Dada Eats Love to Cook It

by Samah Dada

Samah Dada doesn’t buy into the all-or-nothing mentality of healthy eating. By using real, unprocessed ingredients in surprising ways, she shows you how to have your cake and eat it too—because it’s actually made out of chickpeas.

Her food is often vegan, allergen-free, gluten-free, grain-free, and Whole30-compliant because she’s only using the most nutritious ingredients, not because she’s cutting out food groups to follow the latest fad. Her creative use of plants gives us drool-worthy dishes like her viral hits Brookie Pie and Chocolate Chip Tahini Cake with Chocolate Frosting, as well as One Banana Only Muffin Tops, Pancake Bread, Cauliflower Cacio e Pepe, and Masala Mac and Cheese.

And she draws on her Indian roots for dishes like Spicy Eggplant Masala and the Best Dal Ever that come together in record time. Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies, Coconut Sugar Halva Strawberry Crumble Bars, and Marbled Chocolate Tahini Loaf Cake rely on unprocessed sugars, legumes, and grain-free flours, but they still satisfy every sweet tooth as you learn how to use these healthy ingredients for maximum flavor and joy.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Vegetarian

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 8, 2021

Reviews

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dada Eats is a great cookbook for anyone looking for some nutritious and healthful dishes. Whole foods are emphasized and all recipes are gluten-free and dairy-free. With only a few exceptions, recipes are also vegan and grain-free. The book features casual food with an emphasis on dips, side dishes, and desserts. Main course meals are mostly limited to bowls and pasta. Lentils, chickpeas, and tahini are ingredients that are in heavy rotation and spices such as cumin, turmeric, garam masala, and coriander are found in every savory recipe. There are photos of almost all of the the finished recipes and recipes vary between two to eight servings. No recipe makes a large amount which I personally appreciate especially when it comes to desserts. The One Banana Only Muffin Tops are a great example of this and are delicious. Perfect for those times you want just a small amount of banana bread or only have one banana. Other stand out recipes for me are the Broccolini Crunch with a lime and honey vinaigrette, the Don't Miss a Beat Masala, and the Churro Pancake Truffles. Simple ingredients, easy to make, and tasty.
Disclosure: I received a free copy from Rodale Books in exchange for a free and unbiased review.

[Beth E · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cookbook has recipes from a number of different cuisines. it has a whole section on salads.
There is an especially large and enticing dessert section, but I'm not looking for dessert recipes.
The recipes look good.
I like that this cookbook has a recipe for kichdi. I was reading Gandhi's Search for the Perfect Diet: Eating with the World in Mind and it mentions kichdi a lot as Gandhi's favorite food.

[Christie Maliyackel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love Samah so! Her cookbook is a beautiful culmination of diverse and simple recipes, pictures and stories. From California to London to New York, Samah Dada unabashedly shares how her struggles with identity and “fitting in” ultimately led to where she is today. (My favorite is her New York / bookmark analogy.) She’s a GEM.

Why’d I pick this read? I follow her Insta account (@dadaeats) c/o a Today show recommendation, and the recipes on her blog have been 💯

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a solid vegan-ish cookbook - if you like tahini or peanut butter or almond butter in almost every recipe. The photos of the recipes are tantalizing and look delicious. If Samah or someone else made these recipes, I’d probably like most of them. As for me, I’ll probably only make the hummuses, a few of the salads and the lentil bolognese.

[Darlene Messenger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from Rodale Books, for review, as part of their ambassador reading program. As such, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Note: I'm rereading this lovely cookbook. I received it and read it in 2021. I decided to keep it in my curated cookbook collection due to the fact it's one of the finest examples of plant-based cooking I have read. The introduction is of interest for the background information on the author and her insights on food. The chapter on pantry essentials is unique to the author with the Spice Box and her recommendations on what to stock for basic pantry items used in these pages. Recipes are beautifully illustrated and offer a wide assortment for plant-based meal preparation.
Overall, an excellent cookbook.

[Chrissy (The Every Free Chance Reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this cookbook. It has some wonderful recipes that are plant-based. The pictures are gorgeous, and the recipes are easy to follow. It really comes in handy when it is CSA season and I have a lot of vegetables to cook. I love the Plot Twist all’ Arrabbiata. It uses eggplant, and it is so delicious. I’ve made it so many times. It freezes well too.

There are a lot of recipes with various nuts or nut-based products, so if you have nut allergies, there will be quite a few recipes you will have to adapt.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This cookbook was reviewed on Every Free Chance, https://wp.me/p3pk1s-6wN.

[Joanna Hyld · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by far the best cookbook in the world. If you are looking for healthy plant based dishes, this is the book for you. Being mostly plant based is very new to me and she makes it so easy! These meals are unique but also satisfying. Every time I make a dish I think it is my favorite until I make another one from this book. Highly recommend this!

[Mary Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve received a free copy from Harmony Books and Rodale Books in exchange for my free and unbiased review. I absolutely love the pantry section. I’m new to making plant based meals and this really helped me figure out how to stick my kitchen so I’m not making a trip every time I want to cook. I also appreciate the simplicity of the recipes. They’re laid out in an easy to follow format!

[Lisa Laskey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cookbook is full of delicious vegan, soy-free recipes. So far, every recipe has been delicious! The instructions are clear, the photography is stunning and the stories from the author are interesting.

[Pam G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I usually borrow a book from the library and return it when I'm but I liked this book so much that I went out and bought it. There are so many good, easy, clever and fast plant-based recipes.

Highly recommend if you're a plant based eater.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was delightful, the recipes look amazing, and I am planning on getting my OWN cop of this. Loved the author's personality and the recipes just look amazing!

[Aasinathena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful vegan recipes !

[Pinky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Want to try the Fluffy Pillow Pancakes, Date Caramel Fudge Brownies, and the Strawberry Halva Crumble Bars recipes.

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautiful cookbook but not the right cookbook for this particular season of life - I don’t have it in me to go to speciality stores to find the right ingredients.

[Megan Guirguis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inventive plant based recipes - particularly find her sweet treats exciting. A lot of recipes with sesame and other allergens for our family.

[Misty S.D. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Uses the term "plant-based" as a marketing tool. This cookbook is not plant-based.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't wait to try these dishes!

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent recipes, so many that while browsing my library copy, I went online and purchased it. Excellent, fresh-sounding recipes, Indian inspired. Can't wait to try these out.

[Mike Degen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ive been cooking through this book over the last month and while some of the recipes were alright this greatly improved my cooking overall

[Literate Duck · Rating 5 out of 5]

pretty healthy and can't wait to try recipes. author and I have similar palates. I may substitute some healthier ingredients for some of the recipes/ components.