Vegan Chilli Cheese Fries

Ok so I know the words vegan chilli cheese fries sound like a huge contradiction. I mean, how can such a thing even be possible right?

Well my lovelies, ’tis indeed possible. It is oh-so-possible and oh-so-delicious that even my darling boyfriend, who is not a fan of the regular chilli cheese fries, declared this one of his favourite dishes that I’ve made to date.

BOOM!

Big statement huh! Well this definitely does not disappoint, and it’s got such a huge wow-factor to it that makes it perfect for when you want to jazz things up a bit in the kitchen.

Vegan Chili Cheese Fries

Don’t worry though, you won’t have go spend hours slaving over the stove. This is actually surprisingly easy to make, and you can even made the chilli and the cheese sauce the night before and then just simply heat it up once your fries are done.

Simple, but impressive.

The baked fries are perfectly crispy and salty, and go beautifully with the creamy and thick chilli. The squash cheese sauce just ties it all together and makes this the kind of dish you just want to attack while no one is looking, so no one sees how you get chilli all over your face and squash sauce in your hair. I’m sure I’m not the only one…

Vegan Chili Cheese Fries

This recipe can also easily be doubled or tripled, so if you’re having many people over for a poker game or a night of watching chick flicks you can always make more than enough to go around – and I’m sure you’ll be getting loads of complements afterwards, chef!

Recommended chick-flicks include but are not limited to She’s the Man, 10 Things I Hate About You, Love Actually, and Mean Girls. Bonus points for Mean Girls. Whatever floats your boat.

The secret to getting crispy oven baked potatoes is to steam them for a few minutes before adding to the oven. It really makes a difference, trust me!

I used a mix of blue, caraway, and red potatoes for mine, but regular baking potatoes or even sweet potatoes would all go very well here. Get creative with your potatoes, after all this isn’t any run-of-the-mill chilli cheese fry recipe! Might as well run wild.

Vegan Chili Cheese Fries

Vegan Chilli Cheese Fries
 
The perfect dish to serve when you have friends over. It's impressive and yet simple to make, which will definitely earn you many compliments! You can prep the chilli and the cheese sauce the day before, so it can be a fuss-free dish if you've got other things to do before your guests arrive.
Author:
Recipe type: Vegan, Healthy, Gluten Free
Serves: 2
Ingredients
For the Chilli
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
  • 3 carrots (about 130g), diced
  • 3 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 can kidney beans, drained
  • 1 can chopped tomatoes
  • Salt and pepper
  • Juice of half a lime
For the Fries
  • 600g potatoes
  • 1 tablespoon macadamia oil
  • Salt + Pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (optional)
Cheese Sauce
Extra Optional Toppings
  • Avocado
  • Coriander/Cilantro
Instructions
  1. Start by making your chilli. Heat your coconut oil and add the onions, garlic, and spices. Sauté on medium until onions almost cooked, about 5 minutes. Add in your carrots and tomato paste and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
  2. Add your beans and tomatoes, salt, pepper, and lime juice and stir. Reduce the heat to low-medium and let simmer, covered, for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. You don't want it to be too watery, so if at the end it's not thick enough simply cook on low for another 10 minutes without a lid.
  3. In the meantime start preparing your fries. Pre-heat your oven to 200ºC/395ºF and line two baking trays with baking parchment and place in the oven.
  4. Chop your potatoes into fries, I don’t bother peeling mine. Add some water to a steamer pan, bring to a boil, place a steamer basket over the pan and add your fries. Cover and steam for 5 minutes, just until the fries are glistening and slightly cooked but not soft. You should be able to pierce it with a fork but it shouldn’t be too easy for the fork to come out. If in doubt, it's best to under-cook at this stage.
  5. Remove the steamed fries and carefully pat them try with some paper towel. Add them to a large bowl with your macadamia oil and a generous sprinkle of salt, pepper, and your Cajun seasoning, if using.
  6. Transfer the fries to your baking sheets, making sure the fries are well spread and not touching.
  7. Add to your oven and bake for 20 minutes, flipping the fries once halfway through. Remove your fries from the oven, and let cool for about 10 minutes so they can crisp up a bit more.
  8. Once fries are nice and crispy and the chili is done cooking, add all of the fries to one of the lined baking trays, plop a generous serving of your chili on top (you might not need all of it), generously spoon the squash cheese sauce, and place back in the oven in broiler mode for another 2-3 minutes, just so it all sizzles and bubbles together.
  9. Remove from the oven, top with any extras, squeeze some lime, and serve!
Notes
You might have some chilli left over. Simply keep it in an airtight container to be eaten with some leftover rice later on, or if you want to serve more people increase the amount of potatoes you're using!

Making the chilli in advance not only saves time but also allows the flavours to really develop and become even more delicious!
Vegan Chili Cheese Fries

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