Category: Holidays/Seasons

REAL New Year’s Day Five Star Vegan Brunch

Here is our fantasy New Year’s Day Five Star Vegan Brunch. Try one dish or all of them at your New Year’s Day brunch or anytime you feel like breakfast. These dishes have been tested and retested and they are all gluten-free. They adapt really well to doubling, tripling and quadrupling depending on how many…

Osso Vita (Vegan Osso Buco)

We love taking old favorite recipes and making them vegan. One recipe that Gary’s been wanting to recreate, vegan-style, is the Italian classic Osso Buco (translated from Italian literally means “bone hole”) like the dish he loved so much at Harry’s Bar in Venice. Here is the recipe, salty and chewy, right down to the…

Feast of the Seven Dishes by Gary De Mattei

I’m not a religious person, however, I am spiritual. And now that I’m a vegan the holidays have taken on an even deeper spiritual meaning for me, especially when it comes to food. I no longer see the meat-centered dishes of my pre-vegan holidays as a way of celebrating the true spirit of Christmas. Now…

Vegan Cannoli

Here is the filling we use in our gluten-free Cannoli Shells. 1 lb firm tofu (about 2 cups) 1 cup powdered sugar 1/4 cup thick cashew cream 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon orange zest 1/4 cup shaved dark chocolate or tiny chocolate chips or 1/4 cup diced REAL “candied” fruit (2 Tablespoons each of…

Vegan Polenta Torta

We enjoy making polenta and Gary told me about a secret family recipe of his Aunt Bing’s called Polenta Torta. I love making cakes, and this savory polenta layer cake sounded so gooey and good. I never had the chance to try Aunt Bing’s original recipe but this vegan version takes the cake! If you…

Risotto Veganese

Risotto Veganese is our vegan version of the braised rice dish from Northern Italy, an adaptation of Risotto Milanese. The distinctive ingredient in both the classic version and ours is a good quality saffron from Spain. Spanish saffron will set you back around $20 an ounce in a specialty food store. It may be a…

Bellini

The Bellini, one of Italy’s most famous cocktails, is made ​​with sparkling white wine (Prosecco) and pureed white peaches (succo di pesca). If peach puree is not available try pear or another fruit nectar. The well-loved drink was invented in Italy in 1948 by Giuseppe Cipriani, head bartender and owner of perhaps the most famous…

Vegan Carpaccio (in the manner of Harry’s Bar, Venice)

32 organic sun dried tomatoes 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 balsamic vinegar 1 Tablespoon Herbes de Provence 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1/2 cup capers vegan carpaccio mayonnaise sauce (recipe below) (Serves 8) Rehydrate tomatoes overnight in olive oil, vinegar and Herbes de Provence. Prepare the sun dried tomatoes Take two pieces of parchment paper…

Fruit and Nut Truffles

When craving something sweet, these treats come together just in time. There is no guilt here, only goodness. 1 cup raisins (or other sweet dried fruit like dates, figs) 1/2 cup walnuts, 1/4 cup almonds, 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (or any combination of nuts and seeds) 1/4 cup shredded coconut 2 tablespoons cocoa 2 teaspoons…