Today I thought I'd share a list of some of my favorite vegan cookbooks, blogs, and websites.  While I  don't always follow recipes (one of the things I love best about cooking is the freedom of expression and experimentation), I do love my cookbooks!  They're great sources of information and inspiration. I love blogs because they're such a wonderful way to connect to other cooks, and find a community of people dedicated to vegan cooking and living, even if you're surrounded by the Texas stockyards, or Wisconsin dairy land. It lets you reach out and find people trying to break the stereotype of the bland vegan meal, who truly enjoy the creative process and labor of love that makes real, whole, good food. So here are some of my favorite sources of culinary inspiration.

Go-To Blogs and Sites

Fat Free Vegan Susan Voisin's is one of my blogging heroes, and FatFreeVegan is one of my go-to sources when I'm planning the weeks meals. She has so many wonderful recipes - all super healthy, low-fat, and she provides nutrition information for each recipe. She also takes gorgeous photos and gives some really great advice.

 Some of my favorite recipes are: Yellow Split-Pea Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Kale (this years winter soup obsession), Ridiculously Easy Vegetable Gumbo, Spicy Collards and Black-Eyed Pea Soup, Cosmic Cashew Kale with Chickpeas and Confetti Quinoa (LOVE this one - also great stuffed into peppers - though I usually use collards, and just mix the quinoa (confetti-less) in with the the rest), Vegan Zucchini Frittata (so good cold - if it lasts to the next day, that is :), Creamy Vegan Broccoli and Rice Casserole, Taco Salad, - I could go on forever! So please, go check it out!

Taste Spotting For those of us obsessed with food porn (i.e., beautiful photos of food -okay maybe that's not the best label for it, but it's such an apt description...), there is no better site than this! Plus it's a great way to discover new blogs, and a vast variety of different foods. While not specifically a "Vegan Website" it does have a filter, into which I simply put "vegan" and am presented with page after page of gorgeous vegan foods. You can also narrow your search with "raw vegan" or "gluten-free vegan." But be careful - it's entirely too easy to get lost on this site for hours :P My recent discoveries from TasteSpotting? Raw Nectarine Tarts, Piña Colada Smoothies, and Vegan Philly Cheesesteak Sandwhich just to name a few.

VegWeb Was one of the first online vegan recipe sources I discovered back when I first went vegan almost 10 years ago - and it's only gotten cooler. It's basically a big online vegan community - vegan recipe sharing, forums, advice, vegan 101, etc. A great resource, especially for those new to the vegan lifestyle, but also for veterans such as myself.

The Post Punk Kitchen Is the brainchild of Isa Chandra Moskowitz - my hero. I have all of her cookbooks (more on these in the vegan cookbook section) - all splattered, tattered and much loved and used - follow her blog, and kind of want to have her babies. I love her. So yeah. From Chana Masala to Vanilla Bean Cupcakes  - if ever I am without my trusty copy of Vegan With A Vengeance, this is where I go. I just- it's just - just go! <3

The Tofu Guru  - Is a one-girl, online vegan cooking show - very entertaining, especially great for the college student's budget -with some really tasty recipes and easy to follow directions - for example, her Vegan Tamales are absolutely delicious! And especially here, I find her video demonstration of how exactly one is supposed to fold the tamales quite useful.

Emily's Essential Vegan Cookbooks 

A note on cookbooks: Though I have quite a few of them, and love them dearly - I like to use cookbooks like I use blogs  -as jumping off points for culinary adventures. Sometimes I follow a recipe to the letter (especially with baked goods - ask Alton Brown, baking is a science), but most of the time the recipe is simply an outline - I add, remove, substitute and tweak it to make it my own. That being said, cookbooks rule!

Vegan With A Vengeance - by Isa Chandra Moskowitz
This is my must have cookbook, and honestly my favorite vegan cook book of all time. My copy is now well worn, dog-eared, and curry splattered. The recipes are delicious, pretty cheap to make, very accessible, and just plain good.

Appetite For Reduction - by Isa Chandra Moskowitz
Though Vegan With A Vengeance will always be my first love, Appetite For Reduction is quickly gaining ground. I absolutely love it! Isa wrote this one after having written three desert books (all brilliant), and she wanted to just feel a little bit healthier. Lots of soy and gluten-free options. The recipes are fantastic - and I make one to two meals from this during the week. Highlights include: Pot Pie Stew with Sweet Potato Biscuits, Masala Baked Tofu, Black Bean Olive and Zucchini Tacos, Temphe Helper, Edamame Pesto, etc.

Veganomicon - by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero
The name says it all, doesn't it?

Vegan Brunch - by Isa Chandra Moskowitz
Waffles, Scrambles, Scones, Pancakes!

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World
Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar
Vegan Pie In the Sky 

All by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero

These books should come with a warning - especially for those of us who lose our self control where sugary baked goods are concerned. The recipes are delicious and bound to impress even the most skeptical of non-vegans. One of the things I love the most about these books is the fact that they don't require too many crazy ingredients - nearly everything is readily available in any ol' grocery store. I have had to hide these books from my self of late, because I am trying quite hard to break my addictions both to gluten and sugar - however, when I need to impress picky co-workers, or skeptical friends with fantastic deserts - these are the books I grab. Just proceed with caution :) I know that once I start baking, it's not easy to stop. I just can't help it.

Vegan Planet - by Robin Robertson
500 pages of awesome vegan recipes from all over the world ranging from super simple to complex. It contains a lot of my favorite recipes, including one that I make constantly during the fall: Autumn Vegetable Stew - creamy butternut squash, parsnips and sweet potato with nutrient packed collards, and kidney beans - it tastes like fall in your mouth! One of the most comprehensive vegan cookbooks.

Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons - by Nava Atlas
I love soup. I love stew. I love this book.

Vegan Holiday Kitchen - by Nava Atlas
What makes this book super awesome is the fact that, unlike others, by "Holiday" it doesn't simply mean Thanksgiving and Christmas - it also includes Passover, Rosh Hashanah and Hanukkah recipes, and even some great Easter and 4th of July/Summer dishes as well. My family loved the vegan Challah, and the gluten-free Skinny Figgy Bars (this recipe was contributed by Susan Voisin, who also shot the gorgeous photos featured in this book, and is available on her website) and the Hot Artichoke and White Bean Dip were huge hits at this years New Years Eve party. A beautiful book in all respects.

The Joy of Vegan Baking - by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
Scones, cookies, pies, pretzels, "cheesecakes," brittles, cobblers, cupcakes, crepes,and breads. This is another one that I sometimes have to hide along with my copy of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World  :)

How It All Vegan - by Sarah Kramer and Tanya Barnard
This was actually the first vegan cookbook I ever bought, and like most of the books on this list, most recipes don't require many difficult to find ingredients. Recipes range from classic American dishes to how to make your own nut milks, and offers oodles of  tips and advice on veganism :) I really love this cookbook.

Live Raw - by Mimi Kirk
My first Raw cookbook, and so far I love it! Not only a cookbook, but a lifestyle guide to living Raw (why I started using coconut oil as lotion :P). It makes attempting raw deserts and nut cheeses, or even getting to know your dehydrator a little less daunting.


So there you have it - a few of my favorite vegan blogs and cookbooks - but by no means all of them! So explore! Find cookbooks at your local library (they don't even have to be vegan - sometimes it's more fun to find an old family standard, and try to veganize it yourself!), and get lost in some beautiful blogs :)