42 books like Love Real Food

By Kathryne Taylor,

Here are 42 books that Love Real Food fans have personally recommended if you like Love Real Food. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Deana Gunn Author Of Vegetarian Cooking with Trader Joe's Cookbook

From my list on cooking vegetarian for easy and delicious meals.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a cookbook and children's book author and co-owner of Brown-Bag Publishers, a small independent publishing company since 2007. I love good food, and I have a passion for creating (and using!) recipes that are easy and result in delicious, healthy meals that appeal to the whole family. I’m the author of the bestselling Cooking with All Things Trader Joe's which was the first in the popular 10-book Trader Joe's cookbook series. I live in a small surf town in California with my husband and four kids.

Deana's book list on cooking vegetarian for easy and delicious meals

Deana Gunn Why did Deana love this book?

This cookbook by Mark Bittman re-energized the vegetarian movement over a decade ago (and was updated on its 10th anniversary). Think of it as the “Joy of Cooking” for vegetarians, covering all foods and techniques from A-Z. The recipes are straightforwad and approachable, making them perfect for beginner cooks as well as experienced home cooks. Favorites are Vegetarian Pho, Paella with Tomatoes and Eggs, and Curried Potatoes.

By Mark Bittman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked How to Cook Everything Vegetarian as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Ten years ago, this breakthrough cookbook made vegetarian cooking accessible to everyone. Today, the issues surrounding a plant-based diet-health, sustainability, and ethics-continue to resonate with more and more people, whether or not they're fully vegetarian. This new edition has been completely reviewed and revised to stay relevant to today's cooks: New recipes include more vegan options and a brand-new chapter on smoothies, teas, and more. Charts, variations, and other key information have been updated. And, new for this edition, the recipes are showcased in bright full-colour photos throughout. With these photos and a host of recipes destined to become new…


Book cover of Minimalist Baker's Everyday Cooking: 101 Entirely Plant-Based, Mostly Gluten-Free, Easy and Delicious Recipes

Deana Gunn Author Of Vegetarian Cooking with Trader Joe's Cookbook

From my list on cooking vegetarian for easy and delicious meals.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a cookbook and children's book author and co-owner of Brown-Bag Publishers, a small independent publishing company since 2007. I love good food, and I have a passion for creating (and using!) recipes that are easy and result in delicious, healthy meals that appeal to the whole family. I’m the author of the bestselling Cooking with All Things Trader Joe's which was the first in the popular 10-book Trader Joe's cookbook series. I live in a small surf town in California with my husband and four kids.

Deana's book list on cooking vegetarian for easy and delicious meals

Deana Gunn Why did Deana love this book?

I’ve been a fan of the Minimalist Baker’s website for some time, and I have made many of the recipes again and again, including Golden Milk Macaroons, 5-Ingredient Granola Bars, and Sweet Potato Enchiladas. While I’m not a vegan (and neither is the author), I do like expanding my list of go-to plant-based recipes. I love that this cookbook has simple ingredient lists and beautiful photos throughout.

By Dana Shultz,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Minimalist Baker's Everyday Cooking as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The highly anticipated cookbook from the immensely popular food blog Minimalist Baker, featuring 101 all-new simple, vegan recipes that all require 10 ingredients or less, 1 bowl or 1 pot, or 30 minutes or less to prepare
 
Dana Shultz founded the Minimalist Baker blog in 2012 to share her passion for simple cooking and quickly gained a devoted worldwide following. Now, in this long-awaited debut cookbook, Dana shares 101 vibrant, simple recipes that are entirely plant-based, mostly gluten-free, and 100% delicious. Packed with gorgeous photography, this practical but inspiring cookbook includes:

   • Recipes that each require 10 ingredients or less,…


Book cover of Bowl: Vegetarian Recipes for Ramen, Pho, Bibimbap, Dumplings, and Other One-Dish Meals

Deana Gunn Author Of Vegetarian Cooking with Trader Joe's Cookbook

From my list on cooking vegetarian for easy and delicious meals.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a cookbook and children's book author and co-owner of Brown-Bag Publishers, a small independent publishing company since 2007. I love good food, and I have a passion for creating (and using!) recipes that are easy and result in delicious, healthy meals that appeal to the whole family. I’m the author of the bestselling Cooking with All Things Trader Joe's which was the first in the popular 10-book Trader Joe's cookbook series. I live in a small surf town in California with my husband and four kids.

Deana's book list on cooking vegetarian for easy and delicious meals

Deana Gunn Why did Deana love this book?

They had me at “bowl” and “one-dish meal”… I love the variety of foods from all over the world, from ramen bowls to burrito bowls. Nothing hits the spot on a cold and rainy night like a delicious broth or warm curry. This cookbook focuses on fresh and seasonal ingredients, combined in satisfying one-dish meals. Recipes like Spring Pho and Sesame Beet Dumplings are creative and flavorful, yet relatively simple.

