Weekend Cooking: Eat Clean Play Dirty by Danielle Duboise and Whitney Tingle

Have you heard of the food-subscription service Sakara? Founded by Danielle Duboise and Whitney Tingle, the company does more than just promote a particular diet. From what I learned by reading their new cookbook Eat Clean Play Dirty (which I received as part of the Abrams Dinner Party program) and by looking around their website, Duboise and Tingle are all about a balanced, healthful lifestyle, which finds its base in a plant-based, low-sugar meal plan.

The basic premise of Sakara, which you can find both in the cookbook on the website, is fairly straightforward: they don't count calories, they eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, they aren't afraid of fats, they pay attention to their microbiome, and they believe in having a cocktail and eating their dessert.

I really wanted to love Eat Clean Play Dirty. Their recipes look appealing, and I think the authors have a good grasp of nutritional principals and current research. My big problems are (1) I'm not totally committed to a vegan lifestyle, (2) I live in a small town, and (3) I'm too lazy to run from store to store looking for ingredients on the off-chance I could find them here in central Pennsylvania. Ingredients like turmeric root and hijiki seaweed are absent from my grocery store; even lemongrass, microgreens, and mangoes are hit or miss finds.

That said, I found several recipes to try and one I plan to make this summer (it's the recipe I'm sharing today). Everything I made from this cookbook was a success, especially a polenta and vegetable casserole, which I absolutely will make again. The soba noodle bowl (shown to the right), was tasty (I substituted portabella mushrooms for the shiitakes) and easy to make. Duboise and Tingle's recipe for this dish calls for asparagus--perfect for spring.

Note that although I've called Eat Clean Play Dirty a vegan cookbook some recipes do call for honey, which could be problematic for some of you. Other recipes use coconut palm sugar or maple syrup as sweeteners. If you've been vegan for a while, I suspect you'll know how to swap out the honey.

Recommendation: If you're committed to a vegan way of life and you're looking for good recipes and new ideas, you'll be happy with Eat Clean Play Dirty, especially if you live in a city with plenty of well-stocked food stores. If you incorporate vegetarian dishes into your weekly meal plan (like me) but haven't yet made the move to 100 percent vegan, then you'll probably be happier checking this cookbook out of your library before buying.

I've marked the following salad to try once local summer fruits appear at the farmer's market.

Sexiest Salad in New York City
Serves 2
For the Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup (60 ml) sunflower oil
• 2 tablespoons wildflower honey
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of Himalayan salt

For the Salad

• 1/4 cup (25 g) sliced almonds
• 8 cups (240 g) torn kale leaves
• 3/4 cup (125 g) cooked or canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup (95 g) blueberries
• 1/2 cup (65 g) raspberries
• 1 peach, thinly sliced
• 4 large strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup (12 g) minced chives
• 2 tablespoons hemp seeds

Make the dressing: In a jar or blender add all the ingredients. Shake or blend until completely smooth.

Make the salad: Scatter the sliced almonds in a large pan over medium-low heat. Toast the nuts, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In 2 medium bowls, make beds with the kale. Top with the chickpeas, blueberries, raspberries, peach, and strawberries. Sprinkle with the chives, hemp seeds, and toasted almonds and drizzle with the dressing.

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