I love chilli and it’s one of the easiest meals to whip up and pop in the oven for a good hour or two whilst settling in to a good book or TV programme during the cold winter nights.

Once or twice a week I have a meat free meal, usually of fish, to ensure I get a good boost of vitamins in my diet to keep me fit and healthy. I’d never tried a veggie chilli before, as to be honest, chilli without meat seemed ludicrous to me, but boy how wrong was I.

The best thing about this recipe is that I managed to get two large lunches out of it and it tasted even better after having a couple of days in the fridge where all of the flavours really had chance to mature. Mine had a real kick to it too which was great for warming me up after a cold drive home from work.

Served alongside quinoa, this was a really satisfying meal that left me full for ages after. It would make a great dip for nachos or on a baked spud for a simple and quick snack.

Ingredients

• 1 large onion chopped
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• 1 ½ tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 red or green pepper
• 400g chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 300ml vegetable stock
• 50g frozen peas
• 1 courgette chopped
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 small tin of sweetcorn
• Sweet potato cubed
• 150g quinoa
• Bunch fresh coriander

1. Heat some olive oil in a pan and fry the onion and garlic for about 8 minutes until softened. Throw in the chilli powder and cumin seeds and mix well.
2. Chop the sweet potato and cook in oven for 30-35 minutes until crispy and golden.
3. Add the peppers and fry for 5 minutes. Next, add the tomato puree, peas, tin of tomatoes and stock. Leave to cook for 25 minutes on a low heat.
4. In a saucepan, cook the quinoa in boiling water for around 10-15 minutes until soft.
5. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the courgette and tin of sweetcorn and simmer.
6. In the last 5 minutes, add the cooked sweet potato to the saucepan and mix well. Drain the quinoa and dish up alongside the chilli.
7. Chop up a handful of coriander and sprinkle on top.