Joe Yonan
THE WASHINGTON POST – Henry Firth and Ian Theasby have a simple answer to the question of how to save money on food: Cook.
In their latest book, Bosh on a Budget, the friends behind the blockbuster YouTube, social media and cookbook brand Bosh set out to crush yet another misconception about eating a plant-based – that it’s expensive.
In previous best-selling books, they aimed to show readers that vegan cooking doesn’t need to be hard, it doesn’t need to take too much time, and it doesn’t need to be unhealthy.
This time, in a work well-timed to the world’s inflation crisis, they want to show that it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg, either.
SWEET POTATO SALSA SALAD
For the most efficient use of your time, get the sweet potatoes roasting before proceeding with the rest of your ingredient prep.
INGREDIENTS
– Three sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into three-quarter-inch chunks
– Three cloves garlic, unpeeled
– Six tablespoons olive oil, divided
– One tablespoon smoked paprika
– One teaspoon fine salt, divided, plus more to taste
– Half teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided, plus more to taste
– One ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and cubed
– One medium red onion, finely chopped
– One jalapeño pepper, stemmed and thinly sliced (with seeds)
– One cup packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, chopped, plus whole leaves for garnish
– Two teaspoons finely grated lime zest
– Quarter cup fresh lime juice
– One pint cherry tomatoes, halved
– One-and-a-half cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
– One can no-salt-added black beans, drained and rinsed
– Two red bell peppers, stemmed, cored and chopped
– Half cup toasted pumpkin seeds
DIRECTIONS
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
In a large roasting pan, toss together the sweet potatoes, garlic, two tablespoons of olive oil, smoked paprika, half teaspoon of salt and quarter teaspoon of pepper. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes and garlic are very soft. Let cool slightly or completely in the pan.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, toss together the avocado, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lime zest and juice, two tablespoons of olive oil, and the remaining half teaspoon of salt and quarter teaspoon of pepper until combined.
When the sweet potato mixture has cooled, pick out the garlic cloves, slip off their peels, chop them, add them to the avocado salsa and toss to combine.
To the roasting pan with the sweet potatoes, add the tomatoes, corn, beans and bell peppers, and toss to combine. Drizzle with the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil. Taste, and season with more salt and pepper, as needed.
Pile the sweet potato mixture on a large platter. Top with the salsa, pumpkin seeds and cilantro leaves, and serve.
