Being Vegan: Living With Conscience, Conviction, and Compassion by Joanne Stepaniak

As a vegan, I was already familiar with Joanne Stepaniak through Vegan Vittles, a useful cookbook she wrote, of which the proceeds go to Farm Sanctuary.  Being Vegan follows a question and answer style format that is broken down into sections, covering all aspects of veganism.  The questions range from basic to complex about vegan practices, ethics, personal situations, and more.  Joanne’s very precise, yet simple answers and advice would be useful to both vegans and those interested in learning more about veganism.  Joanne includes tips on how to hedge discouragement, what to do at formal events like wedding receptions, and how to explain veganism to co-workers and others while avoiding hostility in the process.  Well done.  

The Book of Tofu by William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi

 By far, The Book of Tofu is the most comprehensive work I’ve ever seen about tofu.  Since I am vegan, tofu is a staple food item in our house, and so I was thrilled to find this 300+ page full-sized book.  The 500 recipes utilize the gamut of tofu related products, including soybeans, gô, okara, curds and whey, tofu, ganmo, and agé.  There are simple instructions on how to make tofu and then how to use the by-products of the tofu making process.  If this isn’t your style, then The Book of Tofu provides an up to date list of tofu manufacturers!  The authors are also the founders of The Soyfoods Center, where they do research about soyfoods, maintain a soyfoods library and Soyascan, the world’s largest bibliographic database on soybeans.  Shurtleff and Aoyagi have written many other books and pamphlets about soyfoods and are continually working to promote this wonderful food source.  So rush out and look for some of their books!

A Cook’s Tour: In Search of the Perfect Meal by Anthony Bourdain

This time around Anthony Bourdain gets the Food Network to sponsor him on an international search for “the perfect meal,” and all he has to do in return is allow them to film his adventures for an upcoming TV series.  As a result of this, A Cook’s Tour reads kind of like a series of 30-minute TV shows, but in the best sense possible.  Each chapter starts in a new location as Bourdain sets up what he’s going to eat, how he has to go about finding it, and what the risks are.  He eats some of the strangest foods imaginable, all of them being local delicacies in some part of the world.  Naturally, these strange foods are mostly animals or animal-based foods, but, to his credit, Bourdain does wind up at a vegan picnic of sorts.  Filled with humor, descriptions of people, places, and, most importantly, food.

Eating In the Dark: America’s Experiment with Genetically Engineered Food by Kathleen Hart

Eating In the Dark is one of the most disturbing books that I’ve read in a long time.  So disturbing that it took me almost three weeks to finish it because I couldn’t handle reading it in large doses.  I’m vegan and also eat as many natural, organic, GMO-free foods as possible, so I knew the basics about genetic engineering.  I know that genetically modified foods are bad for human consumption, that their use and production are definitely bad for the environment, and that the US is one of the few countries in the world that actually supports this practice.  Eating In the Dark explains how GMO foods were untested for their safety when they were first released in 1996 and that they remain untested today.  Over 60 percent of the processed foods in the US contain genetically modified ingredients, and the overwhelming majority of Americans have no idea about this and what it may mean to them.  Kathleen Hart is right on the mark when she makes the connection between biotech companies and our government, and how they don’t want the public to know what’s going on with our food supply.  She talks about why GMO foods and ingredients aren’t labeled in the US and the global importance of GMOs and their creators.  If you have any interest at all in what you are eating I’d strongly recommend Eating In the Dark.  

Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser

Eric Schlosser has produced a very balanced, timely, and interesting study on the American fast food industry.  Beginning with the history of various franchises, the creation and promotion of brand loyalty, employment practices, and the success of fast food in America, the book then goes on to cover topics such as food production, the meatpacking industry, advertising, and the global take-over by these corporations.  The facts and statistics in this book are very current and well documented, and although many were shocking to me, none were completely unbelievable.  By far, Fast Food Nation is one of the best new books out there.

How it all Vegan! by Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer

The cover of this cookbook is brightly colored with a picture of the authors holding forward a pretty cake, surrounded by a table of food.  The authors are two punk girls complete with tattoos, piercings, and pearls to match their dresses.  Tanya and Sarah have created a must-have book for any vegan.  The contents include an introduction explaining why vegan, how to make and use substitutions for animal products, an a to z listing of ingredients that may contain animal products, instructions for making pet snacks, household cleaners, kid’s fun products, and tons of tasty food recipes accompanied by personal anecdotes.  It was originally a “zine-style cook book…that we printed and bound ourselves,” and it shows that years of work went into this resource.

