On the holidays, invite your friends to experience the best of pure vegetarian cuisine.

Friends of Animals’ Dining With Friends: The Art of North American Vegan Cuisine cookbook has drawn accolades for recipes as enjoyable to eat as they are to prepare.

This cookbook is perfect for every day, and for holiday meal planning.

With an emphasis on fresh, organic produce, the keynote is variety. Here you’ll find a traditional recipe for apple sauce, sweetened with natural agave nectar, and plenty of ideas for entertaining, such as the Walnut Pear Salad with Celery Seed Dressing, Tempeh London Broil, and the Grilled Tofu (shown below).

“I made the Grilled Tofu on page 84. This is honestly the most mouth-watering tofu I have ever had. I have half a pound still marinating in the refrigerator and it takes all my willpower not to grill it up and stuff myself silly.

“I’ve attached a picture of the tofu on soba noodles and a bed of spinach — all are organic.

“Bon appétit.”

— Daniel

As noted in the Foreword by John Robbins, author of the bestsellers Diet for a New World and The Food Revolution:

“It’s full of recipes that are indeed healthful, delicious, aesthetically pleasing, and sure to delight friends or family with wonderful memories for years to come. But what’s more, these excellent recipes are made entirely from plant foods “¦ so you can prepare and serve these recipes, comfortable and happy in knowing that you have in your hand the key to bringing your meals into alignment with your sense of compassion.”

Dining With Friends doesn’t mean giving up attractive foods. They’re here, from delicious lasagne recipes and pesto dishes to classic desserts. Recipes for Chocolate Marble Cheesecake, Summer Blueberry Cake, or Key Lime Pie will enable you to create desserts to rival the best chefs’ creations.

Dining With Friends, reviewed in the Vegetarian Times magazine and elsewhere, includes elegant photos and makes the perfect gift for vegetarian, health buff, and social activist alike.

If you choose one cookbook this year, let it be Dining With Friends: The Art of North American Vegan Cuisine.

Dining With Friends: The Art of North American Vegan Cuisine &@copy; 2005 by Priscilla Feral, Lee Hall & Friends of Animals

168 pages with approximately 130 recipes; color photographs; $19.95. Order from Friends of Animals at 203.656.1522 or order online.