I absolutely loved them! I read all three in just two nights. I did not have much money at the time, so I stole them off the internet :0 I felt horrible at the time and you talking about it now makes me want to at least contribute now... so here is the books I want: The Hunger Games Ooooor, this cookbook, because I am in love with Ree, her lifestyle, and the way she raises her kids! If you have not watched The Pioneer Woman early on a Saturday morning, you are missing out :P

The Noma Guide to Fermentation has a recipe for making it. Great book, I highly recommend it.

This is considered a classic cookbook:
http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-Ultimate-Isa-Chandra-Moskowitz/dp/156924264X/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1450780613&sr=8-4&keywords=vegan+cookbook

The definitive vegan cookies cookbook:
http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Cookies-Invade-Your-Cookie/dp/160094048X/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1450780650&sr=8-6&keywords=vegan+baking

I really can't think of cooking or baking equipment that vegans in particular would need (?) more than an omni kitchen would. Maybe a vegan themed cooking or baking something? I'm sure a set of spices would be very appreciated.

All home-made last weekend, using the recipes from Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen - the book is full of excellent recipes, highly recommend picking it up!

I strongly recommend Noma's Guide to Fermentation

Also there's a dedicated subreddit at /r/fermentation

Depending on where you live, your library might have a bunch. You can check them out, try some recipes, and see if it's one you might want to buy.

I like a lot of international and multi-cultural flavors so I like a wide variety of cookbooks including:

Afro Vegan

Vegan Richa's Indian Kitchen

Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen

and a general cookbook that helps you make your own dishes using vegan staples:

The Homemade Vegan Pantry

It's a bit older, but still a classic in our house - The Vegetarian Epicure. Or, as we call it, "The Veggie Epi."

My husband and I have since gone completely vegan and the Veganomicon is seriously one of the best cookbooks ever - everything I've made out of it has been a hit (even with not veggie/vegan friends). (The Mushroom Gravy recipe is just incredible!!)

Veganomicon (http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-The-Ultimate-Vegan-Cookbook/dp/156924264X) is quite good. Most of the recipes are a little time-consuming, but there are some really good sub-half-hour meals in there.

She has a few but I have been cooking from her Italian Vegan Kitchen cookbook, which has been amazing.

I recommend Veganomicon to literally everyone, vegans and omnis alike, but especially people with celiac since they an index of gluten free meals in the back.

Reading [text this book](The Noma Guide to Fermentation https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079VTBKHD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Mo58BbFP3RP39) right now. Seems pretty good.

Veganomicon is less than $10 on Amazon if you get it used:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/156924264X/ref=sr_1_6_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1486674904&sr=8-6&keywords=vegan+cookbook

Afro Vegan is solid, and is less than $20 new:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1607745313/sr=8-31/qid=1486674985/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1486674985&sr=8-31

Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews is like $4 used:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/076793072X/ref=sr_1_5_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1486675176&sr=8-5&keywords=nava+atlas


Vegan Without Borders is $5 used:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1449447082/ref=tmm_hrd_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used&qid=&sr=

I'd recommend the Vegenomicon cookbook. It has really good recipes in general.

There is one specifically for baby bok choy (which you can replace with any leafy green; shredded brussel sprouts is my go to) that is phenomenal. Here someone transcribed the recipe.

I love Thug Kitchen! Try out their other book, Veganomicon.

i use it to make a vegan cheese sauce, like this recipe from the Veganomicon.

then i use that sauce to make a version of Mac & Trees:

• cook up some garlic & onions in a wide pan. add a bunch of broccoli (fresh or frozen is fine) & about 1/2 cup of water. season w/ salt & pepper. cover & let steam, about 7 mins. when the broccoli is tender & most of the water evaporated, toss in about 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. add the cheese sauce & mix together. pour this mess over some whole wheat spiral or penne shaped pasta. it's really good.
  
  also, i've been adding nurtitional yeast just to stews, savory pies & casseroles to give it a little extra something. a tablespoon or so is about all you need.

This is great!

There's a coffee kombucha recipe in the recent Noma fermentation book if you fancied another reference.

The Veganomicon has a few bomb southern recipes. Also, u/Patchesthelurker's advice is sound. You need to stay busy with activities you can set goals for. I have a friend in AA and he seems to find it really valuable - would probably be worth trying at least.

