The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen

This is my all time favorite cookbook. The recipes are vegan, but you won't find any mock foods or anything trying to be something it isn't. Mind you, there is a place for those recipes too, but these recipes are all fantastic on their own merits, not trying to imitate something else. The Tunisian Chickpea soup is my favorite, but every single recipe has been a winner.

The book is chock full of simple tasty recipes with easy, everyday ingredients. The thing I find off putting about some vegan cookbooks is the constant stream of exotic ingredients or the implied suggestion that its somehow necessary to replace animal products when cooking. There are no requirements for soy cheese or rice milk or egg replacer, just wholesome plant ingredients for yummy simple meals. My favorites are the gratin of young artichokes and olives and the fava bean stew.

I LOVE Donna Klein's books. This one is no exception, with its focus on whole foods and no substitutes. And there's like half a dozen couscous recipes, which is amazing.

Some nice ideas, a lot of them somewhat basic.

Every recipe I've tried has been delicious.