Booksmart Vegan

Avery (New York): 2024. 608 pp. What follows is an absurdly long review, because this is a monster of a 600+ page manifesto on vegan cooking. If you want to skip the review, that’s fine, because, basically, you’re getting this book. Just run along and get it. Shoo. But if you insist on knowing the detailed reasons you are doing so, get comfortable. Big vegan flavor isn’t really a cookbook as much as it is a treatise, assembled by Nisha…

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Little Brown and Company (New York). 256 pp I love a vegan celeb, and Pamela Anderson is one of the longest standing ones we have, so I was eager to see what her cookbook had in store. Although the title is a little much for me, the introductory text does convey that Pam is very cool and likeable and earthy. She loves the outdoors, growing her own food, and sharing the process and results of cooking with her loved ones….

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Nora Cooks, LLC (2025), 256pp Hot off the presses is this big hardcover compendium from Nora Taylor, creator of the Nora Cooks website. Everyday Vegan Comfort arrived just as I was considering whether to include reviews of vegan blogs and website in this little project of mine. After all, the interwebs are how many of us find our recipes nowadays – and Nora Cooks has been a frequent stop for me. Now she has saved me the trouble by self-publishing…

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Page Street Publishing (2024). 160pp. Well hello, Booksmarters! It’s been a minute, so let’s see if I remember how to do this! Just in time for winter and the need for cozy food, as well as the ability to use cans of stuff you already have so you don’t have to go outside… here is Bangin’ Beans: 60 Vibrant Vegan Meals Powered by Plant-Based Protein by Sarah Doig, who unlike many vegan cookbook creators, has only been vegan since 2019!…

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New York: Harmony Books, 2018. 223pp. Hello my Booksmart friends! It’s been a minute due to increased demands of real life away from the kitchen. But no matter how busy we get, we gotta eat! And so I must insist that you obtain for yourselves a copy of Sweet Potato Soul forthwith.  This slim paperback is bursting with flavor, creativity, and positivity. As its name implies, it is heavily focused on sweet potatoes, which in addition to being healthy are…

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It seems like vegans are often left out of the various weight-loss crazes du jour, which is obviously no fair, so I was pleased to pick up this substantial paperback, Vegan Intermittent Fasting. Before launching in, I think it’s worth taking a moment here to engage with the “plant-based” v. “vegan” issue for those of you who are newer to this. Although people debate this all time, the consensus is (and Booksmart’s position is) veganism is not a diet. Veganism…

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Little Pine is the second restaurant launched by Moby, arguably the OG celebrity vegan. For some reason, I passed over this book of recipes from the eatery several times before I picked it up. I’m glad I finally did. It’s an attractive, nicely sized hardcover with clear, readable print and enticing photos. The book is broken down into seven chapters: Little Pine Staples, Brunch, Soups and Salads, Small Plates and Sides, Hearty Mains and Large Plates, Desserts and Drinks. This…

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New York: Rodale, 2014, 2021. 212pp. Bad Manners: The Official Cookbook doesn’t feature a named author, but it is spinoff the blog and related podcast of the same name. (Check out both at badmanners.com). The, uh, unique approach of this book is to season the recipes it offers with a generous sprinkling of four letter words and general attitude. It so happens I season my everyday life similarly, so I find it hilarious most of the time. But, if you…

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Salem, MA: Page Street Publishing, 2020. 160pp. Vegan Buddha Bowls by Cara Carlin Cifelli is a slim paperback volume you will definitely want to add to your collection for meals that are fresh and straightforward but also include many creative twists. Like any cookbook, not every recipe is a winner, but the ones that are will make you want to keep it around, and the ones that aren’t don’t break the bank with money and time, so you won’t be…

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