AFRICAN PEANUT STEW

This is the recipe I go to if I am feeling the tiniest bit sick or just need a comforting home cooked meal. I have tried numerous recipes for African Peanut Stew via blogs and cookbooks, but this one takes the cake.

My mother-in-law first passed it on to me, and with a few tweaks to it, I’ve made it my own. It’s up there in my top three favorite dishes to make.

It has a lot of “good for you” veggies, it’s packed with protein, and has immune-boosting ginger and garlic. It can also be a stand-alone delicious vegan dish with a few substitutes and omissions to the recipe.

What are your favorite go-to comfort foods? Let us know in the comments. We are always looking for new things to try, and we love to hear from our readers.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tbsp EVOO
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 4 carrots
• 1 head of garlic
• 2 tbsp grated fresh ginger (ginger paste can work too)
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 1 large can of diced tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cartons of chicken or veggie broth if you want to keep this meal vegan
• 1 large peeled sweet potato.
• 1/4 cup of almond or peanut butter
• 1 bag of spinach
• 4-6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (You can leave out chicken for vegan option)
• Cilantro to taste
• ​Salt and Pepper to taste
  

HOW TO
Before making this soup, I chop and prep everything before hand. The steps go pretty quick and it is easy to burn items in step 3 if you don’t move fast.

1. In a cast iron skillet, roast chicken thighs with a little bit of EVOO in the oven. I usually cook at 400 covered until almost cooked through. Then roast with low broil at the end for 2-3 minutes. When chicken is cooled, shred with a fork and put to the side.
2. In a large soup pot heat EVOO at medium to high temp. Add onion and carrots. Saute until soft.
3. Add chopped garlic, ginger, and curry powder. Do not brown the garlic. Sautee until fragrant. This usually takes no more than a minute.
4. Add tomatoes and bay leaves. Cook uncovered until it begins to bubble.
5. ​Add both cartons of broth and chopped sweet potato. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer until the sweet potatoes are soft.
6. Stir in almond or peanut butter. Keep stirring until smooth. Remove from burner.
7. Add entire bag of spinach. When I make this for my children I finely chop the spinach. If you want to keep the leaves whole it is your preference.
8. If you choose to make this dish with chicken, add shredded chicken thighs and drippings from the pan.
9. Remove from burner.
10. Add salt and pepper to taste.
11. Top with a generous amount of chopped cilantro.