Try the "Almost All-American Seitan Pot Pie" from the Veganomicon. Some meat-eaters are overly critical of fake meat products, but when you cut the seitan into tiny little cubes (I go smaller than the recipe suggests, about 5/8"), it can work a bit better.

That's basically my go-to recipe for impressing people; I might take it over to my folks' house for Easter.

Veganomicon

https://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-Ultimate-Isa-Chandra-Moskowitz/dp/156924264X

You will love it.

Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!

Here are your smile-ified links:

https://smile.amazon.com/Veganomicon-Ultimate-Isa-Chandra-Moskowitz/dp/156924264X

---

^^i'm ^^a ^^friendly bot

The cashew based ricotta from the Veganomicon is awesome. Takes about 15 minutes to make.

> Do you guys have any sources of really high quality vegan meals by like high level chefs and shit.

Take your pick! What cuisines does she like to make? What do you like to eat? Choose something that fits both.

Gourmet Stuff (youtube channels, blogs, and/or cookbooks. Some are all three):

• Hot For Food
  
• Sweet Potato Soul
  
• Edgy Veg
  
• AvantGardeVegan
  
• Exceedingly Vegan
  
• Mr. Vegan
  
• VeganLovlie
  
• Peaceful Cuisine
  
• Vegan Soul Kitchen
  
• Oh She Glows
  
• Minimalist Baker
  
  For direct recreations of dairy, meat, and condiments/sauces.
  
  
• Seitan and Beyond by Skye Michael Conroy
  
• The Non-Dairy Evolution Cookbook by Skye Michael Conroy
  
• The Homemade Vegan Pantry: The Art of Making Your Own Staples by Miyoko Schinner
  
• Artisan Vegan Cheese by Miyoko Schinner
  
  For recreations of eggs:
  
  
• Baking substitutes
  
• For straight eggs
  
  For a general cookbook: Veganomicon
  
  ---------
  
  My list of substitutions, taken from another comment:
  
  "
  Another thing you can do is learn or find vegan substitutes to things, then you can look up recipes that are as complex or authentic as you want, and simply use the substitutions. For gourmet vegan cooking, some are:
  
  
• Beef, sausage: seitan, commercial vegan meat substitutes
  
• Bacon: Coconut bacon or Bac'n bits
  
• Heavy Cream: Cashew Cream
  
• Butter: Vegan Butter, margarine, vegetable oil or coconut oil in baking
  
• Cheese: blended up nuts or other things with flavorings or gelling agents, different for different ones. Mozzarella, Ricotta, Feta, Parmesan, Fancy Cookbooks: 1, 2
  
• Eggs: For cooking, Tofu or Commercial Egg Replacers. For baking, a bunch of different things depending on what you're making.
  
• Crab cakes: hearts of palm
  
• Tuna salad: mashed chickpeas
  
• Merangues: aquafaba
  
  "

Back! Burger is a recipe like this one from Veganomicon, a simple black bean patty with vital wheat gluten to bind.
I just served with a mound of avocado, fried onions, and bbq sauce (mix of tomato paste, water, white vinegar, maple syrup, worchestershire, liquid smoke, chillies, and salt simmered).

My very favorite seitan recipe in all the world is Seitan Piccata from Veganomicon.

If she wants health and vegan, go for:

http://www.amazon.com/Forks-Over-KnivesThe-Cookbook-Plant-Based/dp/1615190619/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449959651&sr=8-1&keywords=forks+over+knives+cook+book

This is known as the bible of vegan cooking. It has basics from how to stock your pantry, to cooking rice, etc. Recipes are categorized and they have low cal, I believe:

http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-The-Ultimate-Vegan-Cookbook/dp/156924264X

This is from one of the original farm-to-table vegan restaurants in NYC. Everything is healthy and they have basics:

http://www.amazon.com/Angelica-Home-Kitchen-Rousings-Restaurant/dp/1580085032/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449959834&sr=8-1&keywords=angelica%27s+kitchen+cookbook

I really like the Veganomicon! It's got a ton of recipes and everything I've made has been very tasty.

Personally, I like Post Punk Kitchen recipes. So, perhaps the cookbook Veganomicon?

