Better Than Vegan: 101 Favorite Low-Fat, Plant-Based Recipes That Helped Me Lose Over 200 Pounds

by Del Sroufe, Glen Merzer (With)

Eating healthy just got a whole lot easier.

The science is very clear. A whole-foods, plant-based diet is the healthiest possible way to eat—but veganism itself doesn't mean health, as Chef Del Sroufe, author of the New York Times bestseller Forks Over Knives—The Cookbook , knows better than anyone. Sroufe managed to reach 475 pounds while eating a vegan diet rich in pastries, peanut butter, and potato chips. After converting to a vegan diet with minimal processed foods, sugars and added oils, he lost more than 240 pounds without giving up great food.

In Better than Vegan , Sroufe provides more than a hundred recipes that prove that the healthiest diet can also be the most delicious. Included in Better than Vegan are dishes such

• Portobello Wraps with Spicy Asian Slaw
• Gnocchi
• Three Sisters Enchiladas
• Lemon Berry Sorbet

In Better Than Vegan , Sroufe tells his remarkable personal journey of how he went on to lose hundreds of pounds on a healthy vegan diet and then shares the kinds of meals (with no oil and low in fat and sugar) that restored him to health.

With photographs by Robert Metzger and coauthored by Mad Cowboy coauthor Glen Merzer, Better Than Vegan offers healthy and professional cooking tips with nutritional advice to help you achieve the optimal vegan diet.

Genres: Cookbooks, Vegan, Health, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Chef Del Sroufe is co-owner and executive chef of Wellness Forum Foods, a whole-food, plant-based meal delivery and catering service in Columbus, Ohio. He is the author of Forks Over Knives – The Cookbook and Better Than Vegan. Del teaches cooking classes and helps people transition to a healthy plant-based diet.

—from https://www.forksoverknives.com/contr...

Reviews

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a lot of cookbooks. Lately I've been growing tired of vegan cookbooks, because it's always the same old tired line of recipes, same old tired line of ingredients. There are a few exceptions, such as Chef Chloe Coscarelli's work. I was excited to stumble across this book via the Forks Over Knives & Engine 2 sites. I'm going to add this book to the list of cookbooks that has me excited and energized to cook through.

Chef Del Sroufe has a fresh take on recipes that is inspiring. In most cookbooks, it's rare to find a recipe without oil in it. This book has no oil. NONE. I love it. Further, he avoids the "soaking cashews" exceedingly high-fat answer to every base sauce that most vegan cookbooks and sites are using these days. Seriously, I have to be pretty motivated to soak cashews and so far, I haven't been motivated enough. The furthest I've gotten is to BUY the cashews.

Sroufe's go-to white sauce is pureed cauliflower and I can't wait to try that this weekend. Steam, puree, season at will - that's it. So far, I'm in love with this cookbook. I highly recommend this as a read and cook option for someone looking for a non-fat vegan cookbook. Love it.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

After spending the year transitioning to a plant-based diet, I thought I'd gotten as healthy a diet as I could. WRONG! Del Sroufe was a vegan for years and managed to eat himself up to over 400 pounds. Without even trying, it's possible to still have a high fat, high sugar diet without animal products. Those addictions can still be thriving under the auspices of healthy eating. I know my own have. Ever tried a vegan everything cookie from the Whole Foods bakery? They are delicious. I was up to a pattern of 2-a-day before I realized what was happening.
Del, a vegan chef, came to realize that fat and sugar will still pack on the pounds without the meat dairy along for the ride. By eliminating added fats, reducing the sugars and capitalizing on the natural flavors of foods, Del lost 200lbs! He also enjoyed the food he was eating. I'm excited to try many of his recipes and continue to make over my foods of choice.
If you've read Forks Over Knives, you have an idea where this book is headed. Del was the primary author of the Forks Over Knives Cookbook.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Vegan book was a real eye opener. I did not realize that eating Vegan could cause a person to eat all the wrong things; and despite eating only plant based food, you can still gain weight if you don't make the right choices.

Chef Sroufe has included some fantastic recipes that will help you incorporate high fiber and low-fat Vegan foods into your life. Some absolutely great recipes including some that are very versatile. The Cauliflower Puree is one example as it can be used in soups, dips and more. The added bonus is that you can lose weight, feel great and your doctor will be so happy with your blood work results. Love this book!

