A bit of a different review for me today, but I wanted to talk about another type of book that I absolutely love – cookbooks! As some of you might know, I’m a vegetarian - I’ve been one for about 8-ish years now, which means that sometimes thinking of dinner ideas can be a bit tricky, especially when I was at university. I know that some people when thinking about becoming vegetarians are also daunted by the idea of meatless cooking, or some of you might just want to include more vegetables or meatless meals into your diet – so, this post is for all of you! Here are my 3 must-have cookery books for vegetarian (and partly vegan) meals.
The Hungry Student Vegetarian Cookbook by Charlotte Pike
This book was an absolute saviour during my three years at university. However, despite it being described as a student cookbook, I would still recommend buying it even if you’re not at university! Some of the recipes in here are actually quite challenging and not very student-like, and I still use it today. It’s got loads of different categories, from pasta, stews and curries, easy dinners, desserts and so much more. It’s great to have a mixture of veggie classics as well as recipes that take me out of my comfort zone a bit more! It’s also really useful if you’re cooking for vegans, as it includes tips as to how to make the recipe vegan friendly. It’s also dotted with other random cooking tips, which is always handy. This is still one of my go-to recipe books, and it will be for a while!
Veg by Jamie Oliver
This recipe book is not only aimed at vegetarians, but for people who want to incorporate more vegetables into their meals. So, there are no recipes which involve meat replacements (e.g. tofu or quorn), which I know some people can be a little intimidated by. This is a great book full of really unique recipes, which range from beginner to more tricky meals. I also love the fact that it tells me roughly how long each meal takes to prep (although it usually takes me longer than stated).
This book is a great way to test out new recipes and vegetables which I never usually cook with, and Jamie Oliver throws in a few staple meals with his own twist. My only slight criticism is that the instructions in Veg can be ever so slightly tricky to understand, but once you get the hang of how Jamie writes, it becomes a lot easier.
If you’re looking for some new funky and challenging meals, then this recipe book is the one for you.
The Tofu Cookbook by Heather Thomas
Cooking with tofu can be a little bit daunting, especially if you don’t know what to do with it. I love tofu, especially in restaurants, but I’ve never quite found a way to make it taste as good at home. Enter The Tofu Cookbook – this little recipe book has got loads of recipes revolving around, you guessed it, tofu. It ranges from light meals, snacks, dinner meals, and even desserts! I’m yet to try making one of these tofu desserts, but I’m really intrigued as to how they’d turn out.
A lot of these recipes are inspired by Asian cuisine, which is great for me as it’s one of my favourite kinds of food. It also includes information about the different kinds of tofu there are, and which to use according to what you’re making, which is great for beginners or new vegetarians. Tofu is a brilliant meat replacement, and this book has allowed me to incorporate it a lot more into my meals. The Tofu Cookbook is definitely needed if you’re struggling to create a balanced vegetarian diet.
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And there you have it, those are my top 3 cookbooks every veggie should have. All three offer completely different recipes and cuisines, and they’ve certainly spiced up my cooking. What are your go-to recipe books?