Recommend your vegetarian magazines or cookbooks

[Anonymous]

We are going vegetarian for most of our meals, but I struggle with how to make quick and delicious veg meals on a weekday. When we first got into this, I researched tons of cookbooks and bought this hugely comprehensive book (can't remember the title) - it really does have great recipes in it, but they are crazy involved, way too much for a busy week night after working all day, then tending to a toddler with another child on the way. I'd love to find a monthly subscription (I love looking at recipes) that has not-too-involved recipes that are mostly family friendly, delicious and also healthy. Any suggestions? I'll buy another cookbook as well but really loved when I had a monthly cooking magazine subscription.

[Anonymous]

You might try the Six O'Clock Scramble membership or cookbooks. In the membership service, they say 3 of the meals each week are meatless (or coule be). And they also have lots of vegetarian recipes online (or in the cookbooks).

[Anonymous]

OP,
There are so many great vegetarian recipes online ... Are you eating dairy? Any seafood? (The definition of vegetarian cuts a wide swath!) I love food52.com and thekitchn.com. They are not vegetarian per se but they are inspiring!

[Anonymous]

OP here. I should've clarified that we do eat dairy and seafood. I feel really old school now, but I like to have the recipes on hand (books or magazines) - I use tons of online sources but had hoped to find an equivalent magazine. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

15:44 here. I use online and have lots of cookbooks, so I know what you mean.

[Anonymous]

Do you have a Deborah Madison book (veg. cooking for everyone, or Veg. suppers)? if not you might check them out.

[Anonymous]

There's also the moosewood cookbooks, but I haven't used those in a while.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You might try the Six O'Clock Scramble membership or cookbooks. In the membership service, they say 3 of the meals each week are meatless (or coule be). And they also have lots of vegetarian recipes online (or in the cookbooks).

Aviva Goldfarb, author of the scramble just came out with a cookbook, so you could give that a try. She's also a Montgomery County local and spends a lot of her time working to make school lunches in the county healthier, so she's a good person to support!

We've been vegetarians for over 15 years. It gets easier with time. One thing is to not over think it. A lot of people make the switch and feel like they have to re-learn cooking, when often, you just need to replace the protein and the side dishes are fine or there are simple substitutions. Also, think of one pot meals like soups and casseroles.

Anyway, my "go to" cookbooks are:

"How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" which is huge, but the recipes are simple, not many photos, but everything you can think of is in there. Often when I have an ingredient, I go to the index and just give something a try. But it's everything from complex to simple.

"Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker" especially in winter. Not all of the recipes are perfect, but I've found with a few additions or subtractions I can easily perfect the recipe, so I just write my notes into the book.

And while I know you aren't vegan, I love http://fatfreevegan.com/ Sometimes I add dairy to her recipes, but her recipes are so good they usually don't need any substitutions.

Moosewood is good, but often their recipes are complicated and call for ingredients I don't usually have handy.

[Anonymous]

The Kind Life has a lot of great ones, and it has a matching website.

Also think about meals as just a combination of a few components. A grain (brown rice, barley, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, etc), veggies, and a sauce (if needed). Try a few combination's, see what works, what doesn't, and tweak!

An easy meal is cooking a box of pasta, heating up 3 soup can size of Muir Glen's diced tomato's with Italian Herbs, and when pasta is done toss with 1/4 c olive oil and tomato's. Done!

[Anonymous]

Jeanne Lemlin has some good cookbooks. I think the new six o clock scramble cookbook is good. Have you looked at the library? Or a bookstore?

[Anonymous]

Agree with PP about How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, by Mark Bittman. i loved his How to Cook Everything when I ate everything, and now that I am a veg I love the veg option. I actually find that I like the recipes in the veg book more even when it's not about something that involves meat (banana bread, for example). I also like that he has vegan options for recipes, because while I am not a vegan, some of my friends are.

Also agree with a PP about Moosewood. I thought it was going to be my go-to when I went veg, but I found it took a lot more effort than I have on a nightly basis. But I do love when others cook out of it!

Cooking Light has started to have far more veg options. I cancelled my subscription 2 yrs ago when I stopped eating meat because I found they were putting bacon or sausage in so many recipes, but friends have told me htat things have changed and encouraged me to try again, and I'm thinking of doing so.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

The magazine Vegetarian Times is pretty much the only veg magazine I use, and I'm a vegetarian!

For online recipes I use epicurious and allrecipes

[Anonymous]

Vegetarian Times is a good magazine. I can't really use Deborah Madison's books on weeknights, though I should probably look into Vegetarian Suppers. It might be less involved. I have a cookbook called Vegetarian Fast Food, published in England, that's actually quite useful. I bought a used copy online after seeing it at a friend's house.

Epicurious has a vegetarian search option and I find myself using it a lot. I'll specify an ingredient or two and check the "vegetarian" option. That might be a good route for you, along with a Veg Times subscription.

[Anonymous]

Meatless Meals for Working People
http://www.amazon.com/Meatless-Meals-Working-People-Vegetarian/dp/093141122X

It's not THE best, but it does have a lot of quick, easy, healthy recipes. It's somewhat didactic and a lot of info you already know(or maybe you don't), but overall not bad for $10.

[Anonymous]

Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone is considered the classic; excellent recipes, but it is way too involved and complicated for working parents.

The original Moosewood is bland, bland, bland.

I prefer: 1) Mark Bittman's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone; and 2) Jack Bishop, A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen. Bishop works for Cook's Illustrated (my favorite) and prepares his family dinners. He clearly writes for families in mind, and uses veggies that would be in season at farmers' markets and grocery stores.