One day, when browsing through my e-mail, I noticed a personable e-mail amongst all of the Ad-mail. A reader had contacted me asking what my favorite cookbooks are. Great question! It got me thinking about a few things: a) I was happy to get a personal e-mail, b) what are my favorite cookbooks, and c) I haven’t checked out any new ones recently! As I’m writing this, I just realized that I haven’t really made any recipes from cookbooks in awhile either. However, I still have my favorite picks.

Sometimes I go to the library and browse through cookbooks.

Or sometimes I go to the bookstore. When I find myself exclaiming at almost every recipe (or sneakily jotting them down), that’s when I know it’s a keeper. Here are some of mine:

Ayurvedic Cooking for Westerners 

by Amadea Morningstar

I had checked this book out from the library, and thought it was a great read filled with so many recipes I wanted to recreate. I bought the book, and have since then enjoyed many tasty dishes. One of my favorites is an incredibly simple coconut-sesame seed rice recipe that has so much dimension. You’ll be surprised by some of the really contemporary recipes, and intrigued by some interesting passages as well.

Vegetarian Cooking & Vegetable Classics 

by Roz Denny

 This is one of my ultimate go-to cookbooks, and one of my firsts. It’s like an encyclopedia in itself filled with mouth-watering pictures. I’m not sure how many lifetimes I’d have to live to make every recipe that I want to create from this book. And I do dare to find out.

The Accidental Vegetarian 

by Simon Rimmer

 I stumbled across this book at a bookstore, and found myself writing down recipes page after page. When I realized what I was doing I thought, “hey… I need to just buy the book.” So I did, and since then I’ve decided that if I were to marry anyone it would be Simon Rimmer. Recipes like parmesan-roasted parsnips, gnocchi with wild mushroom and rosemary ragu, and pumpkin enchiladas with mole sauce have me choosing my engagement ring.

The Flexitarian Cookbook 

by Various Contributors

I had originally been contacted to review this e-book right before it came out.  I happily agreed, and when I received the copy my jaw dropped. From the large beautiful pictures to the delicious sounding recipes. Every dish I’ve made has been nothing short of wonderful.

by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

One of my dearest friends and former blogger, Liz, sent me this cookbook when we first became friends. Granted this book doesn’t have a lot of pictures, the recipes more than make up for that. I can’ t tell you how many recipes I’ve made from that book, some of them becoming staples in my kitchen: like the chickpea cutlets. Vegan or not–this cookbook is a must!

The Conscious Cook

by Tal Ronnen

Thrive Foods: 200 Plant-Based Recipes for… 

by Brendan Brazier

First book I read by Brendan Brazier spoke to endurance athletes, like myself… actually it could speak to anyone. I loved that book so much, and made some of the recipes he had included. When this book was coming out, I was asked to review it and be a part of the launch campaign. When I read the book I was happily surprised by the amount of recipes and how much they had expanded from the previous book. Two of my favorite recipes are: Thai Avocado Smoothie and the Mashed Kabocha Squash with Toasted Coconut.

Ani’s Raw Food Desserts
by Ani Phyo

If you have been reading my blog for awhile, then you know that my favorite kinds of desserts are of the raw-vegan variation. I think it’s because true flavors really shine through in these recipes, and I love the simplicity of using the foods natural characteristics to bring everything together. Most of the recipes don’t call for obscure ingredients, and are relatively simple to make.

Here are some recipes I’ve featured on the blog from the selected cookbooks:

Khichari of split mung bean soup, basmati rice, and ghee

Vegetarian Muffuletta sandwich

Vegan Banana Bread Muffins

Samosa-stuffed baked potato

Butternut Squash with Carmelized Onions, Chestnuts, and Sage Breadcrumbs

Walnut Cranberry Energy Bars

Vietnamese-style tofu hero and Asian slaw (like Banh-mi)

Grilled artichoke with Caesar dressing (vegan, mind you)

Cumin Chickpea with Spicy Rice Noodles

Chickpea Kabocha Stew

Spiced blueberry cobbler with coconut ice kream

Fig tartlets with almond frangipane kream

A couple of my handy-dandy cookbooks!

You can find all of these books in my Amazon store, and feel free to browse through other things I recommend. I was so happy when I got that e-mail from Hae, and what a great question! Which, by the way, sorry it took me awhile to formally answer you with a post.

Here’s a list of other posts where I’ve featured recipes from these cookbooks:

What I Get Out Of Cooking

Food, Not The Bad Four Letter F-Word

A Flexible Outlook Opens Up The Possibilities

When It Actually Works Out

Reinvented

Health And Food Coming Together

Food That Feels Like A Kiss On The Forehead

Treating Yourself Like Royalty

Getting Creative In The Kitchen

Even Artichokes Have Hearts

Capturing The Spark

So with that, if any of you guys ever have any questions for me, feel free to send them my way. I’d be more than happy to answer!

Also, I’d love to know… what are your favorite cookbooks?