[Angie Kennedy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the info and writing style, there just weren't any recipes I could see myself making and eating. Lots of vegan versions of things I didn't want to eat before. I will try some of the author's other cookbooks.

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some nice recipes in it, Del Sroufe is a great cook I think. Funny how he ate himself big with vegan food, but he lost weight after that by just eating the right stuff.

[Darcie DiBasio · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is somehow worse than Forks Over Knives, that basic beginner idea-of-eating-vegan book without much in the way of flavor or cooking.

I didn't add them up and divide, but it looks like this book should have been called "CAULIFLOWER MADNESS" instead of "better" than anything: page after page after page after page of bland cauliflower recipes, where the cauliflower is simply dumped into every single thing for no reason other than icking it up with icky steamed cauliflower and gas flavor.

The lack of flavor, the lack of doing anything for texture, the mundane recipes and ick textures, I just couldn't even find one thing that other cookbooks - like the VERY old out of print "Weimar Institute's Newstart Lifestyle Cookbook" by Christenson and De Vries, or the also out of print "Give Them Something Better" by Sara Frain and Stephanie Howard -- didn't do better.

It looks like he just found excuses to put steamed cauliflower in everything, from soups to dips to casseroles and breakfast foods. Without much in the way of flavor and blase methods, this is the kind of book that would turn people off to vegan food before they even started.

One thing: I am glad I only paid $2.50 for this awful cauliflower-love book. But I'm not donating it: no, it isn't anything I'd want to foist on others and give veganism a bad name. I have a use for it, shredded and used underneath mulch in my garden.

[Shelley Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful simple ingredients and flavorful!! I am new to plant based eating and jumping in head first. I also appreciated his personal story with his struggle to lose weight. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cooking that’s plant based. I chose 5 stars because this was an easy read and simple yet entertaining to read. It also encouraged me to keep going past two weeks on my plant based diet

Wonderful simple ingredients and flavorful!! I am new to plant based eating and jumping in head first. I also appreciated his personal story with his struggle to lose weight. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cooking that’s plant based. I chose 5 stars because this was an easy read and simple yet entertaining to read. It also encouraged me to keep going past two weeks on my plant based diet

[Angie Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, this is my man. The first 67 pages just explain about eating a whole foods plant based diet (no oil and limit any/all forms of sugar/sweeteners unless using whole fruit for added sweetness) and the many mistakes people make by being vegetarian or vegan. Stop getting hung up on the names, just eat good fresh food that you prepare, so you know exactly what you are eating. Try organic produce when available (its good for the planet, too).

[Matt Speer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chef Del is a vegan who ballooned up to nearly 500 pounds, but then figured out his dietary problems and now has his weight under control. This is what I need to do… stop my weight gain and get back on track losing weight… but to be successful I’ve got to determine what foods to eat, how much and how often, to keep my hunger satisfied… or I don’t think I can be successful. Learning about and trying to live this vegan diet/lifestyle is tough. I just hope I’m not making a mistake with my health.

[Sherri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay read

Typical "come to vegan" story. However it is a good depiction of how simply avoiding eating animal products does guarantee a healthy lifestyle. I have not tried any of the recipes. I may use a few of the soup recipes as a starter to make different soups. As I typically make soup weekly I need a few new ideas.

[Tonya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay

Some ingredients would be hard for me to find but overall this cookbook looks okay, but there is not much about losing weight.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting!!!

This is the first time I've heard Del's story. I know how it feels to be overweight so I felt for him. His recipes of course are awesome.

[Therese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cannot wait to try these recipes...so EXCITED!!!

[Christiane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Del's life experience has helped him successfully translate his love of a tasty meal to cooking tasty and compliant plant-based meals. A guide you can trust to create good whole food cooking skills.

[Jason McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book if you are looking for low-fat plant-based food. I loved the personal story from the chef.

[Gayle Pritchard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I borrowed this from the library to read, and now I can't wait to buy it. I liked Forks Over Knives from Chef Del, but love be this one even better. There's are great, super-healthy recipes fir everything, from gravies and sauces the his famous "Beast." This one will be in weekly use in my kitchen.

[B.H. Alsop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best vegan cookbook ever!

How to eat well with flavor and no fat, save the planet and the animals, and live happily ever after!

