October is National Vegetarian Month, and CCPL is here to help you celebrate! Whether you’ve bean there, done that, or you’re brand new to beet-ing your carnivorous cravings, we have resources for olive your plant-based needs. With these library resources, you can leave your melon-choly behind and feel confident about kale-ing it in the kitchen!
But first, what does it mean to be a vegetarian? Simply put, a vegetarian is someone who doesn’t eat meat. So why do vegetarians avoid eating meat? There’s actually no one-size-fits-all answer to this question! There are a variety of health, ethical, environmental, religious, and personal reasons that may contribute to someone’s dietary choices.
Below, you’ll find cookbooks and resources that provide more context about vegetarianism–lettuce know what tasty meal you try first!
Cookbooks for Young Vegetarians:
The Forest Feast for Kids by Erin Gleeson
“The first children’s cookbook from New York Times bestselling author and popular food blogger Erin Gleeson, The Forest Feast for Kids serves up kid-friendly vegetarian recipes that are quick, easy, and fun to make.”
– COSMOS
“Vegetarian food is packed with vibrant colors and fresh flavors, making it exciting to put together tasty and healthy meals. Now, you can whip up meatless meals on your own with The Vegetarian Cookbook for Kids. This fun collection of recipes includes easy, step-by-step instructions to help you build confidence and experience in the kitchen–with minimal help from grown-ups. This book is the perfect introduction to vegetarian cooking, with tips on kitchen safety, prepping ingredients, and more.”
– Back cover
The Help Yourself Cookbook for Kids: 60+ Easy Plant-Based Recipes Kids Can Make to Stay Healthy and Save the Earth by Ruby Roth
“Experts tell us the best way to teach kids healthy eating habits is to involve them in the process. This irresistible cookbook presents 60 appealing recipes kids will beg to make themselves, in fun and charming illustrations they will love. Bursting with color, humor, cute animal characters, and cool facts (did you know your brain actually shrinks when you’re dehydrated? Drink water, quick!), Help Yourself empowers children to take charge of their own nutrition–for now and for life!”
– Amazon.com
Word Kitchen by Abigail Wheatley
“This heartfelt book features a unique collection of recipes contributed by families from around the world. Each recipe has an introduction featuring the family who contributed it, and simple, step-by-step instructions, all illustrated in a bold, graphic-novel style by Chaaya Prabhat. From good old U.S. chocolate chip cookies (courtesy of Marlee from Philadelphia) to Ugandan ‘rolled eggs’ (from Jacob and his uncle Senti), each recipe brings authentic international flavors and stories to your table…All the recipes are vegetarian, and instructions are also included to make them vegan, nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free and gluten-free – or any combination of these.”
– Provided by Publisher
The Vegetarian Cookbook by DK Publishing
“Full of tasty and filling recipes, this vegetarian cookbook for kids offers up a range of more than 50 dishes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack time. Budding young cooks will be excited by the variety of healthy and fun vegetarian meals that are incredibly easy to make. Each recipe is carefully put together by an expert author, and there is a nutritionist on board to check that there’s a balance of vitamins, minerals, protein, and carbohydrates throughout the book.”
-COSMOS
Here are some additional resources for young vegetarians that aren’t cookbooks, but still provide insight into the vegetarian lifestyle:
Going Vegetarian: A Healthy Guide to Making the Switch by Dana Meachen Rau
“Describes the benefits, challenges, and steps to switching to a vegetarian diet.”
– Provided by publisher
Meatless?: A Fresh Look at What You Eat by Sarah Elton
“Across North America, people are talking a lot about meat. Whether to eat it, or not. Whether to go vegan. Or, if they’re going to eat meat, they’re talking about what kind is the best kind. This book takes a fresh look at the world of vegetarianism, exploring the history, culture and philosophy behind the practice of cutting meat from one’s diet, including religious reasons. The book will also explore the modern reasons why people choose to skip the burger (climate change, industrial agriculture, environment in general), though in a non-judgmental way that makes space for all kinds of choices.”
