I wasn’t always a vegetarian. My parents both grew up on farms so the main course always included meat. So when I started thinking about switching to a vegetarian diet, I wasn’t entirely sure where to start. Thankfully, in this wonderful age of information, I was able to find some resources to help me out, and I continue to come across vegetarian-friendly resources as I learn and experiment.
If you’re vegetarian or thinking about becoming one – or even just want to swap out the meat now and again – check out some of these magazines, books and blogs.
1. Vegetarian Times
This magazine was my Bible when I began my vegetarian journey. As you’ve probably deduced, it’s a cooking magazine with all vegetarian recipes. From breakfast to dinner and dessert, it gave me all kinds of options. With lots of recipes featuring ethnic ingredients and inspiration, I learned a lot about foods I’d never tried before. And my kitchen skills improved, too! You can learn more about the magazine, or subscribe, here. I highly recommend Vegetarian Times!
As vegetarianism and veganism become more popular, other cooking magazines are starting to feature more meatless recipes as well. I’ve found some good vegetarian-friendly options in both Cooking Light and Eating Well. Eating Well is especially helpful for information on nutrition. And for some kid-friendly meatless ideas, Kiwi focuses on healthy, organic and green living for kids, sometimes through vegetarian recipes.
2. How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
This cookbook by the renowned Mark Bittman is like the textbook of cooking vegetarian. As big as an encyclopedia, it’s got TONS of recipes, plus thorough explanations of staples in vegetarian eating and cooking. It includes several helpful charts comparing different types of oils, beans, flours and other ingredients. Often, it will provide you with a basic recipe and then several variations so you can always change things up.
3. Thug Kitchen
If you like things a little more straight forward and you have a unique sense of humor, you might enjoy Thug Kitchen. Although technically vegan, all of the recipes are suitable for vegetarians. And if you still eat eggs and dairy (like me), you can easily incorporate those into the recipes. It’s super user-friendly with easy instructions for basics like preparing different grains and beans and the right way to add some life to a flat dish based on the cuisine. With strong language and street smarts, this book will make you the Samuel L. Jackson of cooks.
Check out their fun trailer – if you can handle foul language.
4. Oh My Veggies
This vegetarian food blog focuses on simple recipes with fresh, seasonal ingredients from home cooks. They post six times a week, giving you plenty of ideas to get you through the week, including weekly meal plans. You’ll also find posts on nutrition and kitchen tips. If you’re vegan, they post at least one vegan recipe a week. And since they’re online, it’s easy to search through their recipe index no matter where you are. Check them out here.
5. Cookie and Kate
Just a girl and her dog, this vegetarian blog written by 20-something year-old Kate focuses on whole foods and is elegant and contemporary, but down to earth. New recipes appear regularly and you’re sure to find great treats to splurge on like dessert and cocktails. Visit Kate and Cookie here.
For more information on how to live the vegetarian life, check out some of my other posts:
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