Last week I wrote about goals and resolutions and thinking about the question: how do I want to feel? Perhaps some of your answers included feelings like energized, healthy, vital, balanced, or grounded. If that’s the case, and even if that isn’t the case, here is a simple delicious recipe to get you started on your path to feeling any and all of the above. Packed with sweet potatoes, quinoa, carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes, black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, and onions, this chili is a one-pot superfoods meal that is pleasing to the tastebuds, easy to put together, versatile, and an excellent return for your kitchen time investment: you put in an hour, you get fed for two weeks. So think of this as a way to sneak a few extra positive feelings into your life and your lunch.

The basic facts you need to know are these:

1. Does this chili take a fair amount of chopping and dicing? Yes.
2. Does this chili make a huge amount? Yes.
3. Does this chili freeze well? Yes.
4. Does this chili taste great? Yes.
5. Can you put whatever you want in this chili? Oh you betcha. I know I did!

And for those of you who like to know a little about the foods in your meals, so you can imagine their powerful fortifying and health supporting effects on the way down (I can’t be the only one!), here is a quick summary:

• Mushrooms: full of beta glucans (immune-boosting compounds) that have anti-tumor and white blood cell supporting properties. Also rich in selenium, zinc, and copper (oh my!);
• Carrots: Vitamin A (beta carotene), fibre, antioxidants;
• Quinoa: gluten-free, high in very digestible complete protein, fibre, B vitamins;
• Tomatoes: Vitamin C, beta carotene, key minerals, and lycopene (the carotenoid pigment that gives tomatoes their colour), which is more accessible to your body in cooked tomatoes, and helps prevent certain cancers, protect your heart and eyes, and support skin collagen;
• Sweet Potatoes: calcium, chromium, Vitamin C, Vitamin A (beta carotene), and B vitamins;
• Onions: anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant compounds, and powerful immune-system boosters;
• Beans: fibre, protein, B vitamins, antioxidants (in the black beans).

Vegan Sweet Potato and Quinoa Chili

Note: while I’ve supplied the basic quantities I used, I really think you could put almost anything you want in here – you might just have to add more/less tomatoes/broth if you add significantly more/less vegetables.