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| Skinny Bitch in the Kitch: Kick-Ass Recipes for Hungry Girls Who Want to Stop Cooking Crap (and Start Looking Hot!) | 
 enlarge | Authors: Rory Freedman, Kim Barnouin
Publisher: Running Press
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $4.49
You Save: $10.46 (70%)
New (70) Used (37) from $3.60
Avg. Customer Rating:  80 reviews
Sales Rank: 688
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 192
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 7.2 x 5.2 x 0.9
ISBN: 0762431067
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.5636
EAN: 9780762431069
ASIN: 0762431067
Publication Date: December 3, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new, factory sealed, in our warehouse, and ships right now.
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Product Description
Skinny Bitches Can Bake Their Cake - And Eat it Too! Quit your bitching--they've heard you already! You read Skinny Bitch and it totally rocked your world. Now you want to know, "What can I cook that's good for me, but doesn't taste like crap?" Well, lucky for you, the Bitches are on the case. Self-proclaimed pigs, Rory and Kim understand all too well: Life without lasagna isn't a life worth living; chocolate cake is vital to our survival; and no one can live without mac `n cheese--no one. So can you keep to your SB standards and eat like a whale? Shit yeah, bitches. To prove it, Rory and Kim came up with some kick-ass recipes for every craving there is: -Bitchin' Breakfasts
-PMS (Pissy Mood Snacks)
-Sassy Soups and Stews
-Grown-up Appetizers
-Comfort Cookin'
-Hearty Ass Sandwiches
-Happy Endings (Desserts) And a ton more! They are all so good (and easy to make) you're gonna freak out. Seriously. What are you waiting for? Get your skinny ass in the kitchen!
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| Customer Reviews: Read 75 more reviews...
 Disappointing and not innovative December 10, 2007
214 out of 233 found this review helpful
I loved "Skinny Bitch." It was well researched and entertaining to read, and the information in it helped me revise my eating habits. Am I completely vegan? No. Have I eliminated most processed and refined crap from my diet and replaced it with "whole" foods? Yes. I also lost 22 pounds in 3 months, and didn't miss the crap.
I was excited for the cookbook to come out with the hopes that it would contain new, innovative recipes integrating the Skinny Bitch philosophy of health and eating. Instead, it is modified retreads of old recipes. "Chicken" recipes, caeser salad, quesadillas -- I really didn't need a cookbook to teach me how to make these recipes vegan. There is actually a recipe that calls for putting a veggie burger on a bun with lettuce and tomato. Not really innovative. . . basically the recipes are the same old stuff with modified ingredients. Reubens, onion rings, garlic fries, Denver "bitchlette" (omelet), if you don't know how to substitute, buy this book!
I was also surprised that no nutritional information is available for each recipe. I was also surprised at the use of regular russet potatoes in recipes. The book seems heavy on the starch recipes, and does not have innovations on how to incorporate more good veggies and fruits into the diet of people who would consume these recipes.
I have edited this review! My original review had a lot of negative comments about the use of coconut oil in the recipes, and concerns about saturated fat. Several folks sent comments directing me to more recent research/information on coconut oil, and it is not as bad as I thought! Thanks for the info. . .
Still don't like the cookbook, though!
Disappointing, if I had previewed it (instead of preordering it) I would never have purchased it!
waste of money December 10, 2007
118 out of 130 found this review helpful
I just got this book. I preordered it without seeing it first since I had already read "Skinny Bitches". Big mistake. Had I seen the recipes I wouldn't have purchased it. Most people could have figured out these "recipes" without this book. How to make a reuben-used vegan deli meat, want to make a hamburger-use a vegan burger, vegan cheese and vegan bun. I would say that about 85-90% of the recipes consist of a typical meat dish with a vegan meat replacement product. I was hoping for some more alternative recipes. In their book they talk a good talk about eating natural and healthy and here the recipes are mostly proccessed food (vegan cheeses, vegan meat products). I like a good veggie burger or fake chicken breast but not all the time. There are a few recipes with tofu, TVP and seitan,and a couple of lentil recipes. There were maybe two or three recipes that I would try. Spend your money on a real cookbook.