By Lukas Volger,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Bowl as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A restorative bowl of vegetarian ramen sent Lukas Volger on a quest to capture the full flavour of all the one-bowl meals that are the rage today but in vegetarian form. With the bowl as organiser, the possibilities for improvisational meals full of seasonal produce and herbs are nearly endless. Volger's ramen explorations led him from a simple bowl of miso ramen to a glorious summer ramen with corn broth, tomatoes, and basil. From there, he went on to the Vietnamese noodle soup pho, with combinations like caramelised spring onions, peas, and baby bok choy. His edamame dumplings with mint…


Book cover of Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London's Ottolenghi

Jessica Harlan Author Of Homemade Condiments

From my list on learning something new about cooking.

Why am I passionate about this?

As the author of nine cookbooks, I strive to help readers master new skills and to become more comfortable in the kitchen. I’m constantly reading other cookbooks to keep my fingers on the pulse of what’s happening in the food world, as well as to improve my own culinary prowess. It’s been nearly 20 years since I graduated from culinary school, and I love that I can open a book to refresh a forgotten skill, learn a new one, or delve into the “why” behind cooking’s biggest questions. These books have kept me entertained and intrigued, not to mention well-fed. I hope they do the same for you! 

Jessica's book list on learning something new about cooking

Jessica Harlan Why did Jessica love this book?

A few years ago my family decided to cut back on our consumption of meat. One of the world’s most famous vegetarian chefs, Yotam Ottolenghi, came to my rescue in the form of this cookbook, which has truly expanded my ideas of how vegetables, grains, and other plant-based foods can be prepared. The chapters are organized by ingredient, which is handy if you shop your farmer’s market and need some ideas on how to prepare those gorgeous eggplants or the bumper crop of green beans you’ve brought home. The unexpected combinations and preparations have given me permission to be more creative with how I prepare vegetables. Some of the more unusual recipes that I’ve loved include Eggplant with Buttermilk Sauce; Tomato, Semolina, and Cilantro Soup; and Broccoli and Gorgonzola Pie. 

By Yotam Ottolenghi,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Plenty as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The cookbook that launched Yotam Ottolenghi as an international food celebrity

If you are a fan of Plenty More, Forks Over Knives, Smitten Kitchen Every Day, or On Vegetables, you’ll love this Ottolenghi cookbook

A vegetarian cookbook from the author of Jerusalem A Cookbook  and other Ottolenghi cookbooks: A must-have collection of 120 vegetarian recipes from Yotam Ottolenghi featuring exciting flavors and fresh combinations that will become mainstays for readers and eaters looking for a brilliant take on vegetables.

Mastering the art of French cooking the Yotam Ottolenghi way: One of the most exciting talents in the cooking world, Yotam…


Book cover of Diet for a Small Planet: The Book That Started a Revolution in the Way Americans Eat

Ron Pickarski Author Of The Classical Vegetarian Cookbook

From my list on vegetarianism, food history, health, and politics.

Why am I passionate about this?

A former Catholic, raised in the restaurant business, becoming a Franciscan, and with a passionate love of art, they collectively integrated and came to define my life. I was sent to culinary school. Suffering from a chronic lung condition and obesity, I learned that an animal-based diet was the primary cause and became a vegan in October 1976, regaining my health. Vegan culinary art, as my life’s passion, led me to compete in the International Culinary Olympics five times in Germany, winning Seven medals, including gold, writing for magazines, authoring four books, and working with the United Nations to help humanity improve its health with a plant-based vegan diet.

Ron's book list on vegetarianism, food history, health, and politics

Ron Pickarski Why did Ron love this book?

This was a ground breaking book at the time and makes the case from a food security and sustainability perspective as to why humans should embrace vegetarianism as a lifestyle change. It is the second book on food, after Food is Your Best Medicine, that led me to becoming a vegetarian. 

By Frances Moore Lappe,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Diet for a Small Planet as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Discover a way of eating that revolutionized the meaning of our food choices and sold more than 3 million copies—now in a 50th-anniversary edition with a timely introduction plus new and updated plant-centered recipes
 
“Frances Moore Lappé is one of the few people who can credibly be said to have changed the way we eat—and one of an even smaller group to have done it for the better.”—The New York Times
 
In 1971, Diet for a Small Planet broke new ground, revealing how our everyday acts are a form of power to create health for ourselves and our planet. This…


Book cover of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

Lukas Volger Author Of Snacks for Dinner: Small Bites, Full Plates, Can't Lose

From my list on cookbooks for making plant-based cooking a habit.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been writing vegetarian cookbooks for almost 15 years, and have had many different jobs in the world of food – cooking in restaurants, running a small food business, working food photography shoots, and much more. While in my day-to-day eating, I go on and off following a strict plant-based diet, it’s long been my default style of eating because I find it to be so healthy, affordable, and fun! I’m never not excited and inspired by the abundance and diversity of vegetables and the incredible techniques and dishes that cuisines around the world have done with them. 

