Question of the month: what's your favorite vegetarian cookbook and why?

Linda McCartney's Home Cooking. I was at a friend's house and loved the dish she prepared from this book--I had to have my own copy. I made the choice to go veggie nine years ago, and this is still my favorite book. My husband (who isn't a veg but happily eats vegetarian at home) also loves many of the dishes.

Debbie O.

Via Email

I like The Peaceful Palate by Jennifer Raymond. It features delicious, nutritious, easy plant-based recipes using familiar ingredients that every home already stocks. Every dish I've made from this cookbook has become a staple in my home. In fact, one page (Chocolate Cake on one side, Banana Cake on the other) has been turned to so often that it's actually embarrassing to share the book with friends!

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Oakland, CA

How It All Vegan! by Sarah Kramer and Tanya Barnard. It has easy-to-follow recipes that aren't too time-consuming or intimidating. It's fun and entertaining; it lists tips and animal ingredients to avoid. And the recipes are delicious.

Valerie Geist

Lancaster, PA

It's a tie between Vicki Chelf's La Grande Cuisine Vegetarienne and Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook. They both offer simple recipes made with readily available ingredients, and my omnivore family will eat just about anything I make from either book.

Marie Allard

Quebec City

Cooking with Kurma by Kurma Dasa. This book has a good explanation of vegetarianism from a spiritual viewpoint, giving readers information on how all living beings are conscious entities possessing a soul. I thoroughly recommend it.

Peter Jones

Via Email

The Voluptuous Vegan by Myra Kornfeld. I read it constantly for inspiration. While most of the recipes are too much to handle on a workday, they never fail to become masterpieces when I have time. It's the perfect cookbook for special occasions. Myra writes so well that I end up feeling less like a cook and more like a culinary Matisse. Red chile ravioli with pumpkin, sage and pecan filling, anyone?

Sarah Denes

Berkeley, CA

Robin Robertson's Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker. All of Robertson's books are wonderful, with inventive yet comforting ingredients, but I love this one because I had difficulty finding vegetarian slow cooker recipes before it. There isn't a recipe that doesn't tempt!

Lori Maffei

Pine Beach, NJ

The World in Your Kitchen by Troth Wells. It's full of simple but exotic recipes from Africa, Asia and South America, and the notes for each recipe offer insight into the culture of an often unfamiliar country.

Jennifer R.

Spanaway, WA

Friendly Foods by Ron Picarski. The recipes look difficult but are easy, unique and full of flavor. I love making large batches and freezing them in serving-size containers so I can pop them in the microwave at work.

Terri Kilthau

Via Email

Of These Ye May Freely Eat by Joann Rachor. It's a simple cookbook with healthy recipes that are fast and enjoyable to prepare.

Wayne Till

Via Email

I love Leah Leneman's Vegan Cooking for One because it doesn't require me to be a mathematician in the kitchen. It's simple, with amazing recipes and easy-to-find ingredients. It does lack nutritional information, which may be a turn-off for dieting or health-concerned new vegans. But overall, I think it's the best out there.

Todd Towler

Ann Arbor, MI

My favorite is Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison. It's a big book, it's comprehensive and the recipes come out delicious every time. I love it so much that I lugged it all the way to Australia!

Trude H.

Byron Bay, New South Wales

Passionate Vegetarian by Crescent Dragonwagon. This book has more than 1,000 pages of recipes, many of which are creative reworkings of original meat favorites, such as sauerbraten and brisket. A wealth of ethnic cuisines are represented as well, so you'll never grow bored. And the recipes taste fantastic! I haven't found a bad one yet.

Rebecca G.

Chicago

Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet by Nava Atlas. It's a good book for novice vegetarians. The meals are quick and simple, and the recipes are basic enough to alter on your own to suit your tastes. Serving sizes and nutritional information are included, which is helpful. Also, there are explanations or additional information about unusual ingredients and substitutions for them. Finally, meal suggestions are offered with most recipes, which helps you figure out what types of food taste good together.

Rachel Lindenborn

Via Email

Quick Vegetarian Pleasures by Jeanne Lemlin. Not only was it my first vegetarian cookbook, but everything I've made from it has been delicious, appealing and easy to make, with ingredients I can find at any store.

Laurel Turner

Via Email

The new Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook because it has so many great recipes--a lot of them are vegan, so I don't have any trouble finding a yummy recipe for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

Sarah Wilson, age 15

Chico, CA

Dining with Friends: The Art of North American Vegan Cuisine by Lee Hall and Priscilla Feral. I like it because the recipes are scrumptious, healthful and easy to make and entirely vegan, so they promote a peaceful and compassionate lifestyle.

Ellie Maldonado

New York

The Artful Vegan by Eric Tucker (from Millennium Restaurant in San Francisco). Its unique, inspiring recipes and cooking techniques show how creative and tasty vegan food can be.

Melanie & Cory Alvarez

Via Email

American Wholefood Cuisine by Nikki and David Goldbeck ... it's the first cookbook I've ever had to buy a second copy of because I wore out my first hardcover copy!

Katrina D.

Via Email

COPYRIGHT 2006 Vegetarian Times, Inc. All rights reserved.
COPYRIGHT 2006 Gale Group