The Skinnygirl Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life » (Original)

Bethenny Frankel began her TV career in 2005 when she earned the title of ?break-out star? on NBC's Martha Stewart Apprentice and finished as runner-up in the competition. After graduating from The Natural Gourmet Institute for Health & Culinary Arts in New York, Bethenny created bethennybakes®, a company that offers a line of wheat, egg and dairy free baked goods. She now highlights her healthy lifestyle as one of the stars of The Real Housewives of NYC on Bravo.

Join Bethenny on the Skinnygirl journey and learn how to cook fearlessly and make the food you love that fits your lifestyle

In her New York Times bestseller Naturally Thin, Bethenny Frankel shares her ten real-life rules for enjoying healthful natural foods and escaping the diet trap. Now, in The Skinnygirl Dish, Bethenny joins you in the kitchen and shows you how to stop the "cooking noise" and put an end to the anxiety about how and what to cook and eat. The Skinnygirl dishes on how anyone can:

• Get in touch with your "inner chef" and make the Skinnygirl philosophy yours

• Use Bethenny's list of kitchen essentials and the core concept of using what you have at hand to enjoy creating healthy, satisfying meals

• Take your basic cooking skills to the next level with practical tips for saving time, money, and sanity

• Make personalized gourmet recipes from celebrity chefs, including Bobby Flay and Top Chef stars Lee Anne Wong, Hosea Rosenberg, and Ariane Duarte

• Light up — and lighten up — holidays and special occasions with tips and recipes for throwing the perfect, stress-free party

Over sixty recipes become more than a thousand recipes with Bethenny's "Use What You Have" substitution charts. Enjoy Breakthrough Breakfasts, Delicious Dinners, Simple Snacks, To-Die-For Desserts, and Skinnygirl Cocktails, plus tips to turn almost any dish into a vegetarian delight. With the famous wit and real-world sensibility that made her a breakout star, Bethenny reveals her kitchen adventures and inspires readers to cook the Skinnygirl way with taste and style.

Publishers Weekly

Frankel (Naturally Thin), star of Bravo's The Real Housewives of New York City, pre-sents a healthful, no-nonsense approach to eating and cooking. Comparing food to a wardrobe, she advises readers to “know what classics to have on hand.” Then, she adds, “accessorize” with items like pine nuts or sun-dried tomatoes. Frankel's book is divided in three parts: the first (“The Skinny”) explains her methods and philosophy; the second includes recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks; and the third part offers tips for holidays and special occasions. Frankel teaches how to “think like a chef,” urging readers to use the ingredients they have in their own kitchens. In fact, the 60 recipes presented become more than 1,000 with the substitution charts Frankel provides. For instance, when roasting chicken, the author suggests opting for turnip or parsnip instead of carrot; when mixing up tuna salad, sprinkle with capers; or adding pesto or horseradish to mayo for “personality.” Frankel describes her recipes as “instructional and conversational rather than authoritarian,” and encourages experimentation. She also helps readers organize and streamline their kitchens, and allows such shortcuts as boxed stock or prepared piecrusts. This fun, engaging, and easy-to-follow guide will be welcomed enthusiastically by Frankel's fans. (Jan.)

Introduction: What's the Skinnygirl Dish? xi

Part 1 The Skinny

1 How I Cook and How to Make It Yours 3

2 Show Me Your Kitchen and I'll Show You Mine 14

3 The Skinnygirl Chef's Essential Kitchen Rules 33

4 Use What You Have: Core Concepts 49

5 Learn from My Kitchen Blunders 58

6 Channeling Your Inner Chef 67

Part 2 What To Make: Recipes, Conversations, and Inspiration

7 Breakfast Breakthroughs 85

8 Light Lunches 101

9 Delicious Dinners 128

10 Snacking Simplified 158

11 Skinnygirl Drinks and Cocktails 166

12 Skinnygirl Desserts to Die for 178

Part 3 Skinnygirl Special Features

13 Lightened-Up Holidays and Special Occassions 201

14 How to Throw a Skinnygirl Party 223

15 Top Chefs, Skinnygirl Recipes 248

Epilogue 283

Acknowledgments 285

Index 247