World Environment Day food

This article first appeared in our World Environment Day 2025 issue of My Green Pod Magazine. Click here to subscribe to our digital edition and get each issue delivered straight to your inbox

Main image: BOSH! cooks Ian Theasby and Henry Firth

To celebrate World Environment Day, we’ve created two vibrant, bean-based recipes for My Green Pod that put sustainability at the centre of the plate.

As proud ambassadors for Beans Is How, we’re championing the humble bean as a delicious, nutritious and climate-friendly ingredient that can help feed the future.

Whether it’s butter beans blended into a silky mash or spiced into golden ‘sunshine’ sauces, these dishes prove that beans can be bold, beautiful – and anything but boring.

Crispy Potatoes with Sunshine Beans

Serves 4-6 as a side

INGREDIENTS

For the potatoes 

• 1kg new potatoes
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp flakey sea salt
• Pinch pepper
• 1 tbsp maple syrup

For the yellow beans

• 2 carrots
• 1 garlic clove
• 3 tbsp tahini
• 2 × 400g tin butter beans
• A small pinch of saffron threads (soaked in 2 tbsp warm water)
• 2 tsp turmeric
• Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish

• Maple syrup
• Fresh coriander
• Sliced red chilli

Before you start

Baking tray lined with parchment; medium saucepan; oven preheated to 200°C 

METHOD
Prepare ingredients
Roughly chop the carrots. Drain the beans.

Roast the potatoes
Place potatoes on the baking tray. Drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil, then sprinkle on thyme and salt.

Roast for 30 minutes or until crispy and golden.

Crush with a jar or the back of a fork, drizzle with the maple syrup then roast for a further 15-20 minutes until super crispy.

Cook the carrots
Meanwhile place the carrots in a saucepan with water and bring to a boil.

Boil for 12 minutes until tender. Drain.
 
Blend the beans
Add the carrots, garlic, beans, turmeric, tahini, nooch and the soaked saffron (along with its water) to the pan.

Gradually pour in water until the desired consistency. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Time to serve
Swirl the blended beans on a serving platter. Top with the crispy potatoes and scatter over more maple syrup, red chilli and fresh coriander.

Cauliflower Steaks with Harissa Butterbean Mash

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

For the cauliflower steaks

• 1 cauliflower
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp maple syrup

For the cauliflower mash

• 1 cauliflower (remaining florets)
• 1 400g tin butter beans
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp harissa paste
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the tahini sauce

• 4 tbsp tahini
• 100ml water
• ½ lemon
• Salt to taste

For the zippy coriander sauce

• 30g coriander
• 1 small green chilli
• ½ lemon
• 4 tbsp olive oil

Before you start
Large ovenproof pan; oven at 200ºC (fan); 1 baking tray lined with baking paper