Cookbooks to Start a Plant-Based Diet

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We are sometimes being asked if it was hard for us to change to a plant-based diet. Our answer is no and it has two reasons. For one we are both people who do not mind to try something new and for two there are great cookbooks to start a plant-based diet.

The list of plant-based cookbooks is getting longer every day, as the plant-based eating style becomes more popular. There really is a cookbook for every taste and style out there. Find yours and start cooking!

Personally, we own only a few cookbooks true to my minimalistic and simple way of life. Maybe I’m not even qualified to talk about cookbooks since cookbooks play a very insignificant role in my life. But then again because of this, my list will be very short, and you can see that the plant-based diet is actually quite simple. The message here is:

There are good cookbooks that help us to have a healthy diet, but we do not need a library of cookbooks to be a good cook.

It took me about 6 months to go from following a recipe in a cookbook or online to freestyle cooking, read more about it here.

Here are the cookbooks to start a plant-based diet that we used and found helpful.

Eat to Live Quick and Easy Cookbook

The Eat to Live Quick and Easy Cookbook by Dr. Joel Fuhrman was our first cookbook on our journey to a whole-food plant-based diet. This cookbook is not vegan, not even vegetarian. But the percentage of plants to other products is revolutionary. If a vegan diet is not an option for you, but you would like to eat and be healthy this cookbook is for you.

I love that this book has real food pictures. What I have made so far often looks just like the picture. Most recipes in this book are really easy and it gives me a ton of ideas for freestyle cooking.

My favorite recipe in this cookbook amongst many is the Roasted Cauliflower with Chickpeas, Tomatoes, and Spinach. When I first looked at this recipe I could not imagine the taste of this combination. It was a real culinary surprise and an eye-opener to the yummy taste of plant food.

No matter what diet and cooking style you have, I think this is a must-have cookbook.

If you prefer a more advanced cooking style the Eat to Live Cookbook also by Dr. Fuhrman might be for you. We like it simple, so we do not own this cookbook. However, it has great reviews and would help you to make an extraordinary, all healthy dinner.

By the way, all Dr. Fuhrmans Books afaik include recipes. The Super Immunity book includes my favorite lentil soup recipe ‘Lisa’s lovely lentil soup’, so lovely good!

The How Not to Die Cookbook

The How Not to Die Cookbook by Dr. Michal Greger was our second whole food plant-based cookbook and our first all-vegan cookbook. My favorite in this book is part one: Simple Preparations. Did you know that you can blend and freeze lemons in spoon portions, so they are all ready to go into the recipe? This and more tips and tricks are in this book. Making wholesome healthy food takes time, any tip that would make it simpler is welcomed.

My favorite hummus recipe is also in this book along with many not so conventional ideas on how to use it. In overall though I use this book more as a catalog of ideas, not a recipe book true to my freestyle way of cooking.

Because this book includes only Dr. Greger proven ingredients, and for the first part of preparations, it still is a good cookbook to have.

Dr. Greger’s checklist is also a great tool to make every recipe you like more wholesome. Just add things that are on this list and remove those that are not.

The Whole Food Plant Based Cooking Show

‘The 1 Week Meal Plan & Shopping Guide’ from the whole food plant-based cooking show was the very first e-book I purchased to even get an idea on where to start. Jill follows the nutritarian style of eating taught by Dr. Fuhrman and has a wealth of good family proven recipes. They recently came out with a new cookbook that might be a great resource for transitioning a family to this lifestyle.

The Ranch dressing is one that I make regularly and is our go-to salad dressing. Even if you don’t get the book, Jill’s website and videos are a great help for anyone starting out.

Do you have a recommendation for a whole-food plant-based cookbook? Please share in a comment below.

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