by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

The books on my cookbook shelf are not pristine. Far from it. Bindings are worn, pages are loose or have fallen out and been tucked back into the book. There are hand-written notes and some food stains on many pages. These are not books for show – they’ve been well-used, and well-loved.

Two of these cookbooks are worthy of special mention because I use them almost every week. They both feature creative vegan recipes that are relatively quick to prepare, don’t use multiple pots or bowls, and include ingredients that are likely to be in the supermarket. They both focus on entrées that are based on beans or soy products or seitan and lots of vegetables. I can count on the recipes to turn out well.

The first is Vegan on the Cheap by Robin Robertson. One feature of this book that makes me smile is the price per serving for the recipes. The book was published in 2010. Sixteen years later, it’s downright quaint to see a recipe for an entrée that costs less than a dollar per serving. While food prices have gone up considerably, these recipes are still inexpensive because of their emphasis on beans, tofu, grains, and pasta, and (relatively) low-cost vegetables. My fondness for this cookbook is actually not its budget nature but the way that it features hearty main dishes that even my non-vegan friends like. I appreciate that it includes a chapter of slow-cooker recipes as well as chapters on soups, salads, pasta, skillet meals, casseroles, sandwiches, foundational recipes, and desserts. Some of my favorite recipes are Korean Cabbage Salad with Tofu, Linguine with Variations on a Pesto, Farfalle with White Beans and Cabbage, Barbecued Black Beans and Tofu Burritos, Smoky Southwestern Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie, Curried Tofu Wraps, Black Bean Soup with Kale and Rice, Three Sisters Spicy Stew, and Moroccan-Inspired Lentil Soup.

My other most-used cookbook is Isa Does It by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Published in 2013, this is the cookbook I’m most likely to go to for inspiration. With chapters including soups, salads, handhelds, pasta, stews and curries, stir-fries, bowls, breakfast, desserts, and Sunday night suppers (fancier dishes that take longer to cook), I can always find something to make. I’ve successfully made double and even triple batches of many recipes when I’ve cooked for a lot of people. My favorite recipes include Harira with Eggplant & Chickpeas, Roasted Potato & Fennel Soup, Kale Salad with Butternut Squash & Lentils, Chicky Tuna Salad Sandwiches, Gardeny Shiitake & Chard Fusilli, Smoky Incan Stew, Curry Peanut Sauce Bowl with Tofu & Kale, Lemon-Blueberry Loaf, Marbled Banana Bread, and Chai-Spiced Snickerdoodles.

These are the cookbooks that I would take with me if I was going away (to a place with a kitchen) for an extended time period. They’re the books I flip through when I am uninspired but still need to make a meal or when I have friends coming for dinner.

Both books appear to be available new and used and can be found at public libraries.

Vegan on the Cheap (ISBN 978-0-470-47224-8) is a 258-page softcover book. It is published by Wiley and retails for $17.99.

Isa Does It (ISBN 978-0-316-22190-0) is a 312-page softcover book. It is published by Little, Brown and Company and retails for $32.