Poufy phyllo hors d’ouvres made with truffle oil and entrees of fat fowl broil in the test kitchens of upper crust magazines. BP, meanwhile, set out to prove that with a little help from some indie cookbooks, even unseasoned chefs can get inexpensive groceries and sauté some delectable dishes to (near) perfection. Next time you’re wondering what to eat, resist the urge for greasy take-out and DIY your dinner.

Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s Vegan with a Vengeance, Sarah Kramer’s La Dolce Vegan and Ryan Splint’s Hot Damn and Hell Yeah: Recipes for Hungry Banditos, are all herbivore, but they’re not all about bean sprouts and wheat grass. Crack the spines on any of these titles and enter a satisfying, foie-gras and pretension free realm of punk rawkin’ flavour ’n’ fun. Their easy-to-follow recipes are forgiving enough for newbie or post-workday tired cooks, and tasty enough for entertaining.

Vegan With a Vengeance

Background After success with the Post Punk kitchen, her NY-based DIY cable TV cooking show and website (theppk.com), Moskowitz shares 16 years worth of cooking passion.

Cooking philosophy "Many vegans depend on store-bought processed food? Great cooks depend on fresh ingredients; nothing beats homemade."

Cooking tips Detailed how tos throughout include the Post Punk Pantry, Perfect Pancakes, Start Your Own Public Access Show, Food Not Bombs, Veganize It! and more.

Sample brunch The Best Pumpkin Muffins: Fluffier and spicier than you’d expect for something healthy.

Sample lunch Curried Tempeh-Mango Sammiches: Tempeh is underrated. This is a refreshing alternative to the same old lunch.

Sample dinner Mango-ginger Tofu: Marinating takes patience and pre-planning, but this intense, flavorful dish is worth it.

BP says Best photos, best how tos and tastiest, but trickiest recipes. 9 Broken Perogies / 10

La Dolce Vegan

Background Kramer co-authored How it all Vegan! and The Garden of Vegan with Tanya Barnard but goes solo with this volume, continuing her mission to make veganism accessible, tasty and punny.

Cooking philosophy "I don’t have a lot of free time to muck about in the kitchen. I want to walk in the door, bang some pots together and eat so I can get to work on the rest of my life."

Cooking tips Kramer shares kitchen wisdom on everything from time management to cleaning. Surprises include 45 Things To Do With Salt and a DIY chapter full of easy, inedible crafts to make at the kitchen table.

Sample brunch Coconut Pie Pancakes: I’ve never eaten a more filling and satisfying pancake.

Sample lunch Quinoa Black Bean Salad: Light in texture, but rich in flavour, I could eat this every day.

Sample dinner Eggplant Bharta and Vegetable Biryani: Easier to make than I thought, these elegantly spiced, one-pot veggie dishes are all about the simmering.

BP says Kramer is unstoppable. Glad to see she’s getting fiercer with flavour. 8 Broken Perogies / 10

Hot Damn and Hell Yeah: Recipes for Hungry Banditos

Background Aussie cook Splint originally published this as a zine to share his well-tested and tasty collection of fave recipes.

Cooking philosophy "What it’s about is food without obscure ingredients, that’s easy to make and don’t taste like sawdust."

Cooking tips Splint briefly describes some veggie ingredients like TVP and Tofu, explains substitutions then gets to work. Cooking directions are easy to follow.

Sample brunch Breakfast Burritos: A quick ’n’ easy hearty breakfast that packs heat.

Sample lunch Red Beans and Rice: A Cajun-style mélange of veggies, rice and spices that’ll make your mouth sizzle.

Sample dinner Vegetable Chili and Hush Puppies: A serious chili recipe with more veggies than the usual fare, paired with comfort-food corn fritters.

BP says Hottest spices, but too short. We want more! 7 Broken Perogies / 10

More info:
Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, $17.95, 258 pgs, Marlowe & Company, 245 West 17th Street, 11th floor, New York, NY 10011-5300, marlowepub.com

La Dolce Vegan by Sarah Kramer, $24.95, 334 pgs, Arsenal Pulp Press, 341 Water Street, Suite 200?Vancouver, BC V6B 1B8, arsenalpulp.com

Hot Damn and Hell Yeah: Recipes for Hungry Banditos by Ryan Splint, $5, Microcosm Publishing, 5307 N. Minnesota Ave, Portland, OR 97217, microcosmpublishing.com