Tips for Plant-Based Living

If you are new to eating a plant-based diet or just looking for some new recipes, a new plant-based cookbook may be a good thing to add to your wish list! Today, I’m going to share a list of the Best Plant-Based Cookbooks! Ok, it’s totally my opinion but these are the books I have on my shelf or hope to add soon!

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The Best Plant-Based Cookbooks

I believe this list of plant-based cookbooks has something for everyone! Most of the authors mentioned have websites where you can do a little research to see if the recipes are your style before purchasing. 

Budget-Friendly Recipes

I’ve always been a fan of Toni Okamoto! I’m pretty sure we would get along great if we ever met in real life and we would definitely enjoy the same foods. I love how she makes plant-based eating attainable for people on a budget. Eating plant-based does not have to be expensive and Toni proves that and gives you quick recipes to help you get going.

If easy and budget friendly plant-based recipes are what you are looking for, try Plant-Based on a Budget. 

Family-Friendly Recipes

Are you looking for recipes your whole family will eat? Then look no further than The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook. Jenn Sebestyen knows how to make delicious plant-based meals that her family love! I’ve been a fan of Jenn for years and know you will be too! 

Instant Pot Recipes

I have recommended this book many times and will continue to do so. If you are looking for plant-based recipes for your Instant Pot then buy The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook for your Instant Pot! Kathy Hester is a genius! Her vegan queso is life changing and the recipe is in this book!

Plant-Based Newbies

I don’t know as much about Gabriel Miller’s new cookbook, the Plant-Based Diet for Beginners, but I’ve seen a lot of excitement about it, and well, it’s contagious! This book is SOS free (salt, oil and sugar free) for people who are avoiding those. I think this book would be helpful to anyone new to plant-based eating but especially young men who could benefit from a former athletes perspective.

 The Most Flavorful

If I had to choose one word to describe Vegan Richa’s Everyday Kitchen it would be FLAVOR! Richa Hingle is known for her amazing recipes and flavors from all over the world. She is passionate about making vegan recipes easy and delicious but admits that many recipes have a long list of spices to create that amazing flavor. Richa provides plenty of substitutions for allergy or dietary needs, FYI some recipes do include oil.

Air Fryer Recipes

I purchased the Vegan Air Fryer by JL Fields in 2017! I really wanted to tackle foods like crispy french fries without the oil! If you have an air fryer and are wondering what to do with it, get JL’s book. 

The Most Variety

No list of plant-based cookbooks is complete without mentioning The Forks Over Knives Cookbook written by Del Sroufe. I bought this book in 2012, about a year after I went plant-based. It’s the ultimate plant-based cookbook with over 300 recipes. There is a lot of variety in this book and something for everyone. 

There is no way I could include every book in this list! There are so many good ones! I hope this list has something for everyone! 

If you have a favorite plant-based cookbook, let me know! Maybe I’ll add it to the list!

If you are looking for more book recommendations, check out my list of my The Best Plant-Based Diet Books. 

Do you use Veggie Broth in your plant-based cooking? For us, a good Veggie Broth can make or break a meal. Thankfully, I’ve found the best Veggie Broth options!

Shortly after switching to a plant-based diet I created my Dry Veggie Broth Mix. I missed the deep, savory flavors from my previous diet but wanted to continue to eat healthy. I tried several brands but liked mine the best. Luckily, I’ve discovered a few that I enjoy when I’m not up for making my own.

Best Veggie Broth Options

I’ll share all my favorites and why I like them. I’d love to hear if you know some I should add to the list.

Dry Veggie Broth Mix

I may be biased but I’ve heard from countless people that say this Veggie Broth Mix is life changing. Not just good, LIFE CHANGING! I have to agree.

The good news is that you can easily adapt this recipe to suit your tastes. If you can’t have nightshades, just remove those ingredients. If you can’t have salt, leave it out! It still tastes great. The only ingredient that you need to include is nutritional yeast. It pretty much gives it the flavor and is the carrier for the rest of the spices.

I always double the recipe and keep it near my stove for a quick and easy broth. It lasts a long time in a glass jar.

My recipe uses one tablespoon of mix for each cup of water. If you blend it in a blender or food processor it will be finer and you can use less. I add it to soups (obviously) and many other foods like rice, pasta, popcorn and even sprinkle on potatoes or other veggies.

Veggie Scrap Broth

No doubt you’ve seen videos and heard of people who use veggie scraps to make veggie broth. It’s a great way to use up the odds and ends of veggies. You just need a bag or big jar and room in the freezer. Then once your bag is full, boil, then strain your veggies.

The downside of this is that you will forfeit room in your freezer, first for the scraps, then for the broth. You’ll also want to make sure you don’t have too many spicy or bitter scraps that may give your broth an off putting flavor. No one wants to sit down to a warm bowl of soup and taste bitter flavors.

Store Bought Broth Mixes and Bouillon

Seitenbacher Vegetable Broth and Seasoning is a favorite introduced to me by Anne at Recipe for Life. It tastes great and is perfect for a quick broth. The ingredients are really similar to my homemade version but I’ve been enjoying this one. I haven’t made a batch of mine since we started packing up our kitchen to move.

Better Than Bouillon Organic Vegetable Base is another favorite and the first veggie broth I tried. This one has to be kept refrigerated so it might be slightly less convenient but it tastes fantastic! I’m not as crazy about the ingredient list but the flavor might persuade you.

There are many others out there that I haven’t tried. I encourage you to read the ingredients and buy a small package to make sure you like the flavors. I’ve tried some brands that were not good but had so much I didn’t want to waste.

What’s the best veggie broth for you?

That will depend on your dietary needs and tastes. If there are foods you are allergic to, sensitive to, or just avoiding, making your own broth is the way to go! If you have room in your freezer and a good variety of veggie scraps, try making your own and store it until you are ready. If you don’t have room in your freezer, give my Dry Veggie Broth Mix a try!

Using your Veggie Broth

Veggie Broth isn’t just for soups! I use my veggie broth to give a little more flavor to pasta and rice dishes. It also works well when cooking veggies without oil. Just use a little broth to deglaze the pan and keep veggies from sticking.

I’ve even been known to make me a cup of broth when it’s cold. It’s so comforting!

And yes, soups are always a great choice. Here are a few of my favorites!

• Chickpea Noodle Soup
• Minestrone Soup
• Broccoli Potato Soup
• Chickpea Rice Soup

Do you use veggie broth? What’s your favorite?