I feel like the Veganomicon might object to someone else taking their name.

The sous vide mentioning only referred to the bag. There's no hearing involved. Sturdy bag, strong seal.

The fermentation in a sealed bag wasn't invented by me (to be honest I have no clue by whom) but I've got the idea from a book from Noma.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1579657184/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_Y8cQDbZV2CVK6

I know what botulinum is.

The book is phenomenal and everyone should buy it, BUT this is the regular Amazon price (since late April), so there's no need for everyone to click through a Facebook page (and affiliate link) to get it.

Here's a direct link to the book on Amazon.

Hey, you should buy this amazing vegan cookbook, seriously it is the bomb, and then invite your vegan friends over to cook some delicious vegan food and cookies together. That way you can control the food supply and choose what's on the menu and they can have a square meal and no one gets hated on.

edit: make it brunch, bloody marys are vegan if you leave out the worcestershire

Way easier to sell it that way.

I recommend this book if you want to learn about the insanity that is NC barbecue.

You can't go wrong with the Veganomicon.

It's the only vegan or vegetarian book I have ever used where the recipes wouldn't actually improved by sprinkling bacon on top.

Simple Seitan (makes 1lb - time: 1hr, 30min)

source: Veganomicon - or PPK

1 cup vital wheat gluten flour

3 tablespoons Nutritional yeast

1/2 cup cold vegetable broth

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, pressed or grated on a microplane grater

------
For the broth

8 cups cold water, plus 3 vegetable bouillon cubes, or 4 cups broth plus 4 cups water

1/4 cup soy sauce

-----------------------

Instructions

Mix together the gluten flour and yeast in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix together the veggie broth, soy sauce, olive oil, and garlic. Pour the wet into the dry and stir with a wooden spoon until most of the moisture has been absorbed and the wet ingredients are partially clumped up with the dry ingredients. Use your hands to knead the mixture for about 3 minutes, until the dough is elastic. Divide with a knife into three equal pieces and then knead those pieces in your hand just to stretch them out a bit.

Fill a stockpot with the water, bouillon cubes, and soy sauce, and add the wheat gluten pieces. Cover and bring to a boil but watch carefully; you don't want it to boil for very long or the outside of the seitan will be spongy. Try to catch it as soon as it boils and then lower the heat as low as it will go so that it's at a low simmer.

Partially cover the pot so that steam can escape and let simmer for an hour, turning the seitan occasionally. Turn off the heat and take the lid off; let sit for 15 minutes.

Remove from the broth and place in a strainer until it is cool enough to handle. It is now ready to be sliced up and used. If you have extra seitan, store in the cooking liquid in a tightly covered container.

she deserves your money

Nobody has mentioned the Veganomicon yet.

Probably this.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079VTBKHD/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

someone needs to buy them a copy of holy smoke... http://www.amazon.com/Holy-Smoke-North-Carolina-Barbecue/dp/080783243X

Veganomicon

Not OP, but that recipe is from the Noma Guide to Fermentation, which has been brought up on this sub a few times. They take a different approach to kombucha than most folks on this sub (more sugar, focus on the pellicle, etc.).

https://www.amazon.com/Noma-Guide-Fermentation-lacto-ferments-Foundations/dp/1579657184

https://www.amazon.com/Noma-Guide-Fermentation-lacto-ferments-Foundations/dp/1579657184/

I wonder, is "Foundations of Flavor" a series or subtitle... what the chef wanted to call the book before the editor got ahold of it?

Klaatu barada nikto

Veganomicon.

Veganomicon

http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-Ultimate-Isa-Chandra-Moskowitz/dp/156924264X

Veganomicon

also by Isa Chandra Moskowitz is Veganomicon

Veganomicon our copy is falling apart because we use it so much.

Done in the style of the restaurant Noma. The head chef's released a book on how they make a lot of the dishes.

Essentially the food is salted and vacuum sealed; no loss of flavour into a brine.

Highly accessible and worth a read. Amazon link is below or who knows what you might find with a half decent Google..

The Noma Guide to Fermentation (Foundations of Flavor) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1579657184/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_X1uEDb72MSPSE

"Veganomicon", an older book, but therefore available used for a low price. Also, your library should have vegan cookbooks that you can check out before buying something.

