The Skinnygirl Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life    by Bethenny Frankel Order:  USA  Can Fireside, 2009 (2009) Softcover, e-Book Read an Excerpt     Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth Bethenny Frankel, in her sequel to Naturally Thin, makes the case that it's okay to overindulge as long as you make up for it in the next meal. Better yet, in The Skinnygirl Dish, she shows how to remake your favorite foods using substitutes for many of the ingredients and ending up with dishes that are, many times, better than the original. Here and there in the book, Bethenny sounds a bit self-aggrandizing as she mentions all her various pursuits. But she does have some wonderful ideas. Her main thrust is to encourage us all to try things. Get creative as we cook. If it doesn't work out, it's a loss. Don't moan and groan. Throw the failure away and move on. But she has discovered some really good dishes by simply experimenting. Try adding soy milk to a recipe. Or seasoned salt, maybe garlic, instead of regular salt. Try eliminating as much fat as possible while still allowing the other ingredients to hold together. Substitute wheat or oat flour for white. Use egg whites to eliminate the yolk with its cholesterol. Frankel has no objection to store-bought foods. She says, 'Don't be a hero.' Every dish on your guest menu doesn't have to be home made from scratch. Take advantage of what's out there and then dress it up with your own innovations. Plan ahead. Make the dishes that will hold two to three days before a party. Then reheat and get out of the kitchen and enjoy your guests. She shares some of her favorite recipes, all the while reminding us that they are not carved in stone. They can be varied with substitutions. For instance: Guilt Free Artichoke and Spinach Dip. Possibly use feta or blue cheese instead of cream cheese. Or Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise. Try part-skim cottage cheese instead of ricotta. Her ideas seem to fly. Her imagination knows no bounds when it comes to food. She doesn't claim to be perfect nor does she expect her readers to be either. She also doesn't believe in owning every kitchen gadget ever made. A list of what is in her kitchen is presented along with the basics in her pantry - she seems to really like her immersion blender. Take her advice - start with her recipes and experiment on your own. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews