Tomorrow, November 1st, marks World Vegan Day and the start of World Vegan Month.
World Vegan Month was established in 1994, and given the number of animals who had given their lives for meals, the date was selected to fall in line with Halloween and the Day of the Dead, to honour those animals.
More and more people are opting to eat a plant-based diet to avoid contributing to animal slaughter and cruelty, and not only that, with a continually growing understanding of how much of a strain animal agriculture is putting on our planet, many are beginning to recognise that giving up animal-based products is a fairly simple way to reduce this strain.
Oh – and there is little denying that eating plant-based is actually incredibly healthy for our bodies – with studies showing it to reduce the likelihood of anything from diabetes and asthma, to heart disease, colon cancer, and other life-threatening illnesses.
However, knowing where to start can be a little overwhelming, and that is where a good cookbook can educate and inspire. Right now, any bookstore you pop into will have tons of great plant-based cookbooks to pick from, but some can be more complicated and time-consuming than others. If you are looking for some very straight-forward and easy plant-based meal ideas to kick off World Vegan Month, here are three new cookbooks to check out:
This great book contains over 100 recipes using minimal ingredients. Make a tasty lunch of Santorini tomato fritters, Welsh rarebit stuffed potatoes or spinach pancakes. Whip up an easy midweek dinner such as roasted cherry tomato risotto, pumpkin and sage macaroni or pear and butterbean traybake.
Oh, and for those of us with a sweet tooth, you need to try the carrot cake porridge, zesty bread and butter pudding and blood orange granita.
Gaz Oakley (@avantgardevegan) has amassed a huge following on social media with his exciting and easy-to-make vegan dishes. This brilliant cookbook is full of meal prep ideas, gluten-free recipes and high-protein dishes.
Oh, and I love how you can find unique recipes like Caribbean waffles, Jamaican vegetable curry, sweet potato Piri Piri burgers and some seriously yummy protein blueberry pancakes.
Two birds with one stone. Zero waste chef and climate activist, Max La Manna, brings his passion for waste-free cooking to this eco-friendly cookbook.
La Manna’s first cookbook includes tasty weeknight dinners like spaghetti Bolognese, crunchy cauliflower curry and leftover veggie nachos. The book goes beyond recipes with all-natural home hacks such as DIY deodorant to citrus bomb house cleanser.
Oh, and you can also push yourself with his 21-day zero waste challenge – a great way to make us all think about what and how much we throw out.
