IN THEIR 2005 book "Skinny Bitch" ($14, Running Press), Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin used tough-girl 'tude (and potty-mouth language) to try to convince folks they'd get thin by going vegan and cutting out "gross vices" like soda ("liquid Satan"), sugar and booze. Now, the gals, who insist that "drinking equals fat-pig syndrome" and "coffee is for pussies," are back with "Skinny Bitch in the Kitch" ($15, Running Press), a collection of vegan recipes like fake crab cakes and no-fowl "chicken" soup.

» EXPRESS: How'd you guys come to veganism?
» BARNOUIN: Rory did it first, and she saw how horribly I'd eat. I'd eat things out of a can, fast-food. But eight years ago it clicked. The more I changed my diet, the better I felt.
» FREEDMAN: I used to eat meat. Then I saw a magazine with photos of slaughterhouses about 14 years ago, and I decided to never to eat another cow, pig or chicken. I thought, "This is going to suck." Then I couldn't believe how much more energy I had!

» EXPRESS: Why write in such a sassy tone?
» BARNOUIN: It's the way we talk to each other as friends. I'm always studying nutrition books, and usually they're just not written in a compelling way. We thought humor would be a way to hold people's attention.

» EXPRESS: What kind of misconceptions do people have about vegans?
» FREEDMAN: That it's all sprouts, rocks and sand.
» BARNOUIN: They don't think vegans are normal — they think we're hippie crazy people. Really, this way of eating does so much for the environment and animals. We're trying to make it a little more mainstream.

» EXPRESS: How does going vegan make you thin?
» FREEDMAN: If you're eating right, I think your weight just sorts itself out.
» BARNOUIN: On our Web site (skinnybitch.net), we keep hearing people have lost everything from 10 lbs. to 80 lbs. Readers say giving up dairy and soda helped them lose weight and cleared up their skin.

» EXPRESS: What's so bad about dairy anyhow?
» FREEDMAN: Go two weeks without dairy, then eat a piece of pizza. You'll see a difference. It'll give you stomach pains and make you feel lethargic.

» EXPRESS: What if somebody want to see health benefits but not go completely vegan?
» BARNOUIN: Give up the soda, especially diet soda! There's just nothing in there that you need.

» EXPRESS: OK, you must miss some foods from your past lives, right?
» BARNOUIN: I never really had cravings. But dairy is hands-down the hardest thing to give up. There's an addicting substance in cheese!
» FREEDMAN: Yeah, and there are only one or two vegan cheeses that melt well. If someone wants to make a lot of money, they should go after that.

» EXPRESS: Any secrets to good vegan recipes?
» BARNOUIN: I really believe in spices. They can honestly bring dishes to another level. I mean, tofu alone doesn't taste like anything. But put it in a blender with seasonings, and you won't focus as much on what's missing.

» EXPRESS: What's the biggest challenge for vegan cooks?
» FREEDMAN: There's a learning curve. You need to know the substitutes — like there's an egg replacement product that does what eggs do, and you can use soy milk instead of cow's milk.
» BARNOUIN: There aren't that many vegan cookbooks out there. That's why we did the second book. We wanted people to know they could eat chocolate cake and meatloaf and still be vegan.

Photo by Tim Van Orden

Posted by Jennifer Barger at 12:01 AM on December 11, 2007
Tagged in Books , Fit , Lifestyles , Top Stories