I read cookbooks the same way I read novels! They are such fun, and the newer ones have beautiful, mouthwatering photos as well as telling the stories of the cookbook authors and their recipes. Often, my travel souvenirs are cookbooks from the areas where I have been visiting.
When I started to eat a plant-based, whole-food diet, I had to make modifications to some of my favorite recipes. But it was also inspiring to get new cookbooks to meet my needs as a “vegan” cook.
I have found that some vegan recipes have too many ingredients, unusual ingredients, or require much too much prep time. I think that recipes should be simple, not contain too many ingredients, not be overly time-consuming to prepare, and above all, the results should be tasty. The first time I make a new recipe, I usually follow the recipe pretty closely, but the following times, I often just use the recipe as a template and modify it to suit my family’s taste.
So, the cookbooks I like generally meet my criteria and are straightforward. I have found that trying to recreate some dishes to suit a vegan meal (lasagna or macaroni and cheese, for example) just doesn’t work for me. But creating a new dish, with no expectation about how it “should” taste, works best for me.
My top favorite cookbook is “The Plant Pure Nation Cookbook” by Kim Campbell. Kim is the daughter-in-law of T. Colin Campbell, PhD, coauthor of a famous study called The China Study, which looked at the many different dietary patterns in China and their relationship to the development of chronic diseases. The areas with the highest vegetable, fruit, and whole grain intake had the lowest burden of chronic disease (hypertension, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc.) when compared with the areas of higher animal protein intake.
The chapter in Kim’s book on “Sauces, Marinades, and Dressings” is really good. The recipe for tofu cashew mayonnaise is excellent and a true rival to high-fat, oil and egg yolk-based mayonnaise (although it is not low in calories). There are also recipes for a variety of salad dressings and one for vegan sour cream. The salad recipes are great. I have made several different ones over the years. They are especially adaptable for my book club and assorted potluck gatherings.
One day, as I was browsing in Half-Price Books, I got a copy of “The Engine 2 Cookbook” by Rip Esselstyn and Jane Esselstyn. They are brother and sister. Their dad, Caldwell Esselstyn, has done important research showing regression of severe heart disease by eating a plant-based diet. Rip, a triathlete, was a firefighter with the Engine 2 company in Austin, Texas. He has also been a nutrition advisor to the HEB Grocery Stores found in Texas. There are some really yummy recipes in the book. For example, there are six different recipes for homemade hummus, made without oil. There is an extensive section on tasty salad dressings (again, without oil), several salsas, pizza dough, and three different pizza topping recipes, a tomato soup that is easy and delicious, and a wonderful, creamy, and intensely chocolate pudding. A big favorite of my family is called “Green Lightning Bowl”. It is a little labor-intensive, but a great Asian-inspired noodle and greens salad.
The latest cookbook I have gotten is “Comida Casera” by Dora Ramirez. Dora trained as a chef at the Culinary Institute of America in New York. She has taken wonderful traditional Mexican dishes and developed them into vegan ones. Although she uses some vegan butter and oils in the recipes, she also gives options for using plant-based substitutes. I just got the cookbook last week and have not yet made a recipe from it. The vegan flan (made without eggs or cow’s milk) is top of my list to try! There are also recipes for tres leches cake, sweet corn ice cream (which my grandchildren tell me is delicious), and strawberries and cream popsicles (“paletas” in Spanish). A fun summer of cooking is ahead of me!
The best advice I would give to those choosing plant-based cookbooks is to look for straightforward recipes without too many or too unusual ingredients. For non-plant-based cookbooks, I look for ones that have recipes that lend themselves to modifications that would be suited to a plant-based diet. I often substitute some kind of beans for meat in a recipe. Sometimes, I also use sweet potato chunks. I water sauté instead of using oil. That way, I have not added empty calories to my meals (fat/grease has about 120 calories in a tablespoon, without appreciable dietary value).
Every cook should have at least a couple of cookbooks. Besides containing recipes, the introductions often explain the basis of meal planning and nutrition, as well as discussions of table settings, silverware usage, table etiquette, etc. Often, there are also descriptions of food preparation and cooking techniques, for example, knife usage and different styles of cutting up vegetables. With cookbooks available, it is easier to involve the family, especially the children, in meal planning. Ask them to look at the recipes and decide what things might be fun, tasty, and nutritious to prepare. Involvement in food decisions, preparation, and serving might also encourage family members to expand their food tastes.
Because “health is my calling and family meals are my passion”, I wish you fun-filled and adventurous food preparation and delightful mealtimes with your family.
Enjoy exploring new recipes in your new cookbooks!
