Learn to Cook Your Own (simple affordable) Recipes
These beautiful blank recipe journals are spiral-bound, and printed on recycled paper. To keep all your favourite plant-based recipes together. As well as having gorgeous designs to pass down recipes, they are printed in the UK.
The 128 pages are easy-to-write on, and the journals also have extra special touches. Like handy cooking conversions and a ‘build your own index’ page. All with beautiful illustrations throughout. The book is also designed to lay flat, so perfect for lefties too!
Learning to cook your own food is empowering, as you no longer have to rely on expensive plastic-wrapped ready-meals and takeaways. Master your favourite cuisines at home. Then every night is restaurant night!
Here’s a cookbook from Germany (a country that has more vegans on earth by ratio than anywhere – Berlin is the most vegan-friendly city one art!) All Day Vegan is a unique book of really easy recipes. You won’t have to find another page to find one of the ingredients!
If you’ve just bought a chunk of artisan vegan cheese but don’t know what to do with it, or if you don’t know where to start with plant-based cuisine, this is the book for you.
Many of today’s recipe books seem to be more about taking photographs of the authors rather than the food itself. This book is quite different, with a comprehensive contents page detailing all recipes, so you can just flip to whatever you fancy making. The 100 (very unique) recipes include:
- Strawberry Cheesecake Mousse
- Lemon Pie Oatmeal
- Mini’s Muesli Guide (a no-recipe recipe!)
- Go-to Scrambled Tofu
- Hot Orange Waffles
- Green Pea Toast (or pasta salad)
- New York-style Bagels
- Greek-style Pita Sandwiches
- Artichoke Tortilla Pizza
- Apple Pie Energy Bites
- Minty Iced Chocolate
- Date & Maple Crumble Bars
- Sweet & Salty Almond Cookies
- Lemon & Ginger Loaf
- Carrot Cake for One
- Chocolate Chai Ice Cream
As an example, the first recipes is for Chocolate Polenta Porridge (ideal if you’re bored of oatmeal but don’t want to go down the ‘cocoa pops’ route’, or you have polenta, and have no idea what to do with it. Made with natural vanilla and maple syrup.
About the Author
Mina Roma is a popular German blogger, whose recipes on her YouTube channel are popular with millions, thanks to her unique and simple meal ideas. She also regularly posts what she eats each day, to inspire others with simple ideas.
Learning to cook your own food is empowering, as you no longer have to rely on expensive plastic-wrapped ready-meals and takeaways. Master your favourite cuisines at home. Then every night is restaurant night!
Make It Vegan is absolutely terrific! This has gorgeously innovative recipes, all beautifully photographed, and affordable for anyone to make. From ‘Wake Up’ and quick eats, to nibbles, sides and main dishes, there are also plenty of sweets and treats.
Before cooking, read up on food safety for people and pets (many ingredients are unsafe near animal friends). Bin allium scraps (onion, garlic, leeks, shallots, chives) as acids may harm compost creatures (same with tomato/citrus/rhubarb scraps).
Maddie starts off telling her life story (a history of eating disorders and drinking at university), before she ‘fell into’ a healthy lifestyle after moving to Cornwall. She strongly believes that unless you run a restaurant (or are appearing on Masterchef), there’s no need to get stressed about cooking.
She suggests trying a few of her recipes each week, putting on some music (she likes Norah Jones) and chilling, while you learn to cook!
Recipes include:
- Pesto Potato Salad
- Cauliflower & Mushroom Burgers
- Maple Pancakes
- Spinach & Butter Bean Soup
- Sundried Tomato & Tahini Rigatoni
- Sticky Seitan Ribs
- One Pan Baked Scramble
- Butter No-Chicken Curry
- 10-Minute Mac & Cheese
- Vegan Paella
- Un-Sausage Rolls
- Beetroot Mushroom Wellington
Desserts include:
- Fluffy Lemon Sponge Cake
- Chocolate Spread Cheesecake
- Pain au Chocolat
- Choc-a-choc Chocolate Cake!
