In March of this year I became a vegetarian. It happened by accident at first. I went a week without eating meat by chance and decided to run with it. Now, I didn’t have a problem with cooking without meat, hence the happenstance week without meat, but I have been exploring different vegetarian cookbooks since then, and I’ve found some excellent titles at the library!

The Middle Eastern Vegetarian Cookbook by Salma Hage: I love Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking. Author Salma Hage hales from Lebanon, and this book is filled with many dishes from Lebanon, including some that typically have meat that have been modified, such as her vegetarian moussaka. This book is packed with information and mouth-watering photography, so it is much more than just a collection of recipes.  

 

The Greek Vegetarian by Diane Kochalis:  I’ve written about this book on this blog before. Actually, Diane Kochalis never disappoints with her classic Greek vegetarian recipes. Even in my meat-eating days I always loved dolamathes (stuffed grape leaves) and spanikopita (spinach pie), so adding more Greek vegetarian food to our home cooking repertoire only seems natural. While this cookbook lacks pictures, the solid recipes make it worth checking out!  

 

Meatless Mexican Home Cooking by Nancy Zaslavsky:  Nancy Zaslavsky compiles recipes from home cooks and chefs from throughout Mexico, and often includes stories about the people she got the recipes from. I have yet to make anything from this one, but I’m very excited to make some of these recipes. I’ve always had a hard time envisioning Mexican food without meat.  

 

Vegetarian Cooking – At Home With the Culinary Institute of America: From the Culinary Institute of America, a large collection of vegetarian recipes with info, tips and lots of photos. I am excited to make the yuca tots, as soon as we find some yuca. It has lots of other great recipes too.  

 

The Vegetarian Table: North Africa by Kitty Morse:  Morse includes recipes for couscous, tagines, sweets and more in this great collection of North African favorites. Amazing spicy flavors are a hallmark in this book.

What about you? What are some of your favorite cookbooks? They don’t have to be vegetarian, just let us know what you like. I’d also like to hear from anyone else who made the switch to being a vegetarian later in life!   

Scott M. is the Assistant in the Office of Programs and Partnerships at East Liberty. When not busy running around with his two daughters, he likes reading non-fiction, learning languages, gardening and cooking.