– Provided by publisher
Plants vs. Meats: The Health, History, and Ethics of What We Eat by Meredith Sayles Hughes
“No one can live without food, but what you eat is a personal decision. In the twenty-first century, many people are choosing to eat more vegetables and fruits and less meat. But is all meat bad for you? What does science say? And what about sugar and trans fats, which are linked to diabetes and heart disease? In addition to health concerns, people make food choices for ethical and religious reasons…As the Earth’s population grows, chefs, nutritionists, and scientists are considering how to feed the world…What do you choose to eat and why? This book will help you make decisions to support your values.”
– Book jacket
Cookbooks for Adult Vegetarians:
Vegetarian Soul Food Cookbook: 75 Classic Recipes to Satisfy Your Cravings by Alexia Wilkerson
“Classic and modern dishes with all of the soul, none of the meat. Discover a brand new way to enjoy the satisfying flavors of soul food. Building on this already vegetable-rich American cuisine, these savory vegetarian soul food favorites don’t compromise on taste of tradition.”
– Back cover
Comfort and Joy: Irresistible Pleasures from a Vegetarian Kitchen by Ravinder Bhogal
“Comfort and Joy is a fresh take on vegetarian and vegan cooking; not geared towards health or denial, but indulging all the senses with a decadent global larder. This is a cookbook of great bounty, promising fortifying curries and stews, the warm embrace of aromatic fried bhajis and rich, satisfying desserts.”
– Publisher’s description
Linda McCartney’s Family Kitchen: Over 90 Plant-Based Recipes to Save the Planet and Nourish the Soul by Linda, Paul, Mary, and Stella McCartney
“Join the McCartney family for a feast of nearly 100 sustainable, plant-based recipes to save the planet and nourish the soul, in this deeply personal cookbook from Paul, Mary, and Stella honoring their late wife and mother, Linda McCartney.”
– Amazon.com
The Weekday Vegetarians by Jenny Rosenstrach
“In her newest cookbook, creator of the beloved website Dinner: A Love Story and Cup of Jo columnist Jenny Rosenstrach writes about being a ‘weekday vegetarian,’ i.e., eating a vegetable-based diet during the week and saving meaty splurges for the weekend. One day, it hit Rosenstrach like a lightning bolt: She and her family needed to eat less meat–for their health and for the greater good of the environment. The Weekday Vegetarians shows readers how she got her family on board with meat-free meals.”
– Provided by publisher
“Modern, vibrant, fuss-free food made from easy-to-find ingredients, East is a must-have whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, or simply want to eat more delicious meat-free food. Meera Sodha’s stunning new collection features brand-new recipes from a wide range of Asian cuisines. This cookbook is a collaboration between Sodha and the East Asian and South East Asian home cooks and gourmet chefs who inspired her along the way.”
– Provided by publisher
Here are some additional resources for adult vegetarians that aren’t cookbooks, but still provide insight into the vegetarian lifestyle:
Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
“Brilliantly synthesizing philosophy, literature, science, memoir and his own detective work, Eating Animals explores the many fictions we use to justify our eating habits–from folklore to pop culture to family traditions and national myth–and how such tales can lull us into a brutal forgetting.”
– COSMOS
My Beef with Meat: the Healthiest Argument for Eating a Plant-Strong Diet plus 140 new Engine 2 Recipes by Rip Esselstyn
“For the millions who are following a plant-based diet, as well as those meat-eaters who are considering it, My Beef with Meat is the definitive guide to convincing all that it’s truly the best way to eat! New York Times Bestselling author of The Engine 2 Diet and nutrition lecturer Rip Esselstyn is back and ready to arm readers with the knowledge they need to win any argument with those who doubt the health benefits of a plant-based diet–and convince curious carnivores to change their diets once and for all.”
– Provided by publisher
Animal Liberation by Peter Singer
This book “argues that those who oppose human suffering must also oppose inflicting suffering on animals.”
– COSMOS