About the Author
Madeleine Olivia is a popular chef and influencer, who lives in the Cornish countryside with her husband (together they have released a lovely guide to making bread!)
She makes the mac and cheese recipe from this book at least once a week, served with roasted garlic broccoli. She also enjoys making dals and stir-fries.
The 20-Minute Vegan is a book by new cooking star Calum (we can see him becoming the new Jamie Oliver). These simple affordable meals include proper pastas, creamy curries and fluffy pancakes, all made with easy-to-find ingredients.
Recipes include:
- Proper Porridge with Cherry Jam
- Fancy Apple Cinnamon Oven Oats
- Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes
- Miso Beans & Gnocchi
- Danny Danny noodles
- Silky Chocolate Mousse
This book is really good! Endorsed by Joe Wicks, if you like the Jamie Oliver kind of instructions, you’ll love this book. He can write, cook and also is on a mission to make it simple for anyone to cook.
I believe that with the recipes in this book and a few adjustments to your weekly shop, you’ll be flying and eating more vegan food in no time. And you’ll actually stick with it.
You only need a little bit of prep to make meals that look like the rainbow and taste gorgeous. 20 minutes for me means 15 minutes with time for a little chat and going back to the fridge for an ingredient. I don’t have a stopwatch when I cook, as that would be too strict and I’d have no social life.
Calum’s Proper Healthy Vegan Cookbook
Proper Healthy is the latest book by the ‘new vegan Jamie Oliver’ offering plant-based recipes that just happen to be healthy. Each recipe is designed to give you energy, heal your gut, pack in protein and help you shape up.
Recipes include brunches and quick eats, puds and pick-me-ups including:
- Whipped Butter Beans on Toast
- Cacio e Pepe Leek Rigatoni
- ‘Pretend You’re in LA’ Smoothie Bowl
- Gingery Basil Rainbow Noodle Jars
- Gnocchi Shepherd’s Pie
- Tempeh Taco Bowl with Chipotle Crema
- Shredded Jerk Tofu Bowl
- Kinda Carbonara Vegan Noodles
- Mean & Green Vegan Sandwiches
Desserts include:
- Upside-Down Pistachio Semolina Cake
- Raspberry Miso Blondies
About the Author
Calum Harris is a popular cook (not a chef) who learned to cook from his mum, then converted recipes after he went vegan after a conversation with a vegan relative at a BBQ.
His recipes went viral on social media (340,000 and counting) and he has ‘won the heart’ of fellow chef Jamie Oliver (he often gets mistaken for being his son!)
15-Minute Vegan Meals offers lovely meals packed with plant-based protein and good fats for dinners with taste, and nutrition. Ideal for people low on time and energy, who still want to make their meals with fresh ingredients.
Before cooking, read up on food safety for people and pets (many ingredients are unsafe near animal friends). Bin allium scraps (onion, garlic, leeks, shallots, chives) as acids may harm compost creatures (same with tomato/citrus/rhubarb scraps).
Recipes include:
- Buffalo Tempeh Bowl with Vegan Honey Mustard
- Sun-dried Tomato Alfredo Penne with Broccoli
- Spiced Chickpea & Kale Salad
- Spicy Sweet & Sour Tofu with Broccoli
- BBQ Jackfruit & Chickpea Flatbread with Creamy Slaw
- Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Salad
- Ginger Noodle Soup:
About the Author
Janet Gronnow is a popular vegan food blogger, whose recipes have been featured in many publications. She lives in Pennsylvania, USA.
It has few pictures, but Vegan in 15 is a lovely little read, an affordable book of easy recipes by Kate, who blogs at The Veg Space.
Learning to cook your own food is empowering, as you no longer have to rely on expensive plastic-wrapped ready-meals and takeaways. Master your favourite cuisines at home. Then every night is restaurant night!
