BOSH! vegan cookbook: Recipes from cauliflower buffalo wings to curry-crusted sweet potatoes
Whether you’re a recent convert to the meat-free diet or simply looking for something healthier, these sizzling dishes will hit the spot
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These delicious wings taste naughty but are actually healthy, since they’re baked. The spices are gorgeously deep and the panko breadcrumbs give a crunchy coating that contrasts nicely with the smooth cauliflower. It’s the perfect starter or dish to share with friends. We promise you’ll love it.
Serves 2-4
1 large head of cauliflower
150g plain flour
300ml plant-based milk
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
100g panko breadcrumbs
120g dairy-free butter
200g buffalo hot sauce
For the ranch sauce
150g cashew nuts
150ml plant-based milk
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp garlic powder
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
Handful fresh parsley
4 chives
Preheat oven to 180C. Line two baking trays. Put a small saucepan of boiling water on a high heat. You will also need a food processor or liquidiser. Add the cashew nuts to the pan of boiling water and boil for 15 minutes, then strain and run under cold water to cool slightly. Meanwhile, break the cauliflower into florets and cut the stem into bite-sized pieces.
Put the flour, plant-based milk, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper into a bowl and whisk to a batter. Pour the panko breadcrumbs into another bowl and rub them between your thumb and fingers to break into slightly smaller breadcrumbs. Tip the cauliflower into the batter and toss to coat. Transfer to the bowl of breadcrumbs, a few pieces at a time, and toss gently until well coated. Spread the cauliflower pieces over the lined baking trays and bake for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the dairy-free butter in the microwave and stir in the hot sauce. After 20 minutes, remove the tray from the oven, pour over the hot sauce and carefully roll the cauliflower around until the pieces are fully coated. Put the tray back in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until a sharp knife glides into the thickest parts of the cauliflower and the outsides are really golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oven.
While the cauliflower is cooking, put all the ingredients for the ranch sauce except for the herbs into the food processor or liquidiser and whizz for 1-2 minutes until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a serving bowl. Finely chop the parsley and chives and add most of them to the sauce, reserving a little for garnish.
Serve the cauliflower wings while they’re still hot on a serving plate, sprinkled with the remaining herbs and with the ranch dip on the side.
Tomato and pomegranate salad
This dish is extremely colourful and tasty. The zingy fresh tomato contrasts with the sweet, juicy bursts of the pomegranate seeds and the explosion of flavour from the fresh herbs. This surprising flavour combination creates the perfect sharing side salad for an Italian pasta, or would serve as a super-healthy light meal or side for a BBQ.
Serves 4-6
2 slices brown bread
4 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon
1 tsp brown sugar
4 drops Tabasco, optional
400g baby tomatoes
1 small red onion
Handful fresh parsley
Handful fresh mint
1 pomegranate or 100g pomegranate seeds
50g pea shoots or other salad greens
Salt and black pepper
Put a medium frying pan on a low heat. Cut the bread into 1cm cubes. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in the pan and sauté the bread cubes for 2-3 minutes, tossing regularly until they are browned on all sides. Tip on to a plate and set aside.
Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into a large bowl, catching any pips in your other hand. Stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil and the brown sugar and season with the salt and pepper and Tabasco, if using. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Halve the tomatoes, peel and finely slice the red onion, pick the leaves from the parsley and mint and add them all to the bowl. Remove the seeds from the pomegranate by rolling it first to loosen the seeds, then scoring around the middle and prising the two halves apart. Hold the halves over the bowl and tap the bottom of each half firmly with a spoon to release the seeds. Add the salad greens and croutons, toss gently and serve to impressed guests.
Curry-crusted sweet potatoes
We’ve mixed up the traditional stuffed potato by putting our filling on the outside in this recipe. The flavours work a treat with a fresh lime crust contrasting really well with a delicious sweet potato. This is one to freestyle with and try different flavour combos. It works great in the oven or cooked on a BBQ.
Serves 2
2 large sweet potatoes (about 300g each)
Vegetable oil, for greasing
Salad leaves, to serve, optional
1 portion guacamole, to serve, optional
For the curry paste
5cm piece fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves
1 fresh red chilli
1 lime
8 sun-dried tomatoes, plus 1 tbsp oil from the jar
30g fresh coriander (leaves and stalks)
40g desiccated coconut
10g panko breadcrumbs
1½ tsp salt
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp water
Preheat oven to 200C. Prick the whole sweet potatoes with a fork and put them on a plate. Microwave on high for about 10-15 minutes until quite soft (alternatively put the potatoes in a 220C oven and bake for 25 minutes, remove them from the oven and reduce the heat to 200C). Remove and set aside to cool down slightly. Score the skins with a sharp knife.
Peel the ginger by scraping off the skin with a spoon. Peel the garlic. Rip the stem from the chilli, cut it in half lengthways and remove the seeds if you prefer a milder flavour. Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice into the food processor, catching any pips in your other hand. Put all the rest of the curry paste ingredients into the food processor and whizz to a thick paste.
Cut two squares of foil big enough to fully wrap your sweet potatoes in and grease one side with oil. Take half the curry paste and use your hands to encase one of the potatoes with a thick layer of paste. Repeat with the second potato.
Tightly wrap the sweet potatoes in the foil squares, put on the baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Take the sweet potatoes out of the oven, remove the foil and serve with a small side salad and a big spoonful of guacamole, if using.
‘BOSH!’ by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby is published by HQ, HarperCollins (£20)
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