Every office where I’ve ever worked has had a staffer known for showing up with home-baked cakes and cookies. Samah Dada assumed that role in her first post-college job as a page in the NBC studios in New York.
“Her delicious treats would arrive on our desks, and we would happily gobble them up, not even realizing they weren’t just delicious — they were healthy, too,” wrote Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie in a blurb for “Dada Eats Love to Cook It: 100 Plant-Based Recipes for Everyone at Your Table” (Rodale, $26.99).
As a fitness and wellness buff at the University of California, Berkeley, she regularly scoured the city in search of tasty plant-based dishes to post on Instagram. Drawing from her Indian heritage and restaurant explorations, she began concocting her own creations in her tiny New York kitchen. She shared her experiments at work and wrote about them on a blog, Dada Eats.
A producer took note of her social media prowess and booked her on the Today show as a cooking guest. Now she has a regular gig hosting #Cooking on the show’s digital channel, and a beautiful cookbook that captures her people-pleasing personality and wholesome recipes.
Though many are vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free, she prefers to forgo the labels and instead focus on the bold flavors and easy-going preparations that should appeal to anyone regardless of dietary needs. Spaghetti Aglio e Olio 2.0 — the Italian classic tossed with charred cauliflower and garlicky sauteed kale —needed no animal product to make me happy. Nor did Quinoa Masala Pulao fortified with green peas and chunks of sweet potato, or Fattoush Salad with Sourdough Za’atar Croutons.
Not surprisingly, the heftiest part of the book is devoted to the mostly gluten-free sweet treats that made her the star of the office. Salted Peanut Butter Caramel Bars, Chewy Lemon Coconut Bites, and Churro Pancake Truffles look and sound way too decadent to be healthy. But I’m ready to be convinced otherwise.
Susan Puckett is a cookbook author and former food editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Follow her at susanpuckett.com.
Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on Twitter and @ajcdining on Instagram.
About the Author
