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Thousands of people in the UK and across the world are expected to make the switch to a plant-based diet this January as the month-long Veganuary challenge gets underway.
Since the campaign to give vegan life a go officially began in 2014, more than two million people have signed up. A record 600,000 people took the pledge in January 2022, according to the Veganuary non-profit organisation that encourages people to try a vegan diet for the first month of the year and beyond.
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The growing momentum behind the movement has seen restaurants and businesses get involved too. The non-profit said 1,540 new vegan products and menu options were launched in January 2022 to help make the switch to a meat- and dairy-free lifestyle a little easier.
Like Dry January, Veganuary has its critics. Tim Spector, a professor of epidemiology, wrote in The Guardian last year that one of the “issues” he has with the campaign is that “dietary change should aim for a long-term sustainable change rather than a one-month quick fix”.
But, Spector noted, while a month is “not enough to break habits built up over a lifetime”, it does “open up new possibilities” – and you have to “start somewhere”.
If you’re new to vegan cooking, investing in a few books can help make what could be an overwhelming task feel a little more bite-sized and sustainable in the longer term. Here are some of the best veg-centric cookbooks to provide some plant-based recipe inspiration.
1. Vegan Roasting Pan
Katy Beskow
Containing 70 simple one-pan recipes, Katy Beskow’s fuss-free Vegan Roasting Pan proves that “vegan food can be easy, fast and delicious”, said Stylist. The vegan author’s recipes don’t require complex techniques and hours spent in the kitchen, making them ideal for busy home cooks. The book is organised into four chapters (light, suppers, extras and sweet) and contains tasty-sounding recipes like a sweet and zesty warm peach and basil salad, and juicy roasted mushroom burgers with herby basil mayonnaise. Beskow’s Easy Vegan Bible is also worth having to hand.
In her debut cookbook, vegan author, blogger and lawyer Joanne Lee Molinaro shares more than 80 plant-based recipes alongside moving narrative snapshots of the food that shaped her family history. Molinaro “takes you by the hand and teaches you the ins and outs of Korean cuisine” – and it reads almost like a memoir, said the US magazine Bon Appétit. Recipes range from Molinaro’s childhood staples such as Jjajangmyun (rich black bean noodles) to extremely personal meals, like the chocolate sweet potato cake that is an ode to the two foods that saved her mother’s life.
3. Little Green Kitchen: Simple Vegetarian Family Recipes
David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl
If you enjoyed this harissa, tomato and lemon yoghurt rigatoni recipe, then pay attention. In Little Green Kitchen, partners David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl share their passion for cooking fun, modern vegetarian meals with kids’ palates in mind (but ones that are also interesting enough for adults to enjoy). The 60-plus recipes include dino burgers – made with spinach, quinoa, oats and peas – and stuffed rainbow tomatoes with black rice, feta, raisins and cinnamon. All of the dishes are veggie-packed, colourful, kid-friendly and simple – with most taking less than half an hour to prepare.
Michelin-star winner Rohit Ghai is the mastermind behind the elegant Chelsea restaurant Kutir, named Restaurant of the Year at the British Restaurant Awards in September. Meaning “vegetable” in Urdu, Tarkari pays homage to the food Ghai’s parents used to enjoy, showcasing both classic and lesser-known Indian flavours. From creative starters like malabar cauliflower to bold curries such as jackfruit masala, as well as breads, rice, dips and pickles, this book includes everything you need to cook truly spectacular Indian vegetarian and vegan meals at home.
“I for one would never have imagined such delights as a BLT, Welsh rarebit or haggis with neeps and tatties could so convincingly feature in a vegan diet,” said The Telegraph’s Madeleine Howell. Great British Vegan is for people who love British comfort food classics but also want to embrace a plant-based lifestyle. This unique cookbook presents vegan versions of classic British dishes, from a full English breakfast to beer-battered fish and chips. Written by recipe developer Aimee Ryan, of the Wallflower Kitchen website, this eye-catching book has easy-to-follow instructions.
“To cook and eat the Anna Jones way is to be vegan, or at least vegetarian, without necessarily noticing,” said the Times Literary Supplement. Jones’s recipes are full of “punchy flavours, colours and textures”, so cooks never feel “anything has been sacrificed” in ditching dairy or meat ingredients. One Pot, Pan, Planet features more than 200 recipes including one-pan dinners, soups and stews. Anyone for baked dahl with tamarind-glazed sweet potato? Or perhaps a family favourite – puy lentil bolognese?
Food stylist and recipe writer Saskia Sidey is “fanatical about bringing bold flavours out of humble ingredients”, said BBC Food. “Although not a vegan herself”, Sidey has found a niche creating plant-based dishes at affordable prices for home cooks. Broke Vegan came out in 2020, and Broke Vegan: Speedy and Vegan Slow Cooker quickly followed. From curries to instant ramen, her debut cookbook offers “delicious, simple meals” – and “the most foolproof hummus recipe we’ve ever encountered”, said The Independent.
Henry Firth and Ian Theasby are co-founders of Bosh!, the “social media sensation that has taken the vegan community by storm”, said the Vegan Society. With millions of followers tuning in to watch their recipes, this duo have plant-based cooking down to a fine art. A Sunday Times bestseller, Bosh! has more than 140 meals that may surprise vegan-sceptical diners, including pesto lasagne, churros, peanut butter jelly brownies and creamy mac and greens.
Edgar Castrejón grew up eating traditional Mexican food: beef stew, grilled meat, seafood ceviche and chicken tamales were all staples, he writes in the introduction to Provecho. Later in life, he became vegan and started creating plant-based recipes that honoured traditional cooking styles. Expect such delights as oat milk horchata, burritos de Desayuno, no-bake jackfruit enchiladas, and sweet potato and kale tacos.
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