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The Skinny Diet gets big press

The Skinny Diet has catapulted to popularity, or at least piqued a lot of curiosity. The Skinny Diet has turned into an Internet sensation thanks to the book “Skinny Bitch” by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin.

“Skinny Bitch” outlines The Skinny Diet, which is a vegan, organic diet. Barnouin is a former model, and she promotes The Skinny Diet as a way to “stop eating crap and start looking fabulous!”

Going vegan

This book reviewer explains The Skinny Diet pretty well:

With the Skinny Diet, there’s no calorie counting to worry about. You can eat all the organic fruits, veggies, whole grains, and natural food you want.

However, you can forget about eating any meat, fish, dairy, eggs, sugar, artificial sweeteners, refined flour, caffeine, diet sodas, and any other food or drink that contains chemicals.

Based on that explanation, my question is: “What do you need the book for?”

Put your credit card away

So, to save you from getting cash advances to come up with the money to buy “Skinny Bitch” or “Skinny Bitch in the Kitchen,” I’ve got some tips for you. There is a plethora of information on veganism and eating natural, organic foods available for free on the Internet.

In fact, I’ll even get you started with some web sites and recipes.

Fat-Free Vegan Recipes

If you want to run full force with The Skinny Diet, otherwise known as going vegan, start with web site Fatfree Vegan Recipes. It’s common knowledge that you need to have some fat in your diet, so don’t eat dishes only from Fatfree Vegan Recipes.

This week web site Fatfree Vegan Recipes features “No Queso Quesadillas.” Here is the recipe:

No Queso Quesadillas

Sauce:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup lowfat soymilk
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon stoneground mustard
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon tahini

2 tablespoons salsa
4 6-inch whole wheat tortillas

optional fillings: spinach, mushrooms, olives, peppers, onions, potatoes, black beans, etc.

Directions:

Put all sauce ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a medium non-stick saucepan, add the salsa, and stir as you bring to a boil. Reduce heat and continue to cook, stirring, for at least 2 minutes after boiling. Sauce should be thick and smooth. Set aside.

Heat a large, non-stick skillet. Place 1 tortilla in the skillet and cook until brown spots begin to appear on the bottom. Flip over. Spread half of the “cheese” over the tortilla. (If you are adding any other fillings place them on top of the cheese.) Cover with another tortilla. Cover pan and cook for a minute or two, until the bottom tortilla is golden browned. Carefully flip the whole thing over and cook until the bottom tortilla has browned. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into four triangles with a pizza cutter.

Turns out, this recipe is not actually fat free, but it’s close. The author says the tortillas had 3 grams of fat each.

The Vegan Chef

If you want to get fancy, check out The Vegan Chef. Here a recipe for an appetizer from that web site:

Eggplant Caviar

1 lb. eggplant
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup green pepper, destemmed, deseeded, and diced
1 1/2 T. olive oil, divided
1/3 cup green onion, sliced
1 T. garlic, minced
1 T. lemon juice
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. freshly ground black pepper
2 T. pine nuts
2 T. black olives, sliced

Directions:

Using a fork, prick the skin of the eggplant in a few places. Place the eggplant on a non-stick cookie sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until soft and starting to collapse. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and set aside to cool. In a non-stick skillet, saute the mushrooms and green peppers in the olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the green onion and garlic, and saute an additional 3-5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Allow vegetables to cool for 5 minutes.

Carefully remove the stem, and cut the eggplant in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scrape the soft flesh of the eggplant into a food processor or blender. Discard the skin of the eggplant. Add the sauteed vegetables, along with the lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and blend until smooth. Taste and add additional lemon juice, salt, or pepper, if needed. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl. Place the pine nuts on a cookie sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 3-5 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant. Decorate the top of the eggplant caviar with the sliced olives and sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts. Serve with your choice of vegetables, crackers, bread slices, or pitas.

There’s more out there!

Long story short, save yourself some money by reading up on veganism for free online, and skip buying “Skinny Bitch” to read about The Skinny Diet.