Alisa Fleming ~ I receive quite a few cookbooks for review throughout the year. Hmm, that may be a slight understatement. How about, I received three bookshelves full of cookbooks for review each year. Not all of them make the cut and are featured here on Go Dairy Free. I only highlight the books that caught my attention for one reason for another and that I believe many of you will enjoy.

That said, I think this was the year of the vegan cookbook. I test out titles that are dairy-free, gluten-free, health-oriented, and even raw, but at last count, about twenty different vegan-themed recipe collections crossed my desk in the last six months alone. Some, alas, were not so hot. Several were quite good. But a few really stood out from the pack.

Here are my completely unbiased picks for the best new vegan cookbooks for gift giving and receiving (tested and approved by non-vegans to boot!):

Lori Thomas ~ I am a lover of smoothies. Not only can they be a delicious meal-on-the-go, but they can also be an incredibly nutritious and quick breakfast. However, not all smoothies are alike in nutritional value and most store-bought options contain dairy, so choosing a healthful protein drink can require a little research.

Thankfully CalNaturale has released Svelte, a convenient dairy-free beverage for positive nutrition and sustained energy. With their all-natural Svelte line, CalNaturale is on a mission to provide a variety of healthy soy protein drinks that are rich, creamy, and make you feel good about yourself with fun sayings on each container.

But a protein drink shouldn't be just about look and texture, it should also be about positive nutritional value and energizing your body. So why would I choose Svelte? Here are some of the features that I like about this product:

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Alisa Fleming ~ For those of you who can eat gluten, or who like the adventure of adapting recipes, see my prior cookie recipe round-up, "A Dozen of the Best Dairy-Free Cookie Recipes for the Holidays."

Doesn’t it seem like everyone and their dog is going gluten-free these days? Though I had never been gluten-free in the past, I’ve been experimenting with gluten-free baking for the past five years … ever since several bags of gluten-free baking mixes landed on my desk for review. Since then I’ve tested out a variety of flours … in fact, at any given time, I have at least ten different flours and starches on hand.

Honestly, I couldn’t explain my fascination with the art of gluten-free baking … until now. You know how sometimes, you just know something, even though you don’t know it? [If that made absolutely no sense to you, just humor me]. Call it intuition, or maybe your subconscious making subtle observations that your conscious mind overlooks. What is all of this rambling about? Tony, my husband and the IT man behind Go Dairy Free, was told to trial a gluten-free diet by our doctor ...

This Sweet Sunday I have a special breakfast / brunch recipe from the new Candle 79 Cookbook that is perfect for warming up on chilly winter weekends. Candle 79 is continually rated as one of the best vegan restaurants in the country, and their full color cookbook easily reflects the elegant touch and high quality ingredients that they use in the restaurant. Though the fanciful recipe titles and the beautiful photographs may make this cookbook seem a bit too extravagant for everyday use, the recipes are surprisingly simple, like the home-style pancakes in this post.

According to the authors of the new Candle 79 Cookbook, “This breakfast sensation will appeal to kids and adults alike. You’ll probably end up with extra blueberry butter, which is great to have on hand in the fridge for spreading on toast or over oatmeal. We recommend using Earth Balance spread which is made from a combination of vegetable oils and has a smooth, buttery texture. It is available at natural food stores and in the dairy section of many supermarkets.”

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