Liv B’s Easy Everyday Recipes is a lovely book of recipes by a Canadian chef (who with her husband has hundreds of thousands of followers on her blog, and 1 million YouTube monthly views). You only get that with good recipes! This is effortless and inexpensive plant-based cooking.
Find over 100 recipes that are tasty and easy, baked on just 5 ingredients, or in one pot or baking tray. From meal prep to freezing instructions and from cooking tips to pressure cooker recipes, enjoy:
- One Pot Mac n Cheese
- Sheet Pan Pot Pie
- One Pot Mushroom Stroganoff
- Frying Pan Granola
- Chorizo Tempeh Breakfast Wraps
Liv B’s Budget-Friendly Vegan Recipes
Also check out Liv’s other book: Liv B’s Vegan on a Budget. The author loves to share how easy it is to eat yummy plant-based meals that are fast and simple, with accessible ingredients that don’t break the bank. Recipes include:
- Homemade Smoothies
- Spicy Mango Salsa
- Lasagne Soup
- Ginger-Glazed Carrots
- Sweet Sriracha Cauliflower Wraps
- Tomato Fettuccini
About the Author
Liv B (short for Olivia!) is one of Canada’s most popular recipe bloggers. She runs the site with her husband, who is also a mean cook!
The couple’s most popular recipe is this Vegan Big Mac Toast (5 ingredients), one of which is their vegan Big Mac sauce (just over 5 ingredients, including spices). So to be fair, this is 10 ingredients, but this is for two combined recipes!
Learning to cook your own food is empowering, as you no longer have to rely on expensive plastic-wrapped ready-meals and takeaways. Master your favourite cuisines at home. Then every night is restaurant night!
Five Ingredient Vegan is just one of fab short-time cookbooks by Yorkshire’s Katy Beskow. As well as only having a few ingredients, most meals are ready in 15 minutes or less. The 100 recipes all include simple affordable lists and a sweet little tip for each one.
Before cooking, read up on food safety for people and pets (many ingredients are unsafe near animal friends). Bin allium scraps (onion, garlic, leeks, shallots, chives) as acids may harm compost creatures (same with tomato/citrus/rhubarb scraps).
Recipes include:
- Carrot Cake Porridge
- No-Fish Fishcakes (above)
- Spiced Parsnip Bisque
- Country Lentil Pottage
- Cauliflower ‘Cheese’ Soup
- Pantry Minestrone
- Spinach Pancakes
- Zesty Bread & Butter Pudding
I’m a firm believer that a few, simple good quality ingredients can make the most satisfying of home-cooked meals.
Buy the best that you can afford, particularly fresh ingredients such as vegetables, fruits and bread, and aim to buy ingredients in season for maximum flavour.
About the Author
Katy Beskow grew up in Yorkshire, and learned to cook while studying physiotherapy in London (inspired by the markets of fresh produce, while having to eat on a budget).
Returning to her home county, her blog led to a cookbook deal which led to another, and now Katy has many top-selling vegan cookbooks under her belt.
Learning to cook your own food is empowering, as you no longer have to rely on expensive plastic-wrapped ready-meals and takeaways. Master your favourite cuisines at home. Then every night is restaurant night!
Simple & Delicious Vegan is a self-published book by one of the world’s most popular vegan recipe bloggers. This German woman (who lives in Costa Rica) went vegan to heal severe acne, and her recipes are unique, each page containing a visual of ingredients.
A few of her recipes use the sweetener xylitol, but she always gives subs, if you live with pets (just a few dropped crumbs could be unsafe, so never cook or bake with it, if you live with furry friends).
This book is a bit more expensive due to being self-published, but will provide you with years of lovely recipes (all affordable) so will pay for itself in no time. Here is a gallery of some of the recipes included:
About the Author
Author Michaela Vais is German by birth. She used to work as a pharmaceutical technician, and noticed that people who used natural methods often got better results than those who took endless medication! She now lives in Costa Rica, where she runs one of the world’s most popular vegan recipe blogs.
