Another year has passed, and it’s time for my annual vegan holiday gift guide. While this guide is vegan-specific, it is suitable for everyone. I’ve included links to the items to make it easier for you to check out the items. Also remember that handmade gifts, from edible ones to promises of babysitting, pet walking, errand running, and more, are always welcome.
I hope you will find my 2019 vegan holiday gift guide helpful. Please use the comments section to tell us about your favorite gifts for giving and receiving. We love to check out your suggestions so we can find new favorites.
May there be peace on earth and goodwill, acts of kindness by and towards all people, all sentient beings.
This post contains affiliate links. That means that I earn fees on qualifying purchases.
2019 Vegan Holiday Gift Guide
Books
There are many fabulous new and upcoming books, and I’ll be discussing them on my blog in the coming months. For this portion of the vegan holiday gift guide, I am highlighting the books I consider the classics. Books that I regularly use.
Be Inspired!
Aquafaba: Sweet and Savory Vegan Recipes Made Egg-Free with the Magic of Bean Water, Zsu Dever
The bean liquid we used to throw away turns out to be one of the most astonishing culinary discoveries of the decade. With its amazing egg-replacement abilities, miraculous “aquafaba” can be used as an egg replacer to make everything from French toast to lemon meringue pie. Aquafaba can be used as a binder in both sweet and savory recipes and is a boon to vegans, people with egg allergies, as well as anyone interested in innovative cooking with a magical new ingredient.
Feeding the Hungry Ghost: Life, Faith, and What to Eat for Dinner – A Satisfying Diet for Unsatisfying Times, Ellen Kanner
What do we turn to for both everyday sustenance and seasonal celebration? Food. Often, though, we’re like the hungry ghosts of Taoist lore, eating mindlessly, wandering aimlessly, and wanting more — more than the food itself can provide. Ellen Kanner believes that if we put in a little thought and preparation, every meal can feed not only our bodies but our souls and our communities as well.
The Homemade Vegan Pantry: The Art of Making Your Own Staples, Miyoko Schinner
Studded with full-color photos, The Homemade Vegan Pantry celebrates beautiful, handcrafted foods. From ice cream and pizza dough to granola and breakfast sausage. Miyoko Schinner guides readers through the techniques for making roasted tomatoes, cheeses, sauces, pastas and much more, and all without special equipment. Her easy methods make “slow food” fast, and full of flavor.
How Baking Works: Exploring the Fundamentals of Baking Science, Paula I. Figoni
The essence of baking is chemistry, and anyone who wants to be a master pastry chef must understand the principles and science that make baking work. This book explains the whys and hows of every chemical reaction, essential ingredient, and technique, revealing the complex mysteries of bread loaves, pastries, and everything in between.
More Great Good Dairy-Free Desserts Naturally, Fran Costigan
Because this dessert book is the basis of the Costigan Vegan Baking Boot Camp Intensive® and still absolutely relevant.
The Pastry Chef’s Companion: A Comprehensive Resource Guide for the Baking and Pastry Professional, Glenn Rinsky and Laura Halpin Rinsky
With more than 4,800 terms and definitions from around the world plus ten appendices filled with helpful resources, The Pastry Chef’s Companion combines the best features of a dictionary
Vegan Chocolate: Unapologetically Luscious and Decadent Dairy-Free Desserts, Fran Costigan, photos by Kate Lewis
Because chocolate always makes everything better! Anyone – from newbie to pro – can make irresistible chocolate desserts from this book. With gorgeous full-color photos by Kate Lewis, the book makes a gorgeous coffee table book gift too! (Friends outside of the United States, note that Vegan Chocolate has been published in German, French and Italian.)
To quote the author Karen Page, “If you master a single recipe, you’ll learn how to cook a single dish. If you master the dynamics of flavor, you can make anything taste better.” Emphasizing plant-based whole foods including vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, the book provides an A-to-Z listing of hundreds of ingredients, from Açaí to Zucchini Blossoms, cross-referenced with the herbs, spices, and other seasonings that best enhance their flavor, resulting in thousands of recommended pairings. I’m continually amazed at what I continue to learn from this book.
