Recipe Reveal: Boon Burger’s chili cheese fries

Two world travellers started Boon Burger in Winnipeg, Man. back in 2010, hoping to create a unique place for vegans to eat in the city.

Tomas Sohlberg and his wife Anneen, who is from South Africa, used the word ‘boon’ because it means bean in Afrikaans.

In the last few years, their vegan burger joint has expanded to numerous locations in Manitoba and now into Ontario as well.

Recipe Reveal recently featured one of the most popular side dishes that go with Boon’s burgers, vegan chili cheese fries.

“You can eat this guilt free because not only do we not have deep fryers, we bake our fries in the oven, but it’s also completely animal-product free so it’s completely vegetarian,” Sohlberg said.

Even the cheese is vegan in this recipe.

“The main ingredient in the cheese substitute is pea protein flour so… the cheese actually is plant based but it will melt like regular cheese.”

Here’s how you can make Boon Burger’s chili cheese fires at home. The following recipe makes about four to six servings.

In a medium pot add:

2 large onions – diced

4 cloves garlic – crushed

3 stalks celery – chopped

1 tbls cumin

1 tbls chiliflakes

2 tsp salt

3 cups cooked lentils or 2 cans (with juice)

1.5 cups cooked black beans or kidney beans or 1 can of either (with juice)

2 cups cups water

Sautee the above ingredients for a minimum of 30-45 min., while stirring often. The lentils will burn if you forget to stir them and have the heat too high.

Deglaze your pot with ¼ cup of water if you find that mixture is too dry and starting to burn.

Next add:

2 cups diced tomatoes (with juice)

¼ cup cup tomato paste

1 tblsp cane sugar

¼ cup chunky salsa

¼ cup BBQ sauce

1 cup water

Let this mixture simmer on low heat for 15-20 min. while stirring often.

Turn off the heat.

Then add:

¼ cup chopped cilantro

Mix well. Chili can be partially processed if you like, this will give the chili a ‘creamier’ consistency.

Stir well.