African Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew from The Vegan Table
October 23, 2010
We had the pleasure of meeting activist and author Colleen Patrick-Goudreau last weekend at the Farm Sanctuary annual Walk for Farm Animals in Berkeley. She gave an inspiring speech and then was kind enough to give me her blessing to post a few of her recipes on this blog. (I have always assumed it was ok to do, as it gives exposure to their book, but it was nice to be able to ask an author in person!) This recipe is from The Vegan Table. We have enjoyed several things from this book so look for more recipes from The Vegan Table soon!
This recipe is filled with a sweet peanut sauce and plenty of chunky delicious veggies. It took two of us about an hour to chop everything and cook, maybe a bit longer, but it was worth it. We had it over brown rice, but she also recommends quinoa or couscous – really any grain would be good. You should have something to absorb the sauce.
Here’s the recipe:
3 tablespoons water (for sauteing)
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated or minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter (crunchy is fine too)
3 sweet potatoes (or yams) peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 can (15 oz.)red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15oz.) diced tomatoes or 2 fresh tomatoes, diced
4 cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped, unsalted dry-roasted peanuts (optional)
Heat water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add bell pepper, cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in brown sugar, ginger, cumin, cinnamon and cayenne pepper, and cook, stirring for 30 seconds.
Stir in peanut butter, distributing evenly. HINT: Prepare peanut butter by adding 1/4 cup of HOT water and mixing in a separate bowl. Then it will be thinner and easier to mix in when you add it. We did this and it helped.
Add sweet potatoes, kidney beans and tomatoes. Stir to coat. Add vegetable stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until the sweet potatoes are soft (30 – 40 minutes). Taste and add salt if necessary (we didn’t add the salt, and I LOVE salt, and this really didn’t need it). Serve over your choice of grain with chopped peanuts on top!
Leave a comment