Vegan Under Pressure: Perfect Vegan Meals Made Quick and Easy in Your Pressure Cooker, Jill Nussinow
In Vegan Under Pressure, Jill shows how to use the pressure cookers easily, safely and effectively, while showing us the wide variety of vegan dishes that can be made quickly with the appliance. Recipes include Homemade Hummus, Harissa-Glazed Carrots with Green Olives, Pozole Chili, Farro Salad with Tomatoes and Arugula, Thai Summer Vegetable Curry, and DIY soy milk and seitan.
NEW
How Not to Diet: The Groundbreaking Science of Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss, Michael Greger. M.D.
Dr. Greger hones in on the optimal criteria to enable weight loss while considering how these foods actually affect our health and longevity. He lays out the key ingredients of the ideal weight-loss diet―factors such as calorie density, the insulin index, and the impact of foods on our gut microbiome―showing how plant-based eating is crucial to our success.
Food Gift Guide
Founded in 2003 by a passionate vegan chef, Lagusta’s Luscious artisanal chocolates combine a deep commitment to social justice, environmentalism and animal rights with the love of bold flavor of a true foodie and the obsessive commitment to artisan techniques of a chocolatier. Use code ethicalchocolate at checkout for a 10% discount. (Offer excludes the Sweet Maresa’s items and large quantity orders.) Discount is good December 12 – 16, 2019.
The best tahini in the world is available from the Soom Sisters. And Soom’s Chocolate Tahini is dreamy! All the best chefs and restaurateurs use Soom and you can too. Their latest product is a game-changer. It is date syrup, or Silan and makes an excellent replacement for molasses. I buy multiples. The Chocolate Tahini Spread is everything! Use code fran10 for 10% off at soomfoods.com until December 31, 2019.
Kitchen Tools
I buy my kitchen supplies from Fantes, but as most of you do not live in Philadelphia, I have included links to Amazon to help you find my favorite tools.
Digital Scale
How much chocolate did you chop? Is that cup of cashews really 5 ounces? Get a digital scale already. You won’t look back!
Norpro Stainless Steel 8 Piece Measuring Spoon Set
What makes these measuring spoons so awesome is their long necks, which makes scooping from small jars easy. You’ll appreciate the 1/8 tsp measure too. I have several sets.
Nesting Measuring Cups for Dry Ingredients
No fancy-shaped cups, please! Get 1, 2, and 4 cup liquid measuring cups too! I like these for home and traveling.
Indispensible 1/4 cup Liquid Measuring Cups
I carry these with me to schools and on trips.
Commercial Half and Quarter Sheet Pans
These are the hardest working pans in the kitchen! They’re great for toasting nuts, seeds, containing spillovers while pies bake, as cookie sheets, make sheet cakes, and more
Parchment Paper to Line Sheet Pans
Buy the half-sheet size and cut for the quarter sheets. This ships flat.
Parchment Paper Rounds to line cake pans
Sure, you can cut parchment to fit your pans, but I find it handy having a stack of these pre-cut 8-9- and 10-inch rounds. Make sure you have some parchment sheets to line your baking pans too.
Cooling Racks Because oven-baked goods have to be elevated to cool properly.
I have multiples- so I can keep one dedicated to gluten-free flours.
Cupcake Boxes
I just started ordering these boxes for gifting mini cupcakes and Gluten-Free Brownie Bites. The packaging is flat; the windowed box makes an attractive presentation.
Nordic Ware Heritage Bundt Pan Because my 10-year old grandson said of the cake I’d baked in the pan, “this is the most beautiful cake I have ever seen!” And so does everyone else. The family is getting both the 10 and 6 cups pans. Shhhh!
Whisks, Ballon All sizes.
Oven Thermometer Because even the newest ovens go off. Check the temperature!
Silicone Spatulas
I like mini ones too. Get more than you think you need because you will need them!
Heatproof Mixing Bowls Mine are stainless steel, they seemingly forever. I use this type of bowl to make a double-boiler, bain-marie to melt chocolate.
Flexible Cutting Boards These make transferring chopped chocolate easy.
Culinary Torch A torch is essential for working with meringue that’s aquafaba made!
Hand Blender
An immersion or stick blender enables you to puree soaked prunes (for making brownies), as well as make soups, sauces, and much more directly in the pan or serving bowl. The blade attachment, which in some models is interchangeable with a whisk, snaps onto a long shaft. You press a button and blend. I use my immersion blender often and find it a breeze to clean, but the blades are sharp and the button is sensitive, so it is extremely important that you unplug the blender before cleaning.
Lemon and Lime Squeezer
Amazing little gadget gets all the juice out of lemons and limes, strains the seeds, fits into small places for storing.
Microplane Premium Zester/Grater
I used to avoid zesting until I found the Microplane. With razor-sharp teeth that allow for zesting in both directions, you can quickly zest citrus fruits, garlic, ginger and whole nutmeg–chocolate too!
Electric Spice-and-Nut Grinder Spice and nut grinders are always useful and take so little space.
Instant Pot
I was a holdout, even though pressure cooking expert, Jill Nussinow is one of my best friends. Well, I stand corrected, and I used my set-it-and-forget-it Instant Pot for steel cuts oats and grains and but yesterday when I cooked a whole kabocha squash perfectly in 15 minutes – I was blown away. bought one for each of my kids. Later I bought an accessory to turn the Instant Pot into an Air Fryer_ the Mealthy Crisp Lid.
High-Speed Blender
Because high-speed blenders are pricy big-ticket items, I’d say technically this is a nice to have instead of essential tool. But, honestly, I can’t imagine not having my high-speed blender in the kitchen. I know it saves time and ultimately money too. I was tired of burning out standard blenders. Want one?? Be very good, and let Santa know.
Standard Blender
A mid-range blender, such as this one works very well.
Food Processor
I’ve used a food processor since the very first one was on the market. I wish I hadn’t given the original to a friend.
Stand Mixer
Nice to have, especially if you are into working with aquafaba or making vegan buttercream. You can also use an Electric Hand Mixer and patience.
Large Stand Mixer
If you’re working with larger batches or bread, a 6-quart mixer is helpful. I LOVE my red Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer!
Learning
Fran’s Essential Vegan Desserts Course with Rouxbe
Learn to make vegan desserts like a pro, whether you are a newbie or a pro, on your own schedule. This is an online course based on my popular NYC based Vegan Baking Boot Camp ®. It’s a 90-day course that focuses on essential techniques and recipes so you can create quality vegan desserts with confidence. The next course starts on Jan 2. Get 20% off through Dec 26. No code needed.
Rouxbe Plant-Based Certification Course
Led by world-renowned plant-based chef educator Chad Sarno, this ground-breaking certification course is the most comprehensive plant-based course ever put together. Read what Dianne Wenz had to say about her Rouxbe experience. The next 6-month course starts on Jan 2. Get 20% off through Dec 26. No code needed.
Rouxbe Culinary RX
This online instructional cooking and nutrition course, taught by leading chef educators and medical professionals, empowers students through their transition to a more health-supportive diet and lifestyle. 30-day course.
Main Street Vegan Academy
Take your vegan outreach to the professional level by training to be an MSVA-Certified Vegan Lifestyle Coach & Educator in this program led by Victoria Moran.
Special Vacation
I’ll be returning to the ranch as a guest chef the week of June 27 through July 4. This is worth saving for- trust me! There is no place on this earth like The Ranch. I’d love to share the week with you.
Vegan Holiday Gift Guide to Charitable Giving
American Civil Liberties Union
For almost 100 years, the ACLU has worked to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States.
Kiva is a 501 non-profit organization that allows people to lend money via the Internet to low-income entrepreneurs and students in 77 countries. Kiva’s mission is “to expand financial access to help underserved communities thrive.”
Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., or Planned Parenthood, is a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care in the United States and globally.
Coalition for Healthy School Food
The Coalition for Healthy School Food (CHSF) is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit that introduces plant-based foods and nutrition education in schools to educate the whole school community.
You might consider bidding in their online auction which contains many great items including dinner at VEGDE with me!
The Southern Poverty Law Center is an American nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation.
Animal Sanctuaries
The list of animal sanctuaries is quite extensive but here are several you might consider:
Farm Sanctuary
Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary
Catskill Animal Sanctuary
Indraloka Animal Sanctuary
Rancho Compasion Animal Sanctuary – owned and operated by vegan chef Miyoko Schinner, founder of Miyokos Creamery. (don’t forget to buy her butter and cheeses).
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