When I made the transition from veggie to vegan I actually came to a bit of standstill. It should have been easy for me, surely? Whilst I haven’t found turning vegan hard, it did make me realise how lacking my meals were in nutrition. It’s fair to say I’d slipped into a bit of a lazy vegetarian routine. Often rotating my five favourite meals (lots of chilli’s!) and relying too heavily on Quorn products. As the majority of Quorn products aren’t vegan, it made me stop and think about what I need to do to ensure I’m now eating healthily and putting everything into my body that it needs.

It’s made me branch out a hell of a lot more than I ever did when I was veggie. I make at least 2/3 new dishes every week, and whilst not every single one is a roaring success, I feel I’ve come a long way. I’ve rounded up my top three vegan cookbooks which are perfect for everyone, whether you’re new to veganism or just want to experiment more with a plant based diet.

Now, there are *tonnes* of fab plant based cookbooks out there, I’ve worked my way through a fair few and for me, these are the ones that I found most useful so far… 

1) Thug Kitchen

Eat like you give a f*ck! This book has serious attitude, and it’s actually quite hilarious. It’s a no-nonsense say it how it is kind of book and from what I’ve made so far – delicious too. The ingredients etc are American so bear that in mind, but I haven’t found it an issue yet. The broccoli and chickpea burritos were pretty epic. It’s great for smaller dishes, side dishes, dips and street style food. Plus I just love how much they love to say f*ck. 

2) Keep It Vegan

I’m a big fan of Aine Carlin’s recipes, literally each one I’ve tried I just LOVE. They’re not too over complicated, and I found Aine’s store cupboard essentials list really handy when I first went vegan. It’s a book I always find myself re-visiting when I’m stuck for dinner inspo. I would definitely recommend the stuffed mushroom burgers, they took a while but so worth it! Plus it’s only £4.99 on Amazon at the mo so would 100% recommend you buy it.

3) DK Plant Based Cookbook

I actually find this by accident when I was browsing the book section of HomeSense. It’s jam packed with all sorts of recipes for side dishes, mains and quite a few tasty deserts too. It has lots of handy tips and it’s very clear and easy to follow. A good one for amateurs like myself! 

Of course, there are millions of recipes online too but I’ve always preferred to refer to an actual physical book, which I suppose is odd considering I spend a lot of time online! Let me know if you have any favourites in the comments…