Post Punk Kitchen Forum

probably been done before but I suck at searching and I'm pretty lazy too.....mostly lazy but at any rate.

What book would you recommend for a first vegan book/cookbook? Just a cookbook will do but a cookbook that also educates me on non-food vegan practices is a bonus.

Just to give you a background on me. For probably the better part of over 10 years my meat consumption has been around 2-3 meals a month with meat if that (haven't eaten chicken in over 4 years). I have lived with and dated vegetarians over the years and I am pretty much always the cook for some reason. Over time I have reduced the non-food animal products that I consume, it's pretty much been a journey more than a sudden arrival at an ultimate destination. Eventually late last year I cut out meat from my diet which really only changed a couple of meals a month at best. I do consume eggs and cheese (go easy on me) but am open to exploring alternative options as part of my over-all journey. This is not a commitment to veganism as much as it is a commitment to continuously improving without necessarily knowing where I'll ultimately end up. So having said that I probably have more knowledge on the subject than your average person that says one day "hey I'm going to go vegan for a month" but at the same time I could always use an education, there is always more I should know in order to work on this journey. That is why I say a book that goes beyond recipes and also into general vegan practices (i.e. what to look out for) would be a bonus to me.

As always, thanks for the help.

Craig

I would recommend the 30-Day Vegan Challenge if you can get your hands on a copy of the book. It can be hard to find though. She has developed an online version instead that guides you through it day by day. The book helped me a lot.

Hello, and welcome!

Meat had bothered me for many years - my inability to reconcile my love of animals with indifference to an animal on a bun/covered with ketchup - so I decided to go vegetarian last fall, and picked up a few books from Amazon.

One of those was "The Kind Life" by Alicia Silverstone. I'd seen her on Oprah a few years ago (coincidence, because I never watched Oprah and never was watching tv during the daytime hours, but just happened to catch it on a re-run). I'd recalled her discussion about veganism, which - at the time - seemed so extreme to me. But the book reviews were good, and Oprah had raved about it, so I gave it a try.

Reading that book made my other new vegetarian (non-vegan) books useless, because once I read HER reasons, and the information she provided about the lives of animals raised for their products (eggs/dairy) - which tend to be an even worse and extended existence than those raised for slaughter - I knew veganism was the way to go. It all just clicked for me. That was 8+ months ago, and I'm more happy every day about my decision. My soul feels at peace, as hokey as it sounds.

That book has a few starter recipes, but once I found PPK and the Isa/Terry library, I've never looked back. However, because you mentioned an interest in vegan lifestyle as opposed to solely recipes, I wanted to chime in.

Good luck!

Whoops, sorry - it's "The Kind Diet" (thekindlife.com is her actual website).

I should have clarified. I am not looking for a book on vegan advocacy, I have my own reasons and justifications for what I do (no this is not a health fad thing for me). This is my journey and that is where I am right now. I am not looking to be convinced of this or that. I'm looking for a cookbook that helps one also understand how to comply with a vegan lifestyle so it would be more or less something that helps me understand label reading and product selection. Primarily I'd want it to be a cookbook. If it isn't a cookbook I am not really interested right now. If it is a cookbook that also educates me on how to be a smart vegan (not why to be one but how) then that is a bonus.

I'm looking for a cookbook first and foremost. Maybe this book I seek does not exist so if that is the case I would like recommendations on just a good book of vegan recipies for a first time buyer.

Yes, half the book is recipes. While good and wholesome, not my favorite or most-used vegan recipes. Still, lots of health background/lifestyle stuff (because she walks the walk: no leather, vegan line of makeup, etc). I don't take it as preachy or convincing but rather HER personal story.

Sorry if I misunderstood...

Vegetarians are welcome here too! :) I think you will find that if you are already a bit of a cook, you will find vegan cooking really rewarding. There are a lot of new flavors and cuisines that I bet you will find you like! I actually got REALLY into cooking once I went vegan.

Hmm..if you are already a decent home cook and are familiar around the kitchen, I would recommend Veganomicon. It is a HUGE cookbook of vegan recipes. There are beginner recipes, longer ones, and great chapter on deserts and breads. Lots of different cuisines are represented, as well as different types of recipes (pasta chapter, soups, brunch, etc). If you are not familiar with Tofu/Tempeh/Seitan then there is a great chapter getting started with those proteins. It's kind of like a vegan bible to a lot of us home cooks!

Vegan with a Vengeance was the first vegan cookbook I ever owned. There are some AMAZING recipes in there that are still in my regular rotation. The pad thai recipe is worth the price of the book alone. It is a book for beginner vegans, so there are lots of good tips and stuff in there.

Appetite for Reduction is another book that I love. I recommend it because I have an omni partner that I cook for at home, and we cook out of this very often. There are not a lot of weird vegan foods in there; it is heavy on the beans, grains, soups etc. Familiar foods for the most part, and very easy to make.

Honestly, go to a bookstore and look through some books! Most Barnes and Nobles have a pretty good Vegan cookbook selection.