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#1 Posted : Wednesday, November 18, 2020 3:37:08 AM(UTC)

I would like to buy my son and daughter in law a vegetarian and plant based book for Christmas, I have looked at Bazaar by Sabrina Ghayour but they have 3 year old twins who do not like lots of spice and obviously mum and dad do not have a lot of time for prep. What books could you recommend please?

#2 Posted : Wednesday, November 18, 2020 4:09:57 AM(UTC)

Hey CLL! I love giving cookbooks as gifts! Did you have any more idea of the kind of thing you were after - easy child friendly/family meals or something a bit more special/aspirational? Will they get scared off by unusual ingredients? Are they already plant based or will this be new for them? Sorry for all the questions, just helps to narrow things down a bit!


Hannah

#3 Posted : Wednesday, November 18, 2020 8:44:48 AM(UTC)

Even working for EYB, I don't cook nearly as much as I'd like to with my 5 and almost 2 year olds who are rather picky, so I understand this dilemma! If I had to choose a cookbook for a family with young kids, I'd probably go with one of the three "Green" titles by Susie Middleton (she used to be the editor at Fine Cooking Magazine) 


I also like Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (or the updated The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone) by Deborah Madison -- it is a hefty tome, but an excellent all-purpose vegetarian cookbook with lots of choices for all types of meals. Our favorite waffle recipe is in this book which is not something I'd normally think of checking a vegetarian cookbook for, but I originally found it via an EYB search!


These are all indexed, so you can skim through the recipes to see if you think any of them might be a good fit. Maybe check out the Browse Inside feature on Amazon as well (you can easily access each title by clicking "buy book" and then selecting Amazon -- these are affiliate links that support EYB with a small comission if you do complete a purchase.)


Fast, Fresh & Green: More Than 90 Delicious Recipes for Veggie Lovers by Susie Middleton


The Fresh & Green Table: Delicious Ideas for Bringing Vegetables into Every Meal by Susie Middleton


Simple Green Suppers: A Fresh Strategy for One-Dish Vegetarian Meals by Susie Middleton


Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison


The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

#4 Posted : Wednesday, November 18, 2020 9:29:18 AM(UTC)

Hi CCL! I have Fast, Fresh and Green by Susie Middleton and it's a great book for cooking vegetables using lots of different methods. She clearly explains the cooking method and prep for each vegetable. Another favourite is River Cottage Veg by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall. It's full of good dishes, all very approachable and suitable for the kids I serve (who are aged 7 to 13). Of course there are lots of specifically vegan books out there, however I've not used any of them myself.

#5 Posted : Thursday, November 19, 2020 10:27:22 AM(UTC)
Many thanks for your suggestions, the twins love to help out with food prep and are experts at making chocolate chip cookies, although I think they just love the raw dough. Will follow up on your suggestions and post the final decision.
#6 Posted : Thursday, November 19, 2020 10:34:18 AM(UTC)
Hanna all the questions just shows how helpful you want to be, thank you. Both adults are good cooks and like to include the children in helping. I have brought my other two kids Marcus Waring's New Classics for Christmas and wanted a book that can inspire new recipes some quick and some more intricate to widen tastes and techniques. Think I am probably asking too much.
#7 Posted : Thursday, November 19, 2020 1:26:14 PM(UTC)

CCL - I think The Green Roasting Tin will be a good book for them (all the Roasting Tin books are wonderful). The entire dinner gets put on one tray and bunged in the oven. Many of the dishes are child-friendly.


Another suggestion is Little Green Kitchen which is aimed at families.

#8 Posted : Saturday, November 21, 2020 11:30:36 PM(UTC)

CLL;23555 wrote:
I would like to buy my son and daughter in law a vegetarian and plant based book for Christmas, I have looked at Bazaar by Sabrina Ghayour but they have 3 year old twins who do not like lots of spice and obviously mum and dad do not have a lot of time for prep. What books could you recommend please?


I would recommend author Mollie Katzen. The Enchanted Broccoli forest is a favorite, and she has written children's cookbooks as well (Honest Pretzels). "Pretend Soup" is subtitled "A Cookbook for You and Your Preschooler".

#9 Posted : Sunday, November 22, 2020 9:40:40 AM(UTC)

Even though it's a few years old now I second Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's River Cottage Veg Every Day! as one of my favourites. I've also got quite a bit of use out of River Cottage Light & Easy.
Along a similar vein there are the Nigel Slater Greenfeast books, one for Spring-Summer, another for Autumn-Winter.
Anna Jones - A Modern Way To Eat/A Modern Way to Cook/The Modern Cook's Year are also great books - probably a little trendier in terms of ingredients etc. Quite a few of her recipes are on the guardian website to give you an idea.
There are the Leon books as well e.g. Leon Fast Vegetarian and Fast Vegan - these are lovely books
Rose Elliot - New Complete Vegetarian is more old-fashioned but I have used it quite a bit for dependable family recipes.
Meera Sodha's "Fresh India" is a mix of easier and more time-consuming Indian dishes. I don't have Meera Sodha's "East" but it's on my wishlist. 
My wildcard suggestion is The Easy Vegetarian Kitchen by Erin Alderson (blogger Naturally Ella) which takes a base meal such as "mac and cheese" and then suggests seasonal variations. I love this book on a personal level but  it isn't a well known one! 


Some of my favourites for vegan options:


Thug Kitchen - I love this one but there is a lot of bad language which may be a dealbreaker for some! I have successfully gifted this one to a young vegetarian couple before. 
Vegan Street Food by Jackie Kearney (South-East Asian and vegan)
Aine Carlin - Keep It Vegan
the Bosh! series. I suspect the Speedy Bosh book is the most family friendly but this is the one that I don't have. 


When I'm looking for something quick and easy I often have a look at Katy Beskow's books (e.g. 15-minute vegan) or Robin Robsertson (e.g. Quick-Fix Vegan) but I personally don't think they're quite as nice for gifts.


I have the Susie Middleton books and they're lovely but I never reach for them - I'll have to have give them another try based on the recommendations here. 


Good luck!

#10 Posted : Monday, November 30, 2020 10:47:28 AM(UTC)

Look up plant powered families. I made a few of her recipes and they are very good, not too hard, and designed for a family with children.

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