Foodie Fridays: Chloe’s Vegan Italian Kitchen
Happy vegetarian awareness month! As always, I’ll be bringing you a few gift ideas that are perfect for your veggie-loving friends. I’ve always considered myself a good cook (thanks for the inspiration mom), but I never saw myself as a great one until I picked up a copy of Chloe Coscarelli’s Chloe’s Kitchen a few years back. Whenever I crack open one of Chloe’s cookbooks, I get excited because I know not only will the meal be relatively simple to prepare, it’s going to turn out ah-mazing.
When I heard that Ms. Coscarelli was releasing a vegan cookbook – Chloe’s Vegan Italian Kitchen – dedicated entirely to Italian cuisine, I was doubly excited. Why you ask? Well for one, Italian cooking isn’t super compatible with vegan cooking. Heavy creams, flavourful cheese, and eggs all factor in heavily (not to mention meat). But this amazing book manages to overcome those challenges with gusto. For example, one of the first recipes I tackled was the Butter Squash, Caramelized Onion and Apple Pizza. The base was a smooth and creamy white bean puree, replacing the need for both tomato sauce (not that there’s anything un-vegan about tomato sauce) and cheese in one fell swoop.
It’s also impressive that many of the recipes in Chloe’s Vegan Italian Kitchen that normally would require heavy cream aren’t accomplished through the classic vegan ‘trick’ of soaking and then blending raw cashews. To use another example, I also just had to try the humorously named Kate Middleton’s Pasta Alfredo – aka the dish Chloe would serve if Kate was coming over lunch. The garlicky, creamy sauce was crafted from – surprise! – roasted cauliflower, giving it an incredibly rich, smoky taste with half the calories of regular (or cashew-based) cream sauce.
Hummus Pomodoro with Warm Pizza Crust
And of course, the other reason why I was so excited about Chloe’s Vegan Italian Kitchen is I simply love Italian cuisine as a whole. If you’ve ever played that game where you ask “If you could only eat food from one culture for the rest of your life, what would it be?” – my answer will almost always be Italian. And this book offers a HUGE selection of options, but with simple, tasty ingredients and fuss-free recipes. Apart from the occasional use of tofu, tempeh or nutritional yeast, I guarantee that 95% of the ingredients in every recipe are things you already have in your pantry cupboards or have easy access to buy. It’s all about how you mix them in unusual and creative ways – like Chloe’s creative Pistachio Guacamole or her super straightforward but no less tasty Chili Lemon Broccoli.
White Wild Mushroom Pizza
Apart from sides and appetizers, the book also has a pretty extensive collection of salads, sandwiches and pizzas. Again, I appreciated that she didn’t just throw five random pizzas at you. There is variation amongst them: one is made on French bread, another relies on a lip-smacking ‘mozzarella’ sauce to give you that cheesy sensation, and there’s even a dog-friendly ‘pizza bone’ recipe.
From there, Chloe’s Vegan Italian Kitchen dives into the aforementioned pasta section (drool) with every dish completely unique and super straightforward for weeknight meals. The entrees, I’ll admit, tend to be a little more complex. I made the Grilled Portobello Steaks with Lemon Parsley Pesto on top of a pile of Chloe’s mashed potatoes, and while it all turned out nice, it was a fair bit of work – save the entrees for Sunday nights.
Italian Apple Cake
Given Chloe’s breakout moment was winning Cupcake Wars on the Food Network, it’s no surprise there is a jam-packed dessert section tucked into the back here, with scrumptious meal-ending ideas like Nutella Cinnamon Rolls and Raspberry Tiramisu Cupcakes (straight from her appearance on Cupcake Wars).
All in all, this book should be a welcome addition to any Italian foodie’s shelves – it reinvents many classics without reinventing the wheel, and offers tons of healthy, flavourful, simple dishes for parties, everyday meals, snacks, and everything in between. Chloe’s Vegan Italian Kitchen is available on shelves now for $23.99 – buy it for a pal that’s watching their dairy intake, your vegan / vegetarian friend, or anyone that simple adores Italian food. After all, with a last name like Coscarelli – you know Chloe knows her stuff.
If you want to give it a whirl before diving in yourself, check out this exclusive preview recipe – the aforementioned Kate Middleton’s Pasta Alfredo.
And of course, I have a copy of this amazing cookbook to giveaway – I can’t WAIT for one of you to try it! Here’s how to enter for your shot at winning:
1) Leave a comment by October 26, 2014 telling me what your favourite Italian dish is that you’d like to see veganized and who you’d gift this cookbook to (or if you’d keep it) if you won!
