If you’re a reluctant vegetarian try…

Who you are: You’ve agreed to ‘test the waters’ of the no-meat lifestyle, barely. You just really, really love burgers/pies/sausages okay. You remain unconvinced any vegetarian dish could be as simple as a steak. You think tofu is weird.

Why this book: A Modern Way to Eat is my new favourite cookbook and conversation topic. I bought it a few weeks ago and have already made its vegetarian versions of burgers and pies (sausages to come). Both received thumbs up from my housemates and truth be told, I’m yet to come across a recipe that I don’t like. The cookbook opens with a foreword by Jamie Oliver and the recipes do have something of his relaxed and generous attitude to cooking, but Anna Jones’ so called ‘modern’ attitude to cooking is all her own. It’s an attitude that expects our food to be sustainable and affordable, healthy and tasty, easy-to-prepare and impressive-to-look-at. Somehow, Jones manages this. Also scattered throughout the recipes are beautifully-designed double-page spreads with further ideas or suggestions, including delightfully-inventive ‘choose-your-own-adventure’ type recipes for soups and salads etc.

If you’re a foodie-turned-vegetarian try…

Who you are: You like to throw dinner parties. Your knives are so sharp they could probably cut through bone. You always made sure to correct other people’s pronunciation of pho (to save future embarrassment). When you make a soup you simmer it for the recommended time frame, and not a second less.

Why this book: Ottolenghi is a favourite with Readings customers and his two vegetarian cookbooks – Plenty and Plenty More – have been known to impress even the most ardent of carnivores (my brothers). He’s not been called, ‘the man who made vegetables sexy’ for nothing! His recipes are precisely detailed with unusual pairings of ingredients that come together in a multitude of toothsome ways. Ottolenghi’s recipes always take me longer to put together than I expect. The first time I made his root vegetable pies, I was in the kitchen for an embarrassing three+ hours. But the fact that I’ve since made those pies no less than four more times says a lot about how freaking morish they are. Also, I find cooking quite relaxing so spending three+ house in the kitchen can be a very appealing option if I’ve had a stressful week.

If you’re a vegetarian living in a commune try…

Who you are: You live in a household of many people and many rosters. It’s very likely that one of these many people is gluten-free/vegan/allergic to nuts/sensitive to chilli. You want sensible recipes, able to feed a crowd.

Why this book: Hetty McKinnon runs a community kitchen where she creates and delivers (by bike!) homemade salads in Surrey Hills, Sydney. Her cookbook, Community, is inspired by this business, and it’s easy to see why it was one of our bestselling books of last year. Full of easy-to-prepare salads that are guaranteed to feed a lot of people (when we make these salads in my own household of four people, there’s always plenty of left-overs for everyone the following day), McKinnon has a knack for making big flavours with just a few ingredients. Think ‘Roasted Beetroot with Caramelised Turnips, Edamame Beans and Wasabi Mayonnaise’ or ‘Ginger Peanut Kale with Tofu and Quinoa’. One tip when using this cookbook: I frequently double the sauce quantities when eating the dish the next day.

If you’re a vegetarian who loves to travel…

Who you are: You love to travel and often regret not being able to find dishes that suit your healthy, vegetarian lifestyle when overseas. You like to buy cookbooks with beautiful photography, just for looking at. You want recipes that suit the whole family, and possibly have children.

Why this book: David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl Andersen run a gorgeous food blog called Green Kitchen Stories, which is how I discovered their two cookbooks: The Green Kitchen and Green Kitchen Travels. The recipes in both cookbooks are light and healthy, with advice on how to make them vegan or gluten-free, and accompanied by gorgeous photographs. Green Kitchen Travels is inspired by the family’s real-world travels (Frenkiel, Andersen and 7-month-old daughter Elsa), and you’ll find some great vegetarian (frequently vegan) twists on traditional dishes from a multitude of countries, as well as advice for travelling with kids.

If you’re a raw-food vegetarian try…

Who you are: You already enjoy a raw food diet. Or, you recently read about the benefits of a raw food diet on the internet (Better skin! More energy!). Or, you have friends on raw food diets that you need to entertain. Really, any connection to the raw food diet serves you here.

Why this book: Megan May is the chef and co-owner of Little Bird Organics, and award-winning raw food cafes: the unBakeries. Her cookbook, The Unbakery, has more than 150 ideas for raw plant-based food. Her recipes include everything from vegan bacon (coconut flesh, tamari, maple syrup, liquid smoke and sea salt), to bagels (soaked nuts, seeds, coconut flesh, herbs and spices), and make for a delicious introduction to a new way of eating.

Bronte Coates