Holiday Gift Suggestions – 2 Great Vegan Cookbooks

Cook the Pantry

For the vegan in your life, Vegan Heritage Press continues to publish innovative books that make living a plant-based diet easier. “Cook the Pantry: Vegan Pantry-to-Plate Recipes in 20 Minutes (or Less!)” by Robin Robertson not only proves you can cook up great vegan dishes but quickly as well. There are recipes for artichoke muffaleta poboys (recipe below), five-minute couscous salad and Kitchen Sink capellini. Desserts include no-bake oatmeal cookies, pecan pie balls and Easy as Chocolate pie.

Robertson is the author of more than 20 cookbooks, including “Vegan Planet,” “One-Dish Vegan” and “Vegan Unplugged” which she wrote with her husband, Jon, in the aftermath of a hurricane and a power outage.

Artichoke Muffaleta Po-Boys

3 scallions, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/4 cup pickled vegetables, well-drained

1/4 cup pimento-stuffed green olives, well-drained

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, well-drained and halved

1/2 tablespoon Cajun spice blend

2 tablespoons Creole mustard

2 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise

2 small sub rolls

1 cup shredded lettuce

1 large tomato, thinly sliced

Pickled sliced jalapenos

Tabasco or other hot sauce, to serve

Directions: In a food processor, combine the scallion and garlic and process until finely minced. Add the pickled vegetables, olives, and pulse to make a relish. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the artichoke hearts, season with the spice blend, and cook until nicely browned, about 5 minutes per side.

To assemble the sandwiches, spread the mayonnaise and the mustard on the inside top and bottom of the bread. Spread the lettuce onto the bottom of each sandwich, followed by tomato slices. Top with the relish mixture, a few slices of jalapenos, and the artichokes. Serve at once with Tabasco.

Makes 2 servings.

The Abundance Diet

Want to try out veganism? Author Somer McCown offers a month-long plan to switch to a plant-based diet and revigorate your health in the process. She explains how to reverse negative ideas about food, reorganize your pantry, shop at the store, save money and much more in "The Abundance Diet: The 28-Day Plan to reinvent your health, lose weight, and discover the power of plant-based foods," also by Vegan Heritage Press.

McCowan should know. She reversed severe ulcerative colitis through a plant-based diet.

Some of the recipes include Cheesy-Smoky-Spicy Black Bean Soup, Tropical Colada Green Smoothie, Grilled Eggplant and Zucchini Lasagna, Bananas Foster Pancakes and Blueberry Peach Tart with Apricot Crumble.

Louisiana Book News is written by award-winning author Chere Dastugue Coen, who writes Louisiana romances and mysteries under the pen name of Cherie Claire. Her first book in each series is FREE to download as an ebook, including "Emilie," book one of The Cajun Series, "Ticket to Paradise," book one of The Cajun Embassy series and "A Ghost of a Chance," the first Viola Valentine mystery.