Cincinnati-Style Vegetable Chili

Use organic ingredients whenever possible. Preheat your oven to 425 F.

Peel and chop the sweet potato into pieces and put them on a rimmed sheet pan. Coat the pieces with 1 teaspoon of the oil. Roast the sweet potato for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

While the potato is roasting: In a large pot, warm the remaining oil over a medium-low heat. Peel and dice the onion and garlic and add them into the pot. Saute the onion and garlic in the oil for 5-7 minutes. Add the herbs, spices, salt and cocoa, and the diced chili pepper if you want the heat and stir. Add the diced tomatoes and stir. Add the veggie crumbles and stir until broken down.

Add both cans of beans, but only drain one can of its liquid. Add the chopped kale. Stir and increase the heat to medium. Cook for 5 minutes stirring often. Add the roasted sweet potato and stir. Cook for another 3 minutes and serve.