# Vegetarian cookbooks? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 22, 2005, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-cookbooks/291412 "2005-02-22T21:33:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-cookbooks/291412/1 "2005-02-22T21:33:39Z")
Partly to save money, and partly for health/ecological reasons, the Whatsit household is going vegetarian a few nights a week. However, the only vegetarian cookbooks I have are _The Moosewood Cookbook_ and _Enchanted Broccoli Forest_. While both are pretty good (although the largeish section on stand-alone sauces is a bit weird), I’d like to branch out further. A quick perusal of the vegetarian cookbook section at my local library reveals a humongous selection, so I’d like to know if people have any particular favorites. Thanks a bunch! ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-cookbooks/291412/2 "2005-02-22T21:59:40Z")
The newer Moosewood books are nice (there are half a dozen not associated with Mollie Katzen), and tend to have recipes that are not too complicated. I also like _Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone_ by Deborah Madison and _The Passionate Vegetarian_ by Crescent Dragonwagon (yes, really.) The various Greens Restaurant cookbooks have really, really good recipes, but they tend to be a bit fancy for everyday cooking. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-cookbooks/291412/3 "2005-02-22T22:08:25Z")
I second the Madison recommendation. There are many recipes in _The complete encyclopedia of vegetables and vegetarian cooking_ by Roz Denny and Christine Ingram that I like too. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-cookbooks/291412/4 "2005-02-22T22:10:24Z")
_Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone_ is fantastic: I heartily second the recommendation. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-cookbooks/291412/5 "2005-02-22T22:11:43Z")
I’m too slow–I guess I third the recommendation. And that stands, even if anyone else has posted meanwhile. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-cookbooks/291412/6 "2005-02-22T22:11:56Z")
[The Vegetarian Epicure](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0394717848/qid=1109110636/sr=2-1/ref=pd_ka_b_2_1/002-6122137-6054452) is the one must-have vegtarian cookbook. In fact, my parents used it heavily even before all their children became vegetarians. It has tons of salads and pasta dishes, a wide variety of foreign foods, especially Indian, and lots of great tasting Italian dishes. It was written long before the low-fat craze set in and thus is fairly free with the eggs and cheese, but if you want low fat/low cholesterol dishes you can make some common sense substitutions to avoid that problem. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-cookbooks/291412/7 "2005-02-22T22:13:48Z")
As long as I’m in here, can I ask for recommendations for illustrated Vegetarian cookbooks? I like to have some idea of what the thing is supposed to look like. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-cookbooks/291412/8 "2005-02-22T22:17:20Z")
:smack: You know, that capital V in my post above reminds me of the time some maroon wrote to Ann Landers or somebody to complain: “How come everybody goes around capitalizing ‘AIDS’? You never hear anyone talk about how many people get CANCER.” Let’s lowercase “vegetarian,” shall we? ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-cookbooks/291412/9 "2005-02-22T22:24:17Z")
There is also _The New Vegetarian Epicure_ by Anna Thomas. The recipes are a quite a bit more fat-conscious than the older book (which I also still like.) **Scarlett67** , I have loads of vegetarian cookbooks of all types and none of them has much in the way of illustrations, unless there is a particular procedure they are describing. The Deborah Madison book has some pictures, but not of everything. I have several Sunset cookbooks and they are all well-illustrated. I generally find their recipes to be very tasty. They do have a vegetarian book, although I haven’t seen it. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-cookbooks/291412/10 "2005-02-22T22:36:57Z")
I have two very well illustraded vegetarian cookbooks with recipes that actually taste good. The first one is [Vegetarian](http://www.fairmountbooks.com/product_info.php?cPath=3_78&products_id=2666&osCsid=69bef556d3dea5d8e81586c21248adef) by Nicola Graimes. The one at this link it the one I have. There’s several others by Graimes at Amazon that are much shorter. This one is a 511 page hardcover with color photos throughout. The second is [The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1571459987/qid=1109112626/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-0026136-0372814) by Rachel Carter. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-cookbooks/291412/11 "2005-02-22T22:38:00Z")
oy. :smack: _illustrated_, even. ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-cookbooks/291412/12 "2005-02-23T00:32:32Z")
Ooh, I’m glad to see this thread, as I was looking to expand my vegetarian cooking. I also have one title to offer: [The Occasional Vegetarian](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0446674524/qid=1109119226/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/102-3599176-1521724?v=glance&s=books&n=507846). It’s a great book that eases into more vegetable-based cooking for people who still eat some meat. It also keeps things pretty low-fat, while still including enough cheese, oil, or half & half to give wonderful flavor and mouth feel. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-cookbooks/291412/13 "2005-02-23T04:14:03Z")
Thanks for the suggestions so far. I’ve added several of these to my reserve list at the library and am looking forward to trying them out. The kids seem to be digging the new vegetarian cuisine, by the way; I suspect it is a texture thing. Our 12-month-old still has issues with chewing most kinds of meat, and the 3-year-old just generally prefers rice-like dishes for some reason. So the rest of the Whatsit family is on board the veggie train too (as it were). ---
**Author:** ![Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nefarious_chipmunk/32/1045_2.png) [@Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefarious_Chipmunk)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-cookbooks/291412/14 "2005-02-23T04:18:57Z")
I have two vegetarian cookbooks. I have _Simply Vegetarian_ which has some really good recipes in it, and _Laurel’s Kitchen,_ which has a lot of good recipes in it as well. I recommend both. ---
**Author:** ![Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nefarious_chipmunk/32/1045_2.png) [@Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefarious_Chipmunk)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-cookbooks/291412/15 "2005-02-23T04:34:23Z")
I have two vegetarian cookbooks. I have _Simply Vegetarian_ which has some really good recipes in it, and _Laurel’s Kitchen,_ which has a lot of good recipes in it as well. I recommend both. ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-cookbooks/291412/16 "2005-02-23T04:52:59Z")
My wife and I are both vegetarians, and **shE. Thorp** swears by Jeanne Lemlin, who has 4 or 5 cookbooks of hearty, simple, delicious food. We started with **Quick Vegetarian Pleasures** and never looked back. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-cookbooks/291412/17 "2005-02-23T14:21:27Z")
Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian cookbooks are good. There’s a whole subcontinent of vegetarian dishes to explore there. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2005, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegetarian-cookbooks/291412/18 "2005-02-23T14:48:05Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian cookbooks are good. There’s a whole subcontinent of vegetarian dishes to explore there. Also check out [World-of -the-East Vegetarian Cooking.](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0394748670/qid=1109169803/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/103-3800268-4510240?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) It’s got a tremendous variety of great stuff, all the way from Middle Eastern dishes to different sorts of Indian cuisine, to Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. There are just a bajillion different recipes to try, ranging from traditional to modern, from long-cooking to quick, from delicate, complex preparations to simple, stick-to-your ribs home cooking. If you’re interested at all in “exotic” food, this is your book. Just a quick note: in all her recipes (except the deep frying ones, I guess), you can cut the oil back from whatever ungodly amount is recommended to a couple tablespoons–they always come out okay. Otherwise, the dishes are mostly very healthy. Also, I can’t help but once again recommend all the Moosewood cookbooks. I have “Cooks at Home”, “Daily Special” (which is mostly soups and salads–probably the one I get the most utility from!) and “Low Fat” and I paw through them regularly for old favorites and new things to try.