Many students find themselves cooking for themselves for the first time in college, and also trying out new ways of eating. For the college student who’s new to cooking or new to eating meat-free, having a guide in hand can be extremely valuable. Here’s a back-to-school ready round-up of vegetarian cookbooks aimed at college students.
1. The Starving Students’ Vegetarian Cookbook
by Dede Hall
This cookbook features quick and cheap recipes, that often require only on pan to prepare. Most of the recipes serve one or two, so students feel obligated to cook for others or eat the same recipes for days. On draw back is heavy reliance on microwave recipes (if you don’t have one) and on canned and processed foods, rather than healthier, fresh produce.
2. The Students’ Vegetarian Cookbook
by Carole Raymond
Raymond has lots of advise for those new vegetarianism and cooking for themselves, from choosing produce to tips on how long it’s safe to store veggies. It also encourages students to cook with a wide range of ingredients, so that meals are not only vegetarian but also balanced. Many of the 135 recipes are quick and the instructions are concise. Few recipes in The Student’s Vegetarian Cookbook require kitchen appliances like blenders or juicers, a major advantage over other books.
3. Vegetarian College Cooking
by Megan Carle and Jill Carle
Sisters Megan and Jill collect vegetarian comfort foods, like pasta primavera and cheese enchiladas, in this cookbook. The recipes include lots of time-saving tips, but often have very brief instructions. Beginning cooks may struggle with this book, but most of the dishes are real winners.
4. PETA’s Vegan College Cookbook: 275 Easy, Cheap, and Delicious Recipes to Keep You Vegan at School
Like many of PETA’s policies, this cookbook gets mixed reviews. True, the recipes are quick, easy and cheap. It’s aimed at those with minimal kitchen access, addressing a dorm reality many cookbooks overlook. But you probably don’t need a cookbook to tell you how to make many of these meals, like peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Some of the recipes also have questionable nutritional value, like cinnamon rolls made with white bread, cinnamon and butter substitute.
5. Student’s Go Vegan Cookbook
by Carole Raymond
Another cookbook success by Carole Raymond, this take on vegan cooking is not only helpful but healthy. These tasty vegan dishes are built from lots of fresh fruits and veggies, as well as easy-to-find grocery store ingredients, so there’s no endless searching in health food stores.
6. Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World
by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero
I have very high standards when it comes to cupcakes. When a friend of mine served me an incredibly delicious s’mores cupcake, I was shocked to hear it came from this book. Beautifully illustrated with photographs, you will definite be inspired to find an occasion that needs to be celebrated with cupcakes. We can’t promise that these recipes are low-calorie, but they contain fewer chemical additives than store-bought cake.
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