Cooking for a Small Planet

Some of us are vegetarians, some of us are flexitarians, and some of us will give up daily hamburgers with extra bacon only when they pry them out of our cold dead fingers, but most of us could probably get at least some use out of a great vegetarian cookbook. Whether you're shopping for a book that covers 100% of your dietary needs or just the occasional side dish, the following titles would make wonderful additions to any kitchen library:

1. Honest Pretzels, by Mollie Katzen

Honest Pretzels is a collection of 65 vegetarian recipes designed to be prepared by children ages eight and up. The well-organized (and delicious!) recipes feature Katzen's watercolor illustrations, as well as information on ingredients, equipment, and kitchen safety. Her "Button Cupcakes" are a perennial favorite.

2. Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables, by John Peterson and Angelic Organics

If you're interested in buying one of those farm-share boxes but you're worried about what you'd do with an entire crate of some random vegetable like, oh, rutabagas, worry no more! This book is organized seasonally by crop, so you can try anything from the "Rutabaga Waldorf Salad" to the "Savory-Sweet Rutabaga Pudding"*.

3. Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, by Deborah Madison

If you like monster Joy of Cooking-style tomes, this is the cookbook for you. Recently re-released as a 10th Anniversary Edition, Madison's best-selling classic features more than 1,400 recipes, ranging from simple sandwiches to something called "Silky Mushroom Pâté with Scallion-Walnut Topping".

*Admittedly, I would never actually make something called "Savory-Sweet Rutabaga Pudding"... but I like having the option.