Recipes for this stew vary wildly, but commonly include chicken, tomato, onion, garlic, cabbage, and leaf or root vegetables. I chose to add beans for extra resistant starch and plant protein. I don't know why it's called Peanut Stew when there is so little peanut in the recipe. The peanut butter lends a wonderfully creamy texture but the flavor is all but lost within the other ingredients. Regardless, it's delicious, rich and VERY filling, with some nice heat from the chilies. Perfect for a cold, wintry night! This recipe also lends itself well to a slow cooker. So you can toss the ingredients together in the morning and come home to a hearty, heavenly meal.
Ingredients:
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes
- 3 large carrots
- 2 dried chili peppers
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 can low-sodium kidney beans, drained
- 3 TBS smooth peanut butter
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 TBS Moroccan Spice Blend (OR 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp cardamom, 1 tsp basil)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 TBS non-alkalized cocoa powder
- 1 TBS date sugar (or other minimally-processed sweetener)
- 2 TBS Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or salt to taste)
- Chop the onion into bite-sized pieces. Place in a large pot and water-sauté until tender (see notes).
- Add all remaining ingredients, except the peanut butter.
- Cover and simmer at least one hour or until carrots are fork tender. Add water if needed. It can be quite thick.
- Make a paste out of the peanut butter with some water and add it to the stew. Otherwise it will be very hard to blend into the dish.
- Serve topped with some chopped peanuts or a dollop of crunchy peanut butter (my favorite!). You can also serve it with rice, but really it's a meal in itself. I had a side of fresh green salad which was perfect.
- NOTE: If you are using a slow cooker, add the peanut butter when you get home! Otherwise it may get too thick and stick to your cooker.
Serves 4-6. Enjoy!
Helyn's Notes: (1) Water sautéing is a great way to eliminate added oils when cooking, which I learned from Dr. Fuhrman. Simply add a small amount of water (about 2-3 TBS) and cook as you normally would with oil. Add more water as it evaporates. (2) It is VERY important in this dish to make sure the onions are soft before you add the other ingredients, in particular the tomatoes. Any kind of tomato sauce will prevent the onions from ever getting soft! Trust me, I've learned from experience. If you don't want really crunchy onions, follow this tip (unless you're using a slow cooker, then the onions will soften over time).
Healthy Trails!
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