Plant-focused Recipe Books

I found this book when researching for The Drinking Woman’s Diet. Bitterness stimulates the liver and helps digestion and adds levels of complexity to dishes and drinks. There’s lots of veg recipes, brassicas, horseradish bitter fruit as well. It’s more than a recipe book, McLagan covers the history of taste with humour and personal anecdotes, and explains why children turn their noses up at brussels sprouts. She also warns that bitterness can still be poison in excess. There’s familiar ground for wine tasters too, looking at bitter and harsh sensations and tannins. Bitter chocolate is in there too for the chocoholics. The photos are simply stunning. More here 

WENDY

I was given this book by my Son several years ago - way before I was vegetarian and there are so many relatively simple but super-tasty recipes in there. It is part of a series on cooking everything in one tin and so they are really practical too.  Well laid out with one page recipe, 1 page photo. I highly recommend this book and have gifted this so many times over.

One of my fave recipes  is the roasted cauliflower with chickpeas, spring greens, lemon & tahini. The veggies are tossed and roasted in spices (such as cumin, coriander, ginger & paprika) then the dressing is tahini lemon.  It is scrumptious. With a white wine with some body (such as semillon-based) and weight goes perfectly - the lemon tahini dressing is the clue. 

Another fave is the all-in-one daal - again all baked in one tray and my wine accompaniment is a lightly caked, fruity red (Prince de George 7 for example!).

SALLY

This is not exactly a recipe book, although it does have recipes in it.  Brilliantly written, it traces the personal (sometimes very personal) stories of the author in no particular chronological order, through twenty-six weird and wonderful fruits. Some familiar, others very obscure. 

There are recipes for each fruit Kate introduces us to including some beauty treatments. Not sure if it really has its place on the recipe book shelf but it’s a fascinating and occasionally challenging read. And it is a perfect gift for any plant lover in your life.

Her recipe for ‘Zucchini Blossoms with Chevre and Herbs’ starts with : Start by building a garden – you get the picture.

WENDY

As the intro to this book says, 'tiny but mighty, affordable and delicious, charming but disruptive. Beans are the future we are hungry for.' Beans are a sustainable and nutritious climate-positive solution to help tackle the global food and climate crises. A compilation of superb bean-based recipes from a range of contributors and recipes ranging from some speedy bean meals (from brunch to dinner), to sharing plates, salads and full-on feasts. This time of year the red bean ragout really hits the spot, as does the french onion & white bean bake but my go-to is the honey harissa carrots with whipped feta and chickpeas - any time of year.

SALLY

Farm to fork cooking with a difference, this recipe book uses the parts of seasonal vegetables that usually get thrown away, stalks, tops, ribs, fronds, stems, etc. Turning kitchen scraps into edible, flavorful and affordable dishes. You’ll feel both really clever and virtuous producing these recipes. all illustrated with gorgeous and inspiring photos – who knew scraps could be so beautiful? 

WENDY

Mark Diacono grows his own veg, photographs them beautifully and then transforms them into stunningly easy and delicious dishes. Vegetables remain front and centre in the 100 or so seasonal ‘garden to table’ recipes in this aptly named book. He also writes beautifully – his substack is worth a follow. 

Thank you Hollie for your recommendation.

Tim Spector is on a mission to change our lives and our microbiome, one meal at a time. This is the ‘workbook’ following his research-led Food for Life book created with ZOE, the nutrition science company he co-founded. Recipes are plant-led, science-backed and delicious. 

WENDY

This is not a new book but such a staple veg-based recipe bible so it has to be here! It is a book with a cover that has a lovely texture to touch too. And Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is one of our fave chefs - committed to seasonal, ethically produced food and the environment.

This is a wonderful book to own or to gift to someone.

It is packed with lip-smacking recipes from comfort foods to mezzo and for all seasons such as a winter stir-fry, a winter giant couscous salad with herbs and walnuts, and summer salads with courgettes and mozzarella too. As always, the dressings and sauces are as important as the base ingredients when looking at wine pairing. Whether lemon-based or creamy, stir fried with soy or cooked in a mushroom stock? It has basics to sophisticated ideas.

SALLY