Today I want to share my recommendations for flexitarian cookbooks. Most of these I own, others I’d like to own because I am familiar with the author’s work. At one time I was a cookbook hoarder. I belonged to a subscription club plus I was a sucker for the small cookbooks from the grocery store. Nowadays almost all of my cookbooks are stored on my Kindle. No matter how you store your cookbooks, you’ll want to add these to your shelf.
The Why of Flexitarian Eating
We have our reasons for preferring this way of eating. Mine has as much to do with consciously eating more vegetables as it does with concerns for the environment and animal welfare.
The books in this section have influenced my food journey and opened me up to exploring global cuisines in search of more plant forward recipes. They are more than just cookbooks, though. You’ll also find the nutritional and environmental science behind our way of eating.
Mark Bittman’s Food Matters and VB6 books gave a name to the way I was eating although I think Dawn Jackson Blatner was the first to actually coin the term “flexitarian”.
Michael Pollan gave us Food Rules (eat food/ not too much/ mostly plants)
and explained about The Omnivore’s Dilemma. His sister Tracy has a cookbook loaded with family recipes publishing this month.
For those interested in oil free veganism, Forks Over Knives and Eat to Live are two excellent sources for recipes as well as why you might want to consider being flexible about processed foods as well as meat.
Making Everyday Flexitarian Meals for the Family
It’s easiest if the entire family follows the same style of eating, but that’s not always the case. There are lots of omnivore friendly meals that will suit the entire family. If you’re used to eating meat with most meals, you will quickly get bored by a straight substitution. Keep your interest high by adding texture, color and flavor to your plate.
A particular favorite of mine is Yotam Ottolenghi (I’ve shared enough recipes on the blog he has his own tag.) Although not a vegetarian himself, Plenty is a good book to introduce Ottolenghi’s style. That being said, if you don’t have a well stocked pantry or prefer simple recipes, you may find these recipes challenging. That’s not the case in With or Without Meat and Sheet Pan Suppers Meatless. They’re loaded with awesome family friendly vegetarian meals for busy weeknights made from ingredients you probably already have on hand. It’s easy make these meals omnivore friendly by adding a portion of meat for those who want it.
Exploring the Vegan Side in More Depth
Eventually you’ll want to try eating as the vegans do. It can be challenging, especially when it comes to learning to cook and bake without eggs and dairy. Fortunately, there are lots of products available to the home cook to help make the transition and more are becoming available as plant forward eating moves into the mainstream.
Oh She Glows and Minimalist Baker are two successful vegan bloggers who have created cookbooks with accessible, everyday recipes for every meal. The value of these books for me lies in the sections on vegan baking and substitutes for cheeses and other dairy products.
Recently I was able to review Anna Jones’s The Modern Cook’s Year. This book is based on seasonal ingredients and the recipes are inspiring. You can read my review and get a recipe for some awesome carrot tofu burgers here. These are far from boring veggie burgers!
I could have listed so many more cookbooks, but these will get you started. I’ve provided affiliate links to make it easy for you, but you should also be able to obtain all of these in your local library. Enjoy!
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