2) Entries are limited to one per person / per email address / per household (or more if you score bonus entries). A random draw will be conducted on or around October 27, 2014 to select the winner, who will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen in their place.
3) Entries are limited to Canadians that have reached the age of majority in their province. Quebec is not eligible to participate in this promotion.
4) Bonus Entry: Follow Simon & Schuster Canada on Twitter, and tag them + @ChloeCoscarelli in a Tweet about why you’re psyched to get your mitts on this cookbook.
Canadian Gift Guide 
Great review! I have both “Chloe’s Kitchen” and “Chloe’s Vegan Desserts” already and use them constantly. I am yet to try a recipe that wasn’t a-maz-ing! Can’t wait to get my hands on her latest book! 🙂
I can’t wait to get my hands on this book (so if I won I’d definitely keep it, not gift it)! I have her other two cookbooks and I love them. Nobody knows they’re eating vegan when I make her yummy desserts for family get-togethers 🙂
I would love a recipe for a really great vegan lasagna. It was one of my faves before I went vegetarian then learned I’m allergic to dairy.
My favourite Italian dish that I would like to see veganized is Cannoli.
I can not wait to get my hands on this book,I would certainly use it and try out some things in the book.Looks like a great cook book to try.Since I love to try new recipes.My favourite dish is Pasta Alfredo in this cook book.I have made it and loved it.So did my family they also loved it too.
I love Penne a la Vodka. It would be great to have it veganized and I would keep this book for myself. It looks amazing.
I’d give the White Wild Mushroom Pizza a try – I’d keep the book myself since I’m always looking for easy to make healthy recipes.
ANY PIZZA FOR MYSELF
I’d love to veganize Gnocchi!
tweeted: https://twitter.com/VictoriaEss2/status/520754506427285504
I would love to see a began cannelloni and, call me greedy, but I would keep this book for myself!
Oops, I meant vegan, not began!
My favourite Italian dish that I’d like to see veganized is penne alla vodka (how do you vegan bacon?) & I would gift this cookbook to my talented cooking friend, if I won! Thanks
Twitter bonus entry: following Simon & Schuster Canada & tweeted https://twitter.com/SoulSeeker0/status/520835620005232640
I’d like to see a good vegan lasagna recipe.
I would like a really good gluten free fettucine alfredo.
my favorite dish would be chicken parm…it would be great to see how that could be made vegan…and i would love to get this for my sister who is a vegan
Shrimp alfredo & book would be given to a friend
My favorite Italian dish would be Chicken Lasagna.. I need the book for myself to keep feeding my lasagna loving kiddo 🙂
One of my favorite Italian dishes is Osso Buco but I can’t see how that could be veganized. The book would be for me of course.
I would be greedy and keep this book all for myself! 😉 I would love to have a vegan version of my favorite spicy tuna pasta.
My tweet: https://twitter.com/suekitty13/status/521147213469474816
Spaghetti and meatballs. I’d totally keep this cookbook for my self!
I love spaghetti and meatballs, and I’d love this cookbook for ME!
It would fascinating to have a vegan take on Spaghetti Carbonara. Now, THAT’S a challenge!
I would love to find a recipe for a vegan butternut squash lasagna. As a vegetarian, I’ve made it many times, but would love to learn a way to make the white sauce dary-free.
I love penne alla vodka, and Id like to have this book for myself!!!!!
I am still searching for a delicious sausage…..I would keep this book for myself and make all the recipes for my non veg family and friends!
I would love to see a recipe for vegan spaghetti carbonara!
I’d like to see if Bucatini All’Amatriciana could be veganized (substituting for the pancetta might be challenging). I’d keep this cookbook for myself, for home and entertaining.
Good veganized Chicked Parm since don’t eat that anymore.
As for who would keep this, well, moi, I think. thx.
Bucatini alla Amatriciani is a favorite of my husband and mine, as is Carbonara. These two pastas, or otherwise Veal Saltimbocca, would be the first choices. So hard to pick just one! (And hate to be selfish, but the cookbook would be ALL MINE.)
Lasagna is my all time fav!! so would love to see what you would do to it to veganize it!! the book sounds really good!!
I would love to try a vegan ravioli.
I just can’t imagine preparing it myself!
I’d like to try a vegan canelloni
I would love a good vegan lasagna recipe and I would keep the book to help me cook for my vegan family.