Javant Benton’s Sweet Potato Chili Cheese Fries

Ingredients

• 3 sweet potatoes (medium, peeled and cut into fries)
• salt (½ teaspoon, optional, for the fries)
• 2 cups Three-Bean Chili (prepared using the recipe below)
• 1 cup HV Veggie Ground (prepared using the recipe below)
• 1 cup Easy Cheese Sauce (prepared using the recipe below)
• 0.5 cup water (for cooking the chili)
• 1 red onion (medium, diced)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 red pepper (diced)
• 2 carrots (diced)
• 2 celery stalks (diced)
• 1 jalapeño (minced)
• 1 bay leaf
• 0.5 tbsp sweet paprika (source states “1/2 tablespoons”)
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 3 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp garlic granules
• 2.5 cups diced tomatoes (source quantity is corrupted as “2½2 cups”; interpreted as 2½ cups)
• 3 cups cooked beans (black, pinto, and kidney beans suggested; use preferred beans)
• 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 2 tbsp date paste
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro
• 0.5 lime lime juice (juice of ½ lime)
• 1 avocado (sliced, for serving)
• sour cream (Classic Sour Cream; a dollop for serving; amount not specified)
• raw walnuts (soaked for 4–8 hours; source quantity appears as “1/ cups” and is incomplete)
• 1 head cauliflower (medium head, chopped or processed to the size of cooked rice)
• 2 carrots (medium, peeled and grated or processed to resemble cauliflower rice)
• 1 red onion (small, peeled and finely chopped or processed)
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 lb portobello mushrooms (chopped or processed coarsely)
• 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika
• 2 tsp rubbed sage
• 2 tsp garlic granules
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1 cup raw cashews (soaked for 4–8 hours)
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 0.5 cup water
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 0.25 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 0.25 tsp ground black pepper (optional)
• 0.5 tsp garlic granules (optional)

Steps

1. 1

   For the veggie ground, soak the raw walnuts for 4–8 hours. Drain them, discard the soaking water, and set the walnuts aside.

2. 2

   Prepare the cauliflower, carrots, onion, garlic, and portobello mushrooms as directed: chop or process the cauliflower and mushrooms, grate or process the carrots, finely chop or process the onion, and mince the garlic.

3. 3

   Heat a large, wide-bottomed pan with a capacity of at least 3 quarts over high heat. Add the cauliflower, carrots, onion, garlic, and mushrooms, and mix.

4. 4

   Cook the vegetables and mushrooms for 5–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they release their water and it begins to evaporate.

5. 5

   Add the Italian seasoning, sweet paprika, rubbed sage, garlic granules, cumin, thyme, and oregano. Mix to combine.

6. 6

   Continue cooking over high heat for about 10 minutes, until all the water has evaporated and none remains at the bottom of the pan when you stir.

7. 7

   Put the drained walnuts in a food processor fitted with an S blade and pulse to a coarse crumb.

8. 8

   Turn off the heat. Add the chopped walnuts, tomato paste, and salt (if using) to the pan, then mix thoroughly.

9. 9

   For the cheese sauce, drain the soaked cashews and discard the soaking water.

10. 10

    Add the cashews, lemon juice, water, nutritional yeast, salt, and optional black pepper and garlic granules to a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth.

11. 11

    Cut the peeled sweet potatoes into French fries. Add the optional salt and mix to coat.

12. 12

    Choose one cooking method. To bake, preheat the oven to 400°F (about 200°C), line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set it aside. To air-fry, use an air-fryer basket; no preheating instruction is stated.

13. 13

    If baking, spread the fries on the parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, flipping them halfway through. If air-frying, transfer the fries to the air-fryer basket and cook at 350°F (about 175°C) for 10–15 minutes.

14. 14

    For the chili, dice the red onion, red pepper, carrots, and celery; mince the garlic and jalapeño.

15. 15

    Put the chili’s water in a large stockpot and heat over medium-high heat.

16. 16

    Add the diced onion and minced garlic. Cook for 3 minutes, or until the onion is soft.

17. 17

    Add the red pepper, carrots, celery, and jalapeño, along with the bay leaf, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, and garlic granules. Mix, then cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender but still firm.

18. 18

    Add the diced tomatoes, cooked beans, salt, and date paste. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.

19. 19

    Add the cilantro and lime juice to the chili and mix.

20. 20

    Place the cooked fries in a serving dish. Top with the chili and veggie ground, then add the cheese sauce. The source’s ingredient list calls for 2 cups chili, 1 cup veggie ground, and 1 cup cheese sauce for the fries.

21. 21

    Optionally bake the assembled fries for an additional 15 minutes. Serve with sliced avocado, a drizzle of cheese sauce, and a dollop of sour cream.

Notes

The source has apparent OCR/typographical errors in the walnut quantity (“1/ cups”) and tomato quantity (“2½2 cups”); the tomato amount is interpreted as 2½ cups, while the walnut quantity is left unspecified. The fries recipe refers to a prepared veggie ground and cheese sauce; the chili method describes serving with cheese sauce and sour cream, while sour cream has no quantity. The optional 15-minute bake is given without an oven temperature.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• vegetarian
• vegan-adaptable
• gluten-free
• baked
• air-fried
• comfort food