I’m a huge fan of the Oh She Glows website and cookbooks. Its founder, Angela Liddon, started blogging about her eating disorder in 2008 and turned her knowledge and wisdom into two best-selling cookbooks. All of her recipes are plant-based, and I haven’t tried them all, but the ones I have tried are delicious. Check out her website: https://ohsheglows.com

This African Peanut Stew recipe is one of my favourites because it is so simple to make, is packed with nutrients, is comforting and perfect on a cold Canadian winter day-like today. What happened to the spring-like weather we were having? I woke up to a vicious wind and -16C. Burr……this stew will warm you up! 

I’ve experimented with this recipe a bit. I’m not a big fan of spicy hot food, so I skip the jalapeño and only add a sprinkle of the chili powder and cayenne pepper, and it still has a kick.   If I have other vegetables available, I’ll add them. I’ve added frozen peas, corn, and zucchini, and it is still delicious. I don’t bother to peel the sweet potatoes; I just give the skins a good scrub.  Enjoy this soothing stew!

Ingredients

• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 medium sweet onion

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 red bell pepper, diced

• 1 jalapeño, seeded, if desired, and diced (optional)

• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped into ½-inch pieces

• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their juices

• Fine-grain sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• ⅓ cup natural peanut butter

• 4 cups vegetable broth, plus more as needed

• 1½ tsp chili powder

• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 2 handfuls baby spinach or destemmed, torn kale leaves

• Fresh cilantro or parsley leaves, for serving

• Roasted peanuts, for serving

Preparation

1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.

2. Add the bell pepper, jalapeño (if using), sweet potato, and tomatoes with their juices. Raise the heat to medium-high and simmer for 5 minutes more. Season the vegetables with salt and black pepper.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the peanut butter and 1 cup of the vegetable broth until no clumps remain. Stir the mixture into the vegetables along with the remaining 3 cups broth, chili powder, and the cayenne (if using). Add a bit of boiling water to loosen up the peanut, if the whisking alone isn’t doing the trick.

4. Cover the pan with a lid and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 10 to 20 minutes, or until the sweet potato is fork-tender.

5. Stir in the chickpeas and spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

6. Ladle the stew into bowls and garnish with cilantro and roasted peanuts.

Tip:

Serve with rice or quinoa. If you have have some multigrain or other type of hearty bread-toast and butter it and serve on side. Yummy.

Be well.

Anita