Serving vegan and vegetarian holiday meals is all the rage this season, which makes plant-based cookbooks an excellent gift. With pandemic-fueled interest in veg foods continuing its upward ascent, publishers responded with plenty of new books. I’ve sifted through this year’s tasty vegetarian titles and selected these eight books, which cover a range of interests and abilities, as the best plant-based books of 2021.

I’ve divided this collection of books into categories so you can easily find one best suited for cooks who are health conscious, meat lovers, young or food history buffs. As the categories show, vegan meats continue to be a major food trend this year, with many of the books incorporating these ingredients. Meanwhile, those books showcasing whole foods recipes tend to avoid them.

Other continuing cookbook trends this year include the widespread embrace of cauliflower, jackfruit, chickpeas and aquafaba. For 2021, we need to add vegan cheesecake to the list of top plant-based cookbook trends. After the year we’ve had, I think each of us deserves a slice.

HEALTH CONSCIOUS

“The Jane Goodall Institute #EatMeatless,” with a foreword by Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE. NewSeed. $30.

BEST FOR: Goodall fans, animal protectors, plant-based food eaters

In support of the global conservation nonprofit founded by Jane Goodall, this plant-forward cookbook packs in 75 recipes and numerous nuggets of Goodall’s wisdom and history. Goodall began eating meatless 50 years ago and is now a vegan. She writes, “We are part of and not separated from the rest of the animal kingdom.” And while the environmental outlook seems bleak, Goodall tells us, “I do have reasons for hope.” The cookbook, which emphasizes whole food ingredients and avoids store-bought vegan meats, highlights many dishes to be hopeful for. Recipes include cauliflower steaks with curry sauce, black bean avocado sopes, broccoli-kale chickpea frittatas and creamy cashew pasta primavera. Breakfast serves up tofu scramble wraps and sweet potatoes with nondairy yogurt, while dessert caps things off with aquafaba chocolate mousse, banana-coconut nice cream, apple cranberry crumble bars and strawberry cheese cake.

“The Vegan Athlete’s Cookbook,” by Anita Bean. Bloomsbury Sport. $24.

BEST FOR: Runners, friends with gym memberships, family members training for a triathlon

Former British champion bodybuilder Anita Bean’ fourth cookbook is all vegan. Bean, a sports and exercise nutritionist, reports she’s witnessed a “huge rise in interest in vegan diets among athletes in my practice,” which prompted her to write the book. It begins with a multi-chapter section devoted to sports nutrition, including Bean’s vegan athlete’s plate graphics and charts listing …….

Source: https://www.pressherald.com/2021/12/12/the-best-vegan-and-vegetarian-cookbooks-of-the-year/