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All right, so it was a gratuitous use of a sexy celebrity in the title but Alicia Silverstone is a vegan and she did just write a vegan book. Plus, I think you'll cut me some slack once you get to my cookbook list. Not designed to be definitive or all-encompassing or anything like that, instead I aimed to offer a broad plant-based taste of options. I even think vegetarian Pamela Anderson would be pleased. Uh-oh...I did it again. Well, at least I didn't go ironic by adding new vegan Alanis Morissette into the meatless mix.
Okay, back to the main point...before I get myself in trouble here. The talented Ms. Silverstone has penned the latest in a long line of mouth-watering vegan cookbooks. A cottage industry in and of itself, these books are changing lives and pointing us in a more humane, earth-friendly direction. Not to mention, the recipes are delicious. So, with apologies to the stunning Natalie Portman (there I go again), V is for Vegan.
10 Ways to Keep Your Holiday Shopping List Tasty and Cruelty-Free (While Making Alicia Silverstone Smile)
1. The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet, by Alicia Silverstone
From "Flirting" to "Superhero," going meat- and dairy-free has never been more fun (or apt to land you on Page Six). Did I mention it's written by Batgirl?
2. May All Be Fed: A Diet For A New World, by John Robbins
From venerable vegan John Robbins comes a book that covers all the bases, from vegan ethics to stocking a vegan pantry to recipes from breakfast to dessert. Perhaps the best all-around vegan starter book on the market.
3. Alternative Vegan: International Vegan Fare Straight From The Produce Aisle, by Dino Sarma
Over 100 recipes go beyond the standard approach of soy-based meat substitutes...with a surprisingly jazzy, South Asian touch. You'll smile.
The perfect gift for that lacto-vegetarian in your life. You know, the one who "just can't give up cheese." Thanks to Stepaniak, those curdled mammary secretions will be ancient history.
4. The Uncheese Cookbook: Creating Amazing Dairy-Free Cheese Substitutes and Classic "Uncheese" Dishes, by Joanne Stepaniak
5. Local Bounty: Vegan Seasonal Recipes, by Devra Gartenstein
Devra Gartenstein makes the crucial connection between veganism and food miles to create a very green cookbook. Less pesticides, less fossil fuel, less globalization, and more flavor. Can't beat that.
6. Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero
Over 250 recipes for every day meals with absolutely no "soy cheese" this or "store bought veggie burgers" that. The Inimitable Isa sez: "The kind of chow you can whip up any night of the week with your pantry staples and some seasonal produce."
Named "Cookbook of the Year" by VegNews, this instant classic features 75 dairy free recipes (with some low-fat options).
8. Please Feed Me A Punk Vegan Cookbook, by Niall McGuirk
Connecting vegan cooking with community, art, activism, and health, McGuirk has compiled recipes from musicians that performed via the Hope Collective, a popular punk booking collective in Dublin, including such seminal punk bands such as Fugazi, Bikini Kill, and Chumbawamba.
This user-friendly cookbook covers both healthy kids and global flavor in one volume. Here's your chance to teach a kid about compassion and geography in a single lesson.
10. Living Raw Food: Get the Glow with More Recipes from Pure Food and Wine, by Sarma Melngailis
Okay, you've done vegan. You've done local. Next step: raw. Melngailis offers juices, shakes, soups, simple dishes, main courses, desserts, and cocktails...all uncooked, of course.
