Pirello - Back to the cutting board: luscious plant-based recipes to make you fall in love (again) with the art of cooking

Christinas magical cooking secrets are at your fingertips. Glowing health and delicious recipes aside, embark on this journey to rekindle cooking bliss a.k.a. the art of cooking! With Christina as your guide, the stress associated with tackling a meal will be alleviated and replaced with curiosity, intuition, simplicity, and play. How awesome is that?

ALICIA SILVERSTONE
AWARD-WINNING ACTRESS, BESTSELLING AUTHOR
OF THE KIND DIET , ANIMAL RIGHTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL
ACTIVIST, AND ENTREPRENEUR

What Christina has written here is unlike any cookbook youve ever read. She presents a philosophy that uses the kitchen as a tool to allow you to connect with your true self. Yes, the recipes in here are delicious and can help you reclaim or optimize your healthand in Christinas case, they actually saved her life. But you will learn how to nourish not just your body, but your soulby finding a deeper meaning in the so-called chore of cooking. Grab your chefs knife and cutting board and get ready. Youre not just going to cook. Youre going on a journey.

CHEF ROBERT IRVINE

Back to the cutting board? Gladly! This wonderful new book from Christina is full of excellent ideas that will make you fall in love with cooking again. If you have drifted from the kitchen, it will inspire you to get back to it. If you are new to cooking, then you couldnt ask for a better in. Vegan cooking is having its moment and Christinas new book perfectly captures the spirit of whats happening in todays food world.

RICH LANDAU
CHEF/OWNER OF THE VEDGE RESTAURANT GROUP,
JAMES BEARD NOMINEE, AND BESTSELLING AUTHOR

Most folks fear getting into the kitchen to cook for good reason; it can be daunting. But not when Christina Pirello is guiding us. In Back to the Cutting Board, Christina introduces the kitchen tools, gadgets, techniques, and ingredients as if they are old friends that have been patiently waiting to re-connect with us and nourish us. She shares many good reasons why its essential that we get back inside the kitchen. And, once youre there ... your body and mind will be deeply nourished by Christinas delicious recipes. Dont wait one more second! Open up this book, connect with your old friends (and yourself), and start cooking!

ANDREA BEAMAN
CHEF, HERBALIST, AND AUTHOR OF HAPPY HEALTHY THYROID

There is joy in Christinas cooking. Because her food isnt just delicious and beautiful. Its also wholesome in ways that draw you in, making you simply want to eat and be better. And her recipes make that easy.

J.M. HIRSCH
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR OF MILK STREET MAGAZINE

Copyright 2018 by Christina Pirello

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

BenBella Books, Inc.
10440 N. Central Expressway, Suite 800
Dallas, TX 75231
www.benbellabooks.com
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First E-Book Edition: September 2018

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Pirello, Christina, author.

Title: Back to the cutting board : luscious plant-based recipes to make you fall in love (again) with the art of cooking / Christina Pirello.

Description: Dallas, TX : BenBella Books, Inc., [2018] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018003618 (print) | LCCN 2018011486 (ebook) | ISBN 9781946885487 (electronic) | ISBN 9781946885364 (trade paper : alk. paper)

Subjects: LCSH: Cooking (Natural foods) | Nutrition. | Vegan cooking. | LCGFT: Cookbooks.

Classification: LCC TX741 (ebook) | LCC TX741 .P5634 2018 (print) | DDC 641.3/02dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018003618

Cover and interior food photography: Maja Danica Peani (styling & photography), Vladimira Vlatka Frketi (food preparation), Ana Haberman/Tri lukne (ceramic artist)

Author photo by Carmine Silveroli

Editing by Trish Sebben Malone

Copyediting by Karen Levy

Proofreading by Kimberly Broderick and Sarah Vostok

Indexing by WordCo Indexing Services, Inc.

Text design and composition by Kit Sweeney Photography & Design

Front cover design by Oceana

Full cover design by Sarah Avinger

Printed by Versa Press

Distributed to the trade by Two Rivers Distribution, an Ingram Brand
www.tworiversdistribution.com

Special discounts for bulk sales (minimum of 25 copies) are available. Please contact Aida Herrera at .

I come from a family of true food lovers. It seemed to me that every moment we celebrated, mourned, discussed, or marked was centered around a feast. We loved to eat as much as we loved to cook. The kitchen truly was the heart of our home, always fragrant with the perfumes of luscious food cooking. I was raised with a healthy respect for fresh food, spending countless hours with my father and grandfather in their gardens, picking and eating as they tenderly cared for their plants. When other kids were roller-skating on Friday nights, I was with my mother at the farmers market learning (reluctantly ... I wanted to be roller-skating) how to pick a great tomato or melon.

As I grew, the passionate way my family communicated (translation: yelling) proved to be too much for me. I was deemed sensitive or delicatea wuss by my brothersbecause the noise of their boisterous conversations and debates would leave me jittery and nervous.

I noticed, though, that none of that drama crossed the threshold into the kitchen. In that fragrant room, people cooked and worked in perfect harmony, telling stories, laughing, smiling, sharing tips and ideas. No one was allowed to argue, cry, or create havoc in the kitchen. Take it outside was the refrain should any senza senso (nonsense) find its way into the room. The pure joy of that room, and the serenity and respect with which food was prepared, seduced me from the start. I didnt want to be anywhere else in the house, not when I could be in and around this ... this quiet passion and happiness.

I asked my father to build me a step stool so I could reach the counter to learn more by watching and helping my mother, and I have never looked back from the stove. To this day, the kitchen is precious; cooking is my job, but I love every second of my time in this room. I look for excuses to test a new recipe when I just want to play with my food. I love developing recipes, creating beautiful presentations, cooking new and delicious combinations of food, and, of course, always discovering how the energy of food creates the dance of life.

I am still drawn in by the serenity of the kitchen and the deep peace and balance I find there. A hard day in business will be forgotten when I pick up my knife and head to the cutting board. I know, I know; it sounds a bit airy-fairy, but my sensitivity to noise helped me find my place in the world. My friends laugh at me when I say that I would spend all my time in the kitchen if I could.