I don’t cook that much but when I do, it’s vegetarian. I’ve been a vegetarian for twenty-five years, and to be honest, the menu can be limiting. When I came across The Friendly Vegan Cookbook by Toni Okamoto and Michelle Cehn, I was impressed—not only by the variety of tasty recipes, but by the ease of re-creating them.

This cookbook is weighty, but not because of long prose but rather the number of recipes.

Yet it’s still small enough to tuck easily in a counter corner for ready use. On this point, I appreciate that this book isn’t filled with pages and pages of backstory. Cookbooks that spend the first few sections on personal stories, nutritional information, and cute little anecdotes, aren’t my style. Let’s just get to it. And Okamoto and Cehn don’t disappoint. They get you up and cooking on the turn of a page.

What is also incredibly impressive is the beautiful photography collated by the team at BenBella Books.

Some of the basic, familiar recipes look much more inviting based on the images alone. When my husband saw the photograph of the overnight oats, he was wowed at what a unique idea. I had to laugh, as we’ve been making those for years, but of course, ours don’t look as mouthwatering.

Image Courtesy BenBella Books ~ Smart Pop Books