Lukas' book list on cookbooks for making plant-based cooking a habit

Lukas Volger Why did Lukas love this book?

When I was a young cook, I picked up my copy of this opus from a neighbor’s stoop sale, and it immediately became one of my most valued possessions. I’d go to the farmer’s market, buy a vegetable I didn’t recognize, and then back at home consult this, my vegetable bible, for how I should cook it. It has never steered me wrong and 20 years later, I still find new things to learn from it and am always in awe of Deborah Madison’s prescient wisdom on the subject of how to thoughtfully shop, cook, eat, and live. It’s warmly written and exhaustive in its scope – as much of a reference as it is a practical cookbook for regular use. 

By Deborah Madison,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

What Julia Child is to French cooking and Marcella Hazan is to Italian cooking, Deborah Madison is to contemporary vegetarian cooking.  At Greens restaurant in San Francisco, where she was the founding chef, and in her two acclaimed vegetarian cookbooks, Madison elevated vegetarian cooking to new heights of sophistication, introducing many people to the joy of cooking without meat, whether occasionally or for a lifetime.  But after her many years as a teacher and writer, she realized that there was no comprehensive primer for vegetarian cooking, no single book that taught vegetarians basic cooking techniques, how to combine ingredients, and…


Book cover of Dakshin: Vegetarian Cuisine from South India

Didi Emmons Author Of Vegetarian Planet

From my list on Southeast Asian cookbooks from a Chef who uses them daily.

Why am I passionate about this?

Thirty-two years ago, I got my start as a chef by cooking in a shoebox cafe in Boston that played with curious Asian ingredients. Ten years later, after using lots of Asian cookbooks, I was incorporating Thai and Vietnamese cooking into my menus at the restaurant I was running. A few years after that, I opened and ran a Vietnamese restaurant in Cambridge (unfortunately, after major success, it burned down after a year). After this, the tourism board of Malaysia sent me on a four-week trip to write about the street food for FoodArts magazine. It is these experiences that greatly influenced my interest in Southeast Asian cooking.

Didi's book list on Southeast Asian cookbooks from a Chef who uses them daily

Didi Emmons Why did Didi love this book?

This is a glossy cookbook published first in India and then in 1994 by an Australian division of Harper Collins. I’ve made many, many recipes in this book and it’s opened my eyes to the meat-free, texturally complex cuisine of South India. The careful but dynamic mix of ingredients such as mustard seeds, curry leaves, dried coconut, dal, and cumin seeds used in tempering dishes brings the food to life. I recommend this book to the curious and adventuresome home cook who enjoys shopping at Indian markets. The recipes are solid and for the most part easy once you become familiar with its cuisine and techniques.

By Chandra Padmanabhan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Dakshin as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Dakshin" in an ancient Sanskrit word meaning "south." It symbolizes what this Indian cookbook is all about - the best and most delicious of South Indian vegetarian cuisine.

Filled with tempting recipes and beautiful photographs, Dakshin: Vegetarian Cooking from South India presents the finest cooking from the region. Drawn from the states of Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh, and the union territory of Pondicherry, the recipes in this vegetarian cookbook bring traditional South Indian cooking within reach of any cook in any kitchen.

From sambars and rasams, to cooling desserts and sweet treats, Dakshin takes you through the…


Book cover of Jane Grigson's Vegetable Book

William Woys Weaver Author Of Flavors from the Garden: Heirloom Vegetable Recipes from Roughwood

From my list on for garden gourmets.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have published 21 books, with three more on the way, and many deal with my kitchen garden at Roughwood and the massive seed collection started by my grandfather in 1932. Many of my books have won awards and several of them, especially Heirloom Vegetable Gardening, have become “breakthrough” texts in that they have shifted the conversation in a new direction. In short, I have helped make mainstream heritage fruits and vegetables, and my books are intended to help my readers enrich their lives by giving them meaning and context. It’s a story about learning to live well from simple basics: about discovering the gold in your own backyard. 

William's book list on for garden gourmets

William Woys Weaver Why did William love this book?

I have all of Jane Grigson’s books and to me each one is special. Jane was a personal friend and while she lived in the UK and I lived in the US we often spent hours on the telephone discussing the finer points of pawpaws or persimmons.  We also shared the same birthday. Jane discovered she had cancer and decided to meet it head-on by shifting to a plant-based diet. That is her overarching philosophy, and it pervades her books. And while her books reflect that personal journey toward healing, they are also useful because like me she was an epicure with hoe, her food writing was not an abstraction, she wrote from hands-on experience. 

