7 Cookbooks That Everyone Should Own

Cookbooks Full Of Delicious Recipes

Tips & Tricks for Vegetarians & Vegans

• Get some vegetarian & vegan cookbooks, so you don't have to modify recipes and have plenty of dishes to choose from.
• Experiment with how you prepare tofu. It has a bad reputation, but it can be a great component of a meal if it's flavored and cooked right.
• Stock up on vegan snacks. Just because you're on a plant-based diet doesn't mean you can't have fun with your food.
• Consider a meatless diet for your dog, although of course you should talk to a vet before making this major change.
• It's not hard to get the protein you need from whole foods, but if you're a body builder or just concerned about protein intake, try mixing a vegan protein powder into a shake or smoothie.
• If you're making this change for health reasons, remember to create sustainable habits so that you don't lose steam after a week or two.

Quick Tips to Help You Stay Healthy

1. Cook more meals at home
2. Establish a workout routine
3. Get a fitness tracker and compete with your friends
4. Go for a hike now & then
5. Take up yoga and stretch regularly
6. Establish a regular sleeping pattern
7. Make a smoothie in the morning

Cauliflower Risotto from Wicked Healthy

In Depth

If you're looking for delicious and satisfying meal ideas, you've come to the right place. From simple vegan recipes, to elaborate holiday meals, to flavorful Indian food, you are sure to find a new favorite recipe, or two, on this list. Whether you are a seasoned home chef looking for new inspiration or you're just beginning your culinary journey, here, in no particular order, are seven cookbooks you should add to your collection.

First up, in the #1 spot, is The Prairie Homestead Cookbook by Jill Winger. Inside this colorful cookbook, Winger explains how to make over one hundred wholesome recipes made with fresh ingredients. These dishes bring the flavors and spirit of homestead cooking to any kitchen table. These well-tested recipes include maple-glazed pork chops, butternut Alfredo pasta, and browned butter skillet corn.

The book also includes recipes and tutorials for homemade sauces, salt rubs, sour cream, and more, showing that it's possible to make these staples at home. The Prairie Homestead Cookbook will not only teach you how to make traditional American comfort food recipes with simple, whole food ingredients, but it will also help you get started growing your own veggies, eggs, and maybe even dairy. Winger shows that the modern homesteading movement is a way to slow down and create a healthier, more wholesome lifestyle.

Winger shows that the modern homesteading movement is a way to slow down and create a healthier, more wholesome lifestyle.

At #2 on our list is The Wicked Healthy Cookbook by Chad and Derek Sarno. These chefs and brothers use a common-sense approach to give readers delicious plant-based recipes for all occasions, and dishes such as "lobstah" pie with crostini show off the brothers' New England roots. These drool-worthy recipes show you that it is actually possible to eat a plant-based diet that is good for you and the planet, but still indulge in your favorite comfort foods.

These chefs on a mission to inspire people to eat more plants have pioneered innovative cooking techniques such as pressing and searing mushrooms until they reach a rich and delicious meat-like consistency. Inside the book, you will find informative sidebars and must-have tips on everything from oil-free and gluten-free cooking to organizing an efficient kitchen.

#3 on our list is The Forest Feast by Erin Gleeson. This vegetarian cookbook was inspired by the author's move from New York City to a cabin in the woods in Northern California. The natural beauty of her surroundings and the abundance of local produce serve as the inspiration for this book. Most of the vegetarian recipes included call for only three or four ingredients, and require very few steps, resulting in dishes that are fresh, wholesome, and delicious.

Most of the vegetarian recipes included call for only three or four ingredients, and require very few steps, resulting in dishes that are fresh, wholesome, and delicious.

Among the delightful recipes are eggplant tacos with brie and cilantro, rosemary shortbread, and blackberry negroni. Vibrant photographs, complemented by Gleeson's own fanciful watercolor illustrations and hand lettering, showcase the rustic simplicity of the dishes. Part cookbook, part art book, The Forest Feast will be as comfortable in the kitchen as on the coffee table. In her follow-ups to The Forest Feast, Gleeson expands to kid-friendly dishes and vegetarian menus for entertaining, as well as a focus on Mediterranean-inspired recipes.

Next up, in the #4 spot, we have the Jazzy Vegetarian series by Laura Theodore. These books feature recipes from the author's long-running cooking series of the same name, allowing viewers to serve up the chef's easy and delicious plant-based meals in their own homes. These books provide wholesome vegan recipes for everything from simple snack ideas and easy weekday meals to special celebrations such as parties and holiday dinners.

Laura's expert plant-based tips are included throughout the books, making even a novice home chef confident and skilled in the art of vegan cooking and baking. Jazzy Vegetarian cookbooks feature easy-to-follow instructions, ingredient substitution lists, and a glossary of common ingredients. They also include mouthwatering twists on American classics such as a gluten-free crustless quiche, black bean burgers, and chocolate mousse cake.

Laura's expert plant-based tips are included throughout the books, making even a novice home chef confident and skilled in the art of vegan cooking and baking.

At #5 on our list is Season by Nik Sharma. The dishes in this book combine the bold flavors of Indian cooking with familiar ingredients and recipes of the American South and California in fresh ways. Season helps cooks navigate the abundance of spices that can be used to reinterpret classic recipes. Inspired by Sharma's bicultural upbringing, this book is a treasury of ingredients, techniques, and flavors that combine in a way that's both familiar and completely unexpected.

Season is full of delicious and intriguing recipes that will take you by surprise and offer you a new way to cook and to think about flavor. Sharma's warm and clear style walks readers through a range of healthy ingredients, techniques, and spices such as turmeric, saffron, and za'atar. This beautiful cookbook will be a go-to not only for its exploration of the bold flavors of Indian cooking, but also for Sharma's inspiring photographs.

#6 on our list is A Modern Way to Eat by Anna Jones. This book and its follow ups offer quick, healthy, and fresh recipes that put vegetables at the center of the table, using simple yet inventive ingredients. It covers everything from quick breakfasts to celebratory dinners, using different grains, nuts, seeds, and seasonal vegetables. The recipes are influenced both by the author's English roots and by international flavors.

The recipes are influenced both by the author's English roots and by international flavors.

Jones's second cookbook, A Modern Way to Cook, is broken down by the time it takes to prepare a recipe, making healthy meals realistic on any day of the week. Her third book, The Modern Cook's Year, is divided into six seasons to offer thoughtful suggestions throughout the year. These cookbooks provide inspiring and practical recipes for anyone who is trying to include more vegetarian meals in their life.

And finally, in the #7 spot is Kenko Kitchen by Kate Bradley. This book is a stunningly photographed collection of simple, delicious, and healthy recipes which are completely free of animal products, refined sugar, and gluten. The author, an Australian chef, is dedicated to making plant-based eating easy, enjoyable, and achievable, and these tasty recipes are easy to prepare, with ingredients available from the local store, to help you incorporate healthier choices into your busy life.

This book is perfect for everyone from whole foods newcomers to health-conscious food lovers, vegans, and those with dietary intolerances. Inside, you will find nourishing meal ideas such as roasted vegetable salad with cashew "goats" cheese and walnuts, as well as a host of classic comfort foods with a healthy twist and sweet treats. Bradley's follow up, Bliss Bites, focuses on inventive dairy- and refined sugar-free snacks such as "superfood super-good bliss balls" and a healthier replica of Twix bars.