Incredibly Delicious: The Vegan Paradigm Cookbook by Gentle World

My favorite features of Incredibly Delicious are its large size (standard 8.5 by 11 inches), large print, and simple instructions.  The variety of recipes included is amazing, and I really like that there’s a whole section of “Rawsome Recipes,” including some raw desserts.  The baking section includes several bread recipes, including ones for English muffins, foccacia, baguettes, challah, and even crackers.  The soups and gingerbread cookies I’ve made have been very good, and I’m looking forward to trying some of the cold salads and bean and grain burger recipes.   

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain

I first heard about this book after reading the short piece Bourdain published in the New Yorker.  Having worked in many restaurants, I wasn’t surprised at all by his hilarious stories and tales of horror that occur in the kitchens of America’s “finest” restaurants.  Mr. Bourdain is the executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles in NYC and has worked his way up the restaurant ladder since first starting as a dishwasher in a Cape Cod seafood restaurant when he was a teenager.  In Kitchen Confidential he tells his colorful history with heavy servings of humor and truth that the staff of restaurants will definitely enjoy, and maybe some not-so-squeamish diners will, as well.

Sushi by Ryuichi Yoshii

Recently sushi has become one of my favorite foods, and I finally got brave enough to try making it at home.  I picked up this book at the library and headed to my local Asian market to buy supplies.  I was able to find everything I was looking for and was surprised at how few tools I actually needed to proceed.  Although Sushi isn’t a vegetarian cookbook, it does feature a number of vegetable based dishes, and some of the recipes with fish can also be easily modified.  The instructions are simple and clear, accompanied by plenty of photos.  One of the most helpful features is the glossary that explains terms and provides alternate names for products.  All of my attempts at making sushi have been successful and I can’t recommend enough that you should try this at home!  

Vegan Vittles: Recipes Inspired by the Critters of Farm Sanctuary by Joanne Stepaniak

Vegan Vittles starts off with an introduction to veganism, including essays by the author and Lorri Bauston, the co-founder of Farm Sanctuary.  Their essays stress levels of complete compassion for all living creatures that is the basis of the vegan lifestyle.  The recipes include many meat and dairy substitute meals.  Tom Tofu, with mashed potatoes, Golden Gravy, and green beans is just about heaven for me!  I’ve tried several recipes from the breakfast, breads, and dessert sections and everything has turned out perfectly.  Most of the recipes are geared to make smaller amounts of food, such as muffin recipes that yield six.  Farm Sanctuary, “a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending the exploitation of animals used for food production,” is a model organization for their ethical work and, along with Joanne Stepaniak, they make it easy to be vegan.

The Voluptuous Vegan by Myra Kornfield and George Minot

When Sean and I moved to Wichita Falls last summer and realized that our days of eating out were over, we were lucky enough to find The Voluptuous Vegan at the public library.  After trying a few recipes that turned out very well (Ginger-baked Tofu and Creamy Chickpea Soup with Moroccan Spice Oil), we decided to order a copy for ourselves, from Vegan Essentials.  The recipes in The Voluptuous Vegan are slightly more complex than our usual recipes, and they also contain a variety of ingredients and foods that are new to us.  The book got me to try Brussels sprouts (yum) and has made Smoky Black Bean Sauce and Ginger Sour Cream standards around here.  Also, it’s gotten us to incorporate new grains, such as amaranth, quinoa, and millet into our diets.  The only section we haven’t fully explored is the desserts section, but that’s not because there aren’t tons of recipes that look heavenly.  Actually, I have made the pumpkin pie recipe several times and it’s very tasty. 

The Whole Soy Cookbook by Patricia Greenberg with Helen Newton Hartung

Amazingly, this cookbook isn’t published by the natural food company called WholeSoy.  Patricia Greenberg felt so strongly about the benefits of soy products that she decided to base an entire cookbook around this versatile bean.  Her recipes are easily prepared using ingredients found in any natural food store and most large grocery stores.  Most of the recipes are fairly traditional, but modified to incorporate tofu, tempeh, soy milk or soy cheese.  I like the Soy Milk Pancakes, Soy Challah, and the Black and White Soy Cookies.  This would be a useful book for anyone looking for a way to increase their soy intake.