By Jane Grigson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Jane Grigson's Vegetable Book as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In Jane Grigson's Vegetable Book American readers, gardeners, and food lovers will find everything they've always wanted to know about the history and romance of seventy-five different vegetables, from artichokes to yams, and will learn how to use them in hundreds of different recipes, from the exquisitely simple ""Broccoli Salad"" to the engagingly esoteric ""Game with Tomato and Chocolate Sauce."" Jane Grigson gives basic preparation and cooking instructions for all the vegetables discussed and recipes for eating them in every style from least adulterated to most adorned. This is by no means a book intended for vegetarians alone, however. There…


Book cover of Yoga Kitchen: The New Shoshoni Cookbook: More Recipes from the Shoshoni Yoga Retreat

Veronika Sophia Robinson Author Of The Mystic Cookfire: The Sacred Art of Creating Food to Nurture Friends and Family

From my list on conscious plant-based cookery.

Why am I passionate about this?

Veronika Sophia Robinson has eaten a plant-based diet for forty-eight years and knows what healthy and delicious vegan and vegetarian food should taste like. She has had extensive experience in cooking for others whether around her kitchen table or in a yurt with no electricity feeding up to fifty families for five days (for many years). The Mystic Cookfire is a tome of over 400 pages. It is an expression of her deep love and respect for food, conscious cookery, and intentional eating. Her second recipe book Love From My Kitchen is a collection of vegan, gluten-free recipes based on the four elements: fire, earth, air, and water. She’s delighted that her granddaughter is a fourth-generation vegetarian.

Veronika's book list on conscious plant-based cookery

Veronika Sophia Robinson Why did Veronika love this book?

The recipes in this book are so good because they were created by cooks who always go about their work with a smile. Cooking with Shakti changes everything, and is the divine ingredient in each meal. The authors treat foods as divine substances because they contain the essence of life. Your cooking will never be the same again after reading this book and approaching each meal with consciousness. The recipes are easy to follow, well laid out, and taste fabulous! No matter how often I declutter my massive recipe-book collection, this one always remains as a faithful culinary companion and inspiration.

By Rachael Guidry, Faith Stone,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Yoga Kitchen as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This cookbook serves up a delicious combination of pleasurable dining, consicous energy, and cultural diversity. At the Shoshoni Yoga Retreat a bevy of good cooks, motivated by their yoga practice, create the heavenly food enjoyed by retreat guests. In Yoga Kitchen master chefs Faith Stone and Rachel Guidry present favorite meals of both the guests and staff. These recipes feature American comfort foods blended with the invigorating and unique flavors of Indian, southwestern, and continental traditions.

They also show how to apply the practice of mindfulness in the kitchen, cook with "shakti", and eat in harmony with the seasons. You'll…


Book cover of Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health

Pip Waller Author Of Deeply Holistic: A Guide to Intuitive Self-Care--Know Your Body, Live Consciously, and Nurture Your Spirit

From my list on what to eat, what not to eat, and why.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a naturopathic therapist, teacher, and writer working mainly with plant medicine since 1989. For decades, I’ve been teaching many aspects of natural healing and have written 5 books, published in 6 languages, on various aspects of my work. One of my favourite books is DEEPLY HOLISTIC, a Guide to Intuitive Self-Care, a synthesis of much of the advice I’ve given clients over my 30 years of practice.

Pip's book list on what to eat, what not to eat, and why

Pip Waller Why did Pip love this book?

Forks Over Knives describes how changing your diet (forks) can be used to good effect to improve health, therefore, avoid the need for surgery (knives). This is a book about the most important advice on healthy eating – guess what? eating a whole-food, plant-based diet. It is full of inspiring success stories of people who have taken charge of their diet and transformed their health, as well as useful recipes. The author advocates entirely plant-based, and although there is a healthy way to eat animal products, the foundational diet for everyone needs to be mostly plants, and most definitely whole foods, meaning not processed or industrially produced.

By Gene Stone,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Forks Over Knives as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The #1 New York Times bestseller answers: What if one simple change could save you from heart disease, diabetes, and cancer?

For decades, that question has fascinated a small circle of impassioned doctors and researchers—and now, their life-changing research is making headlines in the hit documentary Forks Over Knives. Their answer? Eat a whole-foods, plant-based diet—it could save your life.

It may overturn most of the diet advice you’ve heard—but the experts behind Forks Over Knives aren’t afraid to make waves. In his book Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn explained that eating meat, dairy, and oils injures…


Book cover of How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
Book cover of Minimalist Baker's Everyday Cooking: 101 Entirely Plant-Based, Mostly Gluten-Free, Easy and Delicious Recipes
Book cover of Bowl: Vegetarian Recipes for Ramen, Pho, Bibimbap, Dumplings, and Other One-Dish Meals

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