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12 Cookbooks Penned by LGBT Chefs for LGBT History Month

October is LGBT History Month. It's also a month that celebrates a diverse selection of our favorite foods. Members of the LGBT community (along with women and people of color) have been historically underrepresented in the food industry, so this month seemed like a perfect opportunity to profile some of the awesome cookbooks penned by LGBT chefs. From vegetarian, to international cuisine, to decadent desserts, these chefs are all making a name for themselves, making history, and making some good eats.

Try Meatless Mondays!

In addition to LGBT History Month, October is also World Vegetarian Awareness Month. There are many reasons one might decide to eliminate meat from their diet, whether for health, love of animals, or sustainability. If you are interested in trying it out (even just one day a week), we've got some ideas for you. Cordon Bleu-trained Israeli-English chef Yotam Ottolenghi offers up 120 vibrant and innovative vegetable recipes in Plenty, like Harissa and Beets with Preserved Lemon.

Brooklyn-based veg cook and writer Lukas Volger's Bowl gives you flavorful vegetarian versions of America's favorite one-dish meals like Ramen, Bibimbap, and Dumplings.

And finally, the couple that cooks together stays together, as demonstrated by husbands Adam Merrin and Ryan Alvarez. Their delightful Husbands Who Cook serves up 120 fresh and delicious recipes they developed in their tiny California kitchen, like Peanut Lime Noodles with Roasted Broccoli and Potato Kale Enchiladas.

Get Saucy With Your Flavors!

Expand your comfort zone with these culturally infused cuisines. In her Juhu Beach Club Cookbook, James Beard nominee Preeti Mistry draws from her Indian background to create flavor-forward dishes like Coconut Tamarind Curry.

Two-time Chopped winner Lazarus Lynch calls on his Southern and Caribbean roots to bring you his soul food bible, Son of a Southern Chef. Shrimp and Crazy Creamy Cheddar Grits, anyone?

For an education on the old world Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine, as well as some fresh new recipes, try The Gefilte Manifesto by Liz Alpern and Jeffrey Yoskowitz, founders of the Gefilteria pop-up restaurant.

Bone Up Your Daily Cooking Routine

Cooking on a budget? Short on time? Culinarily challenged? If you are suffering from one or more of these conditions, we have the prescription! In Cooking on a Bootstrap, food writer and activist Jack Monroe delivers more than 100 delicious recipes that won't break the bank. She also provides a set of nifty money-saving tips for producing beautiful, affordable food, like Fluffy Berry Pancakes and Marmite Mac 'n' Cheese.

For a set of 400 simple, straightforward recipes, check out Small Victories by Julia Turshen. With recipes like Roasted Red Pepper and Pear Soup and Turkey Ricotta Meatballs, the book also includes many tips and techniques for efficient, successful food preparation.

Fans of the Netflix show Queer Eye have seen Antoni Porowski in action helping cooks of all levels learn how to be more confident and successful in the kitchen. Antoni in the Kitchen offers that same sort of support with a set of easy—yet impressive—recipes like Malaysian Chili Shrimp and Salty Lemon Squares.

Sweeten the Deal

Everyone can agree that pie is good, right? Or if you don't like pie, then cake? Ice cream? Brownies? Whatever your sweet tooth desires, there's something here for you. With The New Pie, discover more than 75 beautiful and unique versions of the classic American dessert. With fun names like King Fluffernutter Pie and Pie of the Tiger, these recipes created by award-winning baking couple Chris Taylor and Paul Arguin will delight pie connoisseurs and bakers at any level.

If you like your pie a la mode, you can make your own custom topping with The Perfect Scoop by Paris-based chef David Lebovitz. He introduces an assortment of frozen treats from the traditional (Chocolate Sorbet) to the avant-garde (Pear-Pecorino Ice Cream).

For a more broad selection of sweet treats, try Bake From Scratch, Vol. 3, a collection of some of the best recipes presented in the popular magazine of the same name. Curated by Bake From Scratch editor Brian Hart Hoffman, this compilation has been called the home baker's ultimate resource.

If you're anything like us, you're feeling pretty hungry by now. Hopefully one of these great cookbooks can help satisfy your appetite! But this is just a handful of the terrific LGBT chefs and food writers who are bringing needed diversity to the art of fine dining. Let us know if we've missed any of your favorites, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily book recommendations, book news, and more.

Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon