Eating plant-based couldn’t be easier, especially with The China Study Cookbook in your tool belt.
The China Study Cookbook: 100 Plant-Based Recipes to Bring Your Family to the Plant-Based Table offers excellent guidance and recipes, making low-fat, whole foods, plant-based eating at any age a piece of cake. With recipes and tips, information and interviews, you will have what you need to get you and your family on the path to a healthy, delicious and satisfying way of eating.
A big thanks goes out to publishers BenBella Books for providing me with a review copy and one of the delicious recipes from the book to share with you here.
About Chef Del Sroufe
Author, Chef Del Sroufe discovered his love for cooking when he was eight years old and he’s been on a culinary journey ever since. He opened a vegan bakery, Del’s Bread in Columbus Ohio, started a vegan meal delivery service in 2001, and developed a popular cooking class series to share his awesome and healthy plant-based recipes.
He is the co-owner and chef at the Wellness Forum Foods. He found eating healthy vegan food has nourished his body, enriched his life and helped him overcome yo-yo dieting. After switching to a WFPB way of eating he lost over 200 pounds. He has been sharing his easy, delicious, healthy and satisfying vegan recipes so others can enjoy the benefits of a healthier lifestyle as well, without having to sacrifice enjoyment and flavor.
In The China Study Family Cookbook, Chef Del Sroufe has laid out a way for the whole family to enjoy and benefit from a healthy eating lifestyle with familiar favorites taking on a low fat, whole foods, plant-based twist.
Why Whole-Foods Plant-Based Lifestyle for Health
There’s a tremendous amount of research that supports the health-promoting affects of eating whole foods plant based. For more on the research, the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted, check out The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, PhD, and Thomas M. Campbell II, MD. and the documentary film, Forks Over Knives.
What I love about The China Study Cookbook
All the recipes are super healthy. Even the desserts have wholesome ingredients, no refined sugars, oils or other highly processed ingredients. They have the textures and favors that satisfy so you never feel like your missing out.
The simplicity of the recipes is also extremely appealing. They are easy to make. Most people will recognize the majority of the ingredients. Those new to plant-based, vegan food will be introduced to some wholesome vegan ingredients that you might find will rock your world. Also, you may find new ways of using the ingredients you may already be familiar with.
I love how Chef Del Sroufe incorporates recipes in other recipes too. You have probably a dozen recipes that stand alone, and also, when combined within other recipes, create a completely different meal. Make one of these foundational recipes (like the vegan cheese sauce) and you’ll be able to create a variety meals for days with minimal effort.
Family Time & Time-Saving Tips
There’s also variations on a theme. With 2 additional ingredients, the basic cheese sauce becomes a queso. These cheeses are used in numerous other recipes and referenced easily so you can jump around the cookbook easily, whipping up some yummy goodness in no time.
Other time-saving tricks make whipping up health, plant-based eats for your family a no-brainer. Our lives are busy and complicated enough, no need for food prep and mealtime to add to that.
With easy recipes that your family can take part in creating, you will have more quality time with your loved ones and can feel good about eating healthy together. Is it as simple as making a fast food run to McDonalds or Burger King? Yep pretty much! And saves money on gas and possibly health care costs down the road.
Roadmap for Plant-Based Eating for Families
You’ll find an introduction to the plant-based pantry, kitchen tools, health aspects of this way of eating, ideas for family dinners. It’s about mixing and matching (garanimals with food!). The China Study Cookbook shows you how creating meals together can be fun for the whole family. For example, with the at-home salad bar everyone can get in on the action.
Quick and Easy Basic Vegan Cheese Recipe
I absolutely love his vegan cheese recipe. It is healthy, easy to make, has very few ingredients and is delicious to boot! Also, when incorporated in other recipes, you can create different dishes, giving you endless variety. For these reasons, I am truly excited to get to share it here. A special thanks to BenBella Books publishers for providing us with this recipe to share.
Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipe
Makes about 2 1/2 cups
1 1/2 cups finely diced russet potatoes (about 1 medium potato)
1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons raw cashews
2 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
Combine the potato, bell pepper, onion, and cashews in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the potatoes are very tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the vegetables, reserving 3/4 cup of the cooking water.
Combine the potato mixture, reserved cooking water, tahini, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, arrowroot powder, and sea salt in a blender. Process on high until everything is smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Store the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.