By Christine Salins.
The Bosh boys are back with a new book showing you how to make plant-based dishes on a budget. Henry Firth & Ian Theasby, two lifelong friends from Sheffield, England, produced their first book just under four years ago and have had a meteoric rise to success.
They now have four Sunday Times bestselling cookbooks behind them, including the highest selling vegan cookbook of all time, and have notched up sales of more than 900,000 worldwide. They also star in the ITV series, Living on the Veg, the world’s biggest plant-based video channel.
In the four short years since they came to the attention of an adoring public, the focus on climate change and the impact of humans on earth has ramped up enormously. Going hand in hand with that is an increasing trend towards plant-based eating.
These self-taught cooks are delighted that the previous few years have seen supermarkets stocking “a way better variety of awesome vegan staples” and restaurants serving “a lot more than mushroom risotto”.
In their latest book, BOSH! on a Budget (HQ, $35) they share their recipes for delicious, hearty, super-satisfying dishes, proving that great-tasting food doesn’t have to cost the earth.
The book is packed with money-saving hacks and batch-cooking tips for people who are living completely meat-free or simply wanting to introduce more meat, dairy, and egg-free meals into their diet.
“The most affordable way to eat is also the best way,” they say in the book’s introduction. “Eating plants is not only great for your pocket, it’s also super healthy for your body and great for the planet too.”
The deliciously healthy salad here is hearty enough to be eaten as a main. Roast the sweet potatoes and make the salsa ahead of time, then just assemble everything when you’re ready to serve. It’s great for a barbecue or prepping for a party.
Sweet Potato Salsa Salad
Serves 4
4 sweet potatoes (about 1kg)
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp smoked paprika
3 garlic cloves
250g cherry tomatoes
200g tin sweetcorn
400g tin black beans
2 red capsicums
75g pumpkin seeds
salt and black pepper
For the salsa:
2 to 3 limes
1 red onion
1 jalapeño
1 large avocado
small bunch of fresh coriander
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
salt and black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into 2cm chunks. Tip them into the roasting tin and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle over the smoked paprika and give everything a good toss. Add the unpeeled garlic cloves. Put the tin in the oven and roast for 30 to 40 minutes, until the sweet potatoes and garlic are totally soft. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, make the salsa. Zest the limes into a bowl and squeeze the juice over the top. Halve, peel and finely chop the red onion. Stem and finely slice the jalapeño and add it to the bowl. Halve and stone the avocado, dice the flesh and scoop it into the bowl. Finely chop most of the coriander and add it to the salsa, reserving a few leaves for garnish. Drizzle in the extra-virgin olive oil, season well with salt and pepper and toss to combine.
Prepare the rest of the salad. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Drain the sweetcorn and black beans and rinse well. Stem and dice the peppers. Place the frying pan over a medium high heat, add the pumpkin seeds and toast until they start to pop. Take the pan off the heat. Assemble and serve: Pop the cooled garlic cloves out of their skins into the salsa and discard the skins. Toss to combine. Tip the tomatoes, sweetcorn, black beans and red peppers into the roasting tin with the sweet potato. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil, season with salt and toss gently to combine. Tip on to a serving plate. Top with the salsa, toasted pumpkin seeds and the reserved coriander leaves and serve.
From: Bosh! On A Budget, by Henry Firth & Ian Theasby, published by HQ, $35.
