Coscarelli - Chloes vegan Italian kitchen: 150 pizzas, pastas, pestos, risottos, & lots of creamy Italian classics

In my heaven, you drink pesto sauce with a straw and include noodles on the breakfast table. And while I love dining out at Italian restaurants, whether fancy and romantic or casual family style, there is something about home-cooked Italian food that cannot be replaced. Ordering vegan at Italian restaurants often means pasta marinara or pizza without the cheese. But in Chloes Vegan Italian Kitchen, you can find recipes for creamy . Thats right, these recipes are all vegan ! So let me back it up a little. Eating vegan means avoiding meat, fish, dairy, and eggs.

This means no artery-clogging animal fats or greasy, cheesy dishes that put you into a food coma. My vegan recipes use unprocessed, healthy, plant-based ingredients that are good for your body and kinder to our sweet animal friends. In other words, you can feel great while you stuff your face! WHAT? Are you crazy ? Is meatless, cheeseless Italian food even possible? You bet! I come from a hungry Italian family, and we take our pasta very seriously. Ive taken family recipes from generations back and veganized them into their most delicious meat- and dairy-free form. I also put my own Italian twist on some American classics like onion rings, quesadillas, and more! My family is originally from the Calabria region of southern Italy. However, our roots are Sicilian, as the most distant ancestor we can trace is Caterina Palermo, who was born in 1683 in Sicily.

My great-grandfather Angelo Coscarelli emigrated from Lago to escape being drafted into the Italian Army during World War I. Though born Angelo Coscarella, upon arriving at Ellis Island and then ultimately settling in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he changed his name to Coscarelli. Ironically, immediately upon arrival in the States, Angelo was drafted into the U.S. Army and served honorably as a doughboy in WWI. My great-grandmother Antoinette Petrone Coscarelli was the original chef of our family. Her great holiday meals are legendary.

From her small kitchen in her home on Mount Washington, she literally worked around the clock to prepare the feasts for our large extended family. The meals would last all day. We would sit at the grand dining room table for breakfast and before we got up, Aunt Gilda was bringing out the lunch dishes. We spent hours at that table! The dishes she was known for include fried zucchini; a terrific fresh tomato salad with onions, garlic, and parsley; and amazing fresh pastas. Many of her recipes have been veganized for this book. Antoinette had her own home vegetable garden in the yard and her favorite was fresh Swiss chard.

With that bit of history out of the way, here are my three promises to you: 1. Every recipe is super easy. If you have any questions along the way, just contact me on Twitter or Facebook for help. I am with you in your kitchen! 2. Your friends and family wont believe your cooking is vegan. Ive tested these recipes at some two hundred dinner parties, and the response is always, Are you sure theres no cheese in this? 3.

Vegan Italian food is a love potion. Ive cooked my way into so many peoples hearts with these recipes. There is no gesture more sincere than a home-cooked Italian dinner for a parent, child, neighbor, or potential love interest (it works like a charm!). My recipes were made for you with love, so cook them with love, and watch people devour them with smiles on their saucy faces. Whether youre a pro chef or have never boiled water before, bravissimo for picking up this book and following your foodie dreams. So relax, grab yourself a sous chefwhether it be your dog or a glass of vinoand turn your kitchen into Trattoria da (insert your name)! Con amore, Chloe