 Old recipes with new twists December 4, 2007
78 out of 91 found this review helpful
Well, I thought the recipes were fabulous, because I actually have *tried* the recipes. Yes, at first look at the titles, you'll think, 'oh jeez, I've made that a million times before as a vegetarian/vegan'. But they introduce lots of herbs and ingredients to regular vegetarian fare that makes you enjoy the flavor and want to continue to eat healthy, not just settling for vegan food for the vegan-ness of it. Last night I made the "beef" stew -- the one with the red wine and fresh rosemary. It was deeee-lish. I had to add a couple tablespoonds of dried thyme and you must cover while you simmer, but the recipe is very hearty and scrumptuous. I've also tried the caesar dressing, the one with the silken tofu, and it is very, very good. Enjoy!
 Better for basics/begginers December 14, 2007
25 out of 30 found this review helpful
To start with, this cookbook is based on a vegan diet.
Am I a vegan? No, I'm not even a vegetarian, and I don't intend on becoming either in the near future. However, I still feel that this book had some worth too it. Yes, the recipes are very basic in it, and most show you how to replace certain foods with other vegan food, which honestly, I would have no idea how to do as I have not had much experience in the kitchen, never mind that of a vegan diet which I have never followed. But, I am not totally clueless either when it comes to cooking, and I realize that this book will not be of much help to those looking for something a bit more advanced or innovative.
Honestly, this book really made me want to try some vegan food, and that is mainly what the authors want the reader to do. I give this book four stars for that reason. The only reason why I don't give it five is because it wasn't the most outstanding cookbook I've seen in terms of being challenging and such, but is still good enough to get one started with the basics.
An Introduction to Vegetarian Cooking April 29, 2008
22 out of 24 found this review helpful
The first book, "Skinny Bitch," shocked me into a new awareness of what I was eating. I decided to try the vegetarian lifestyle to see if it would work for me. I started by eating a few prepackaged meals (spring rolls with soy and a veggie pot pie) to jump-start my efforts. It took me about a week to gather the necessary ingredients. In the meantime I had veggie burritos at Taco Time and vegetable fajitas at a local Mexican restaurant.
You may find a health food store that stocks nutritional yeast flakes, Ener-G egg replacer and Bragg Liquid Aminos. In general this book uses safflower and olive oil. The truth of the matter is that many of the recipes call for coconut oil (a little expensive $10 for 414 ml), which may or may not work for you. I found it less appetizing in savory dishes and appropriate for sweet foods like cookies. It is easy to substitute olive oil for the coconut oil in some of the recipes like Hummus and Macaroni and Cheese. Why you would want coconut oil in those recipes is beyond my understanding.
The recipes are divided into interesting sections like Bitchin' Breakfast, PMS ( Pissy Mood Snacks), Grown-Up Appetizers, Sassy Soups and Stews, Skinny-Ass Salads, Hearty-Ass Sandwiches, International Bitch, Italian Bitch, Down Home Cookin', Skinny Bitch Staple Meals, Divine Dressings and Happy Endings. This book has a sassy style and is actually quite funny in places. Some of the more gourmet offerings include:
Pecan-crusted French Toast
Crabby Cakes with Remoulade Sauce
Potato and Pumpkin Curry with Brown Basmatic Rice
Penne with Butternut Squash, Sage Pesto, and Almonds
Roasted Sausage, Peppers, Onions, and Garlic over Soft Polenta
Balsamic Portobello Mushrooms over Grilled Vegetable Couscous
Since I was throwing myself into this vegetarian lifestyle with a sense of abandon I decided to try twelve recipes. I managed to make four of the recipes in one night without much trouble. The buttery shortbread cookies looked easy enough until I noticed the quantity of orange juice and knew it wouldn't work. So I decided to substitute 5 tablespoons soymilk for the 1 tablespoon orange juice. To get the crumb mixture to hold together you may need to add additional tablespoons of milk depending on where you live. The dough seemed to work best when the crumbed mixture was pressed together in small batches and then rolled out. Each time you just add some more crumbs to the top and proceed as normal. The recipe made 32 "Buttery Shortbread Cookies."