Not entirely sure it'll be the answer you're looking for, but maybe pick up a copy of the Noma Guide to Fermentation? They do all kinds of really outlandish shit when it comes to fermentations, and it's all pretty painstakingly tested for not only safety, but consistency of results.


I can't guarentee you'll find what you're looking for, but if there was going to be a book that'd get you in the right direction, that's where I'd put my money.

I like this one because I can quickly make it with what I have in the pantry, and it works as an entree for vegans and a side for others. It's healthy comfort-food crack. This version is from the Veganomicon.


Chickpea-Quinoa Pilaf

2 tbls olive oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tbls coriander seeds, crushed

Several pinches ground black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbls tomato paste

1 cup quinoa

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 cups vegetable broth


In a small stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions in olive oil for about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes more.

Add the tomato paste, coriander, cumin, black pepper, and salt; saute for another minute.

Add the quinoa and saute for 2 minutes.

Add the chickpeas and broth; cover and bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, lower heat to very low, and cook for up for 20-40 minutes (depends on your quinoa), or until the quinoa has absorbed all the water; stir occasionally. Fluff with fork to serve.

Chiming in to say that I grew up on a grain and sheep farm and went vegan after I moved away for university.

I did not see the animal rights aspects at first. For me, the start was frugality and environmentalism. Lentils were cheaper, and I knew just how much resources it took to grow corn and soybeans, only to feed it to an animal and have them burn away 90% of it.

Health benefits were the kicker. Forks over Knives made a big impact on me since I was training for a marathon. The BIG push was learning that dairy was strongly tied to prostate cancer, which emasculated my grandfather and is giving my dad trouble now (he's due for his first biopsy in a week.)

It was only after hanging around /r/vegan that I picked up the animal rights issues. Works like Earthlings and The Herd (NSFL) got me to see it as totally wrong, and dairy as especially fucked up.

Learning to cook wasn't hard, and restaurants aren't too big of a deal. Most of my recipes are: chop vegetables, saute, add spices, add beans and vegetable broth, and season to taste. There's plenty of cookbooks out there if you want to learn: I recommend The Veganomicon, the Forks over Knives cookbook, and Vegan With a Vengeance.

I'm glad to see that you're considering moving towards less animal cruelty. For me, the change wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it was, and it's getting easier every day.

I always found many vegetarian cookbooks to be an exercise in how much eggs and cheese you can cram into something.

That said, I prefer to buy vegan cookbooks and if something looks a little too ridiculous (using nuts that only grow on the west side of a single Peruvian mountain isn't my thing), I just sub back in the non vegan stuff.

I also eat strict vegetarian most of the time, so it's not as much of a stretch for me.

So, that said, get her the Veganomicon. That vegan moussaka is to die for. (Just polish off the rest of the wine yourself!)

AVOID JUNK FOOD. I hear time and time again shit like "I went vegan/vegetarian once and I had to stop because I felt like shit". What were you eating? "Doritos and deep fried packaged meals"

Durr, no wonder you feel awful. All you did was kept the crap food that you ate in your previous diet and ate more of it. The best thing you can do if you're starting a veg diet is to consciously eat healthy, low fat, balanced meals. Try foreign food. Mediteranian and Indian. Chinese. Lots of worldly foods are vegan by default (americans are the ones obsessed with the meat in everything so you have to travel with your diet to get away from that). This is going to be a time of dramatic experimentation, so don't be afraid to try new shit. I highly recommend Veganomicon, and the Simple Seitan recipe inside along with all the good shit you can make with it. Tofu is your friend, just remember to PRESS the living shit out of it and fry it up well in most recipes (most bad experiences with tofu happen because it was prepared badly).

As of eating out, there's an app on the phones out there (my gf has one) where you can plug in any restaurant and see what they have that's compatible. We've found it's way better to find restaurants that are locally-owned and cater directly to us instead of trying to eat franchised shit that is probably prepared badly. Pay a little extra, get huge steps forward in quality. Of course, all of this depends on where you live. If you're in Podunk Wyoming where the closest real city is 600 miles away you're going to have problems.


Edit: Here are some good apps to have if you have an iphone, and here is another page for droid stuff!