[Jenn Forte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book begins with an easy-reading, understandable explanation of the concepts that the author uses to create his recipes. His approach is based on the same research that Neal Barnard, Caldwell Esselstyn and Dr. MacDougall has published, although he doesn't name them personally for the most part. Still, in layman's terms this is very understandable for someone who just wants to cook food that adheres to these principles. He also approaches it from the level of someone who is cooking the foods rather than doing the research, which I think has a definite place in today's food writing/recipe books. He also makes the excellent point that it's quite easy to eat unhealthy foods and still remain vegan, which is definitely a frequently overlooked principle of veganism.

The recipes that follow are great! The sauces section got me hooked; the recipes are unique from other cookbooks I've read and they all looked like things I want to try! Each section contains recipes that I want to try, and the ingredients lists are generally simple and contain foods that are available at the local grocery store. The only things that are used that are less "normal" are nutritional yeast and occasionally egg replacer, but those are not that difficult to find nowadays and can be ordered online through Amazon if the reader can't find them locally.

I greatly look forward to trying many of the recipes in this book. Just reading the ingredients lists made me salivate! The only thing keeping me from giving this recipe book 5 stars is that I don't believe this will have long-term classic status. It has a place on many peoples' shelves but it's not necessarily something that will be a 'everybody should own this' cookbook like the Moosewood cookbook or the Veganomicon.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been fascinated for this book for awhile based on the real-life chef author’s story. I understand how fattening certain foods can be, but to get up to nearly 500 pounds on a vegan diet seems crazy. At least he was able to identify his problem areas and create a diet to work around these issues. He outlines 10 Dietary Mistakes that people make (which I do agree with), which include: Excessive fat of any sort, Excessive saturated fat, Excessive protein, especially animal protein, Cholesterol, Overly Processed Foods, Concentrated Sugars, Insufficient Fiber, Insufficient Water Intake, and Insufficient phytochemical intake (these help fight cancer and protect the body against various things, boost the immune system etc). I do think I am intrigued with some of the recipes though, as I think I could incorporate some of them into my rotation. I’d like to try his Ginger-Miso Dressing, Cream of Mushroom Soup, Sweet Potato-Brown Rice Pudding, and Fig Deltons (his version of Fig Newtons).

[LemontreeLime · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting, because of the way Chef Del approached the whole system of cooking. Almost 1/2 of the recipes in this depended on your having made a batch of either your own date syrup or cauliflower puree, and using that to sub out other items with higher sugar or calorie counts. I could see this being a lifesaver for someone trying to go vegan on a budget, you can make it all yourself, and still get to stay all whole food based. I will definitely try a few of these recipes and see how it goes. (since I'm not vegan... I just know vegans tend to have the best veggie recipes, so I tend to lurk around their cookbooks.)

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

My friend gifted me a copy of this book, I went gluten free vegan last year and have been gaining weight like crazy. I fell in love with the intro of this book and could relate to everything mentioned. I can understand where he is coming from and was amazed at how real it was. I found myself going yes,yes i know what you mean. My mouth was watering the entire time I read the recipes. Jalapeno mayo and black bean burgers, real food that sounded delicious! I can't wait to try these.

[HadiDee]

Remarkably honest personal essay. It doesn't surprise me that a person can put on a chunk of weight while vegan; I cook a lot of vegan food but can never bring myself to make vegan desserts because the recipes are too full of fat and sugar. But kudos to Del Scoufe for sorting his weight issues out and many thanks for some great fat free vegan recipes that work.

[Allie108 · Rating 3 out of 5]

It appears to be a well done book. I have trouble digesting bell peppers and tomatoes, and he leans heavily on those, after his cauliflower base. I'm sure with a little work, I can modify some of these to work for my body, and I see that I will need to do some work arounds to use most of these recipes.

[Miekenoor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A real chef. Lots of tips. He is Co author of the forks over knives cookbook. He tells his own story in this book and that takes a lot of pages. After that the recipes. These recipes introduced me to making vegan style recipes on my own.

[Dian Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written from the perspective of a professional chef, I enjoyed this book. He had a lot of wonderful suggestions and used items I'd never heard of so I don't know that I'll be able to try them but it was inspiring and the food sounded delicious.

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting recipes that seem doable.

[Erneilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few good recipes but still too much reliance on oils.

[Ruth Ann]

Great recipes.

[Hilde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very honest account of his own experience. I’m not a vegan but I’ll definitely try some of his recipes.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Great book.