While the cookies were baking I made the "Marinated Tofu Feta" which was the easiest recipe in the book. I'd recommend only using half the tofu and using half the salt. It would have been helpful if the authors mentioned how long you could store the marinated tofu. Actually it tasted pretty good so you might eat it up fast in a few days.
Next I tackled a "Fruit Smoothie," which was easy enough. You may want to use orange juice with the "Very Berry" Smoothie. If you use soymilk be prepared to sweeten the drink. I blended in two tablespoons of rice syrup but you could also use a packet of stevia.
To end the night's testing spree I then made the "Green Goddess Pasta" for dinner. It was fairly easy to make except I have a few tips that will make it easier. To begin with, make sure the vegan butter you buy will actually melt. I tried using a Spectrum spread and it simply would not melt. So after tossing away the garlic and unmelted spread I ended up just using a stick of butter. You can do that if you are a Ovo-Lacto Vegetarian (you can then still eat eggs and dairy products if you choose - this book frowns on such behaviors and I totally understand why). I really tried to stay true to the recipes but haven't found a good vegan butter substitute. The pasta dish really allows for variation because you could technically use any type of pasta. I used an organic penne rigate and added the broccoli and zucchini a little ahead of the kale. I also didn't use any of the cooking water with the butter. That didn't sound like a good idea and the additional salt seemed too much since I was using salted butter.
The recipes I still want to try include:
French Scramble
Granola
"Chicken" Salad Sandwich (a substitute is easy to find in the frozen section of a health food store)
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Vanilla Cake with Frosting
Caesar Dressing (made with tofu)
Hummus, Tempeh, and Cucumber Wrap
Summer Garden Pasta
Since cooking from a new cookbook is always a little risky I felt that the evening's recipe testing session went quite well. I was happy with all the dishes and was ready to try more. I'm still sipping on my fruit smoothie for dessert and I have three dinners (the pasta dish makes four servings) frozen and ready to go for nights when I don't want to cook.
~The Rebecca Review
P.S. The Recipe Testing continues...
4/29/2008 - The "Quesadillas" are delicious and so easy to make. I think you will love the recipe.
4/30/2008 - The "Bitchtastic Brownies" are more like a dark chocolate pudding cake. Perhaps the recipe would work better if you just added more chocolate in place of the oil.
5/1/2008 - The "Apple Muffins (a variation of fruit and nut muffins)" are good straight out of the oven with some honey. The recipe calls for sucanat which doesn't seem to be as sweet as sugar.
5/2/2008 - Today I tried the Chocolate Pancakes, a variation on Basic Pancakes. They were so good I ate three. They are made with whole wheat flour but you would never know it. I would buy this book just for this one recipe. The "Chicken" Salad Sandwich is easy to make because you are using meatless chicken...therefore, no cooking! The Worthington Meatless Chicken Vegetarian Protein Slices worked well in this recipe.
5/6/2008 - The Quick Tortilla Pizzas are so gourmet with a roasted red pepper sauce and Kalamata olives. The pizza sauce is easy to make in a blender, no food processor needed. If you are in the mood, add three tablespoons of tomato paste to the sauce.
5/8/2008 - Today I made the chocolate chip cookies and couldn't believe how good they were even without eggs and butter. The recipe calls for coconut oil which is perfect with the chocolate chips. My husband even asked for a second cookie.
5/26/2008 - The carrot cake is delicious but I used melted butter in place of the oil. Also, use 1 cup of carrots instead of two - I think there is a mistake in the recipe as two carrots make one cup not two. You can also safely make 1/2 the cream cheese frosting. The problem with the frosting recipe is that it doesn't call for any soy milk and I had to add 1/4 cup soy milk to make the frosting creamy.
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