1. Oh She Glows
The type of recipes you can cook for non-vegans and they will devour. The author, Angela Liddon, tests all of her recipes on her husband, so bonus- you won't hear any complaining from boys about what they are eating. I've cooked for a group of hockey players from this book before and I think all went back for seconds. I also love that all recipes are refined sugar free and mostly gluten free too. There's a few time consuming recipes but trying them taught me so much about vegan cooking early on- like who knew you could make meatloaf out of lentils? All of her books are great , but her first is my favorite and I haven't met a recipe of hers I haven't liked yet. Her enchilada recipe and mushroom gravy bowl recipes are in constant rotation at our house.
This heavy hard cover book is so beautiful you could put it on a coffee table. Written by ultra marathon runner, author, and host of a popular podcast, Rich Roll w/ his spiritual yogi and talented chef wife Julie Piatt. Rich Roll is a recovering alcoholic who quit his job as a lawyer to explore what eating plant based does for the body while completing 5 iron mans in a row. The cookbook emphasizes food as medicine with tons of empowering smoothie ideas and recipes like superfood cacao tomato sauce. In between there are personal stories and education pieces that will inspire you to eat anti-inflammatory foods to reach your body's fullest health potential. They even provide different types of suggested meals and meal plans based on what your goals are. I love this one as a gift or something to flip through when I am looking to get on a mind & body health kick. I have heard their second book, The Plant Power Way Italia, is just as beautiful.
Winner of food network's cupcake wars with her famous vegan cupcake and owner of one of my favorite vegan fast food chains By Chloe, young chef Chloe Coscarelli creates delicious comfort food and deserts. You may recognize her as a regular guest chef on the Today's Show now. If you are looking for less of an emphasis on nutrition and more on tasty nostalgic vegan meals, this one is for you. I love her sweet potato gnocchi, broccoli cheddar soup, and all of her cupcake recipes. I appreciate the simplicity that most recipes offer with no overwhelming ingredient lists- making them all very approachable and easy. It's one of my favorite go-to books for quick dinner inspiration.
The intro of this book is one of the reasons I went plant based. It is so captivating you will be in awe of the information about the food industry and how it effects your personal health. The author, Kris Carr, cured herself from breast cancer through eating this way and I was enthralled reading her story. It will make you drop everything you have been taught to know about food. I think I might have stopped eating dairy the exact day I read this. This book was the first place I discovered creamy cashew cheese and I was blown away with her recipe and it's flavor. Her caesar dressing recipe is also still the best vegan dressing recipe I've found. Highly recommend if you have a loved one battling cancer, are looking to eat to heal, learn something new, or just be inspired by a true survivor.
If you don't know Dr. Michael Greger yet, you should. He runs a non-profit website that only shares evidence based research on every food question you could ever have. He doesn't claim, he proves how diet can reverse disease. In his podcasts, videos, and articles- he has an intriguing and humorous matter-of-fact-way of debunking food myths through actual credible backed research. He is creator of the daily dozen challenge and you won't find a recipe in his book that doesn't include his all-powerful food recommendations. I am a big fan of his edamame guacamole and his unconventional approach to breakfast. If you appreciate science and learning about what foods you can actual eat to live longer and fight disease- this book is for you.
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