Loaded Chili Cheese Sweet Potatoes

BAKE: Preheat the oven to 425 F / 220 C. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, if you like. Pierce each sweet potato with a knife a few times on each side, then drizzle with a little avocado oil. Use your hands to make sure each sweet potato is evenly coated in oil on the skin, then season with salt to taste. Bake the sweet potatoes until they are tender, about 45 minutes, depending on the thickness of your sweet potatoes. Set the cooked sweet potatoes aside on a silicone trivet to cool a little.

SOFTEN: While the sweet potatoes are baking, make the chili. Pour the oil into a 6.5 quart dutch oven on the stove top over low-medium heat. Add the diced onion & garlic, cooking until the onion is translucent but not browned, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Add the grated carrots, grated beets (if using), sliced mushrooms, 1/2 tsp of the fine sea salt, the broth, wine (or additional broth), making sure the vegetables are completely covered with liquid. Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer, and partially cover the dutch oven with the lid, while leaving some space for steam to escape. Cook until the carrots are softened, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

BROWN: While the vegetables are simmering, brown the ground beef. Season the meat with the remaining 1/2 tsp of fine sea salt and, working in batches as needed in a large skillet on another burner over medium heat, cook the meat through until the fat has rendered and the meat is just beginning to brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the browned meat to a bowl lined with a few layers of paper towel to drain. Reserve for later.

BLEND: Once the carrots are softened, remove the dutch oven from the heat and transfer it to a silicone trivet. Add the whole sliced beets (if you didn’t use fresh beets earlier), butternut squash puree, red wine vinegar and lemon juice to the dutch oven. Use an immersion blender to blend until everything is combined into a sauce. This will take a good 3 – 4 minutes, so be patient and keep blending until it’s really smooth!

SIMMER: Return the dutch oven to the stove top over low heat. Add the browned drained beef, Mexican oregano, dried cilantro, carob powder, ground ginger and garlic powder. Stir through and bring the chili to a very gentle simmer, not enough for the sauce to spit or splatter. Simmer the chili until the meat breaks down and combines with the sauce and the liquid reduces and thickens, about 20 minutes. If you like, you can add a little extra broth to thin the chili to your preference. Cover and keep the chili warm.

BLEND: Cut each of the sweet potatoes in half and scoop out a little of each until you have a 1/2 cup / 120 g of baked sweet potato in total. Add the baked sweet potato to a high sided container or wide mouthed mason jar, along with the coconut milk, broth, nutritional yeast, oil, salt and garlic. Use an immersion blender and blend until you have a thick, smooth and pourable cheese sauce.

ASSEMBLE: Divide the sweet potatoes between plates or bowls. Fill each split sweet potato with the nightshade free chili. Drizzle each chili stuffed sweet potato with the cheese sauce and then finish each with the sliced radishes, green onions, avocado and chopped cilantro.