African Peanut Stew

Day 18: Groundnuts are Good

So since I started this endeavor I have had on my mind that I wanted to do something involving peanut butter and sweet potatoes. The inspiration for this is a dish called Veggie Groundnut from a favorite local spot Pan Africa Market. I used to work around the corner from this place and it is so good, Jay used to walk the 10 minutes walk from his office to mine to join me for lunch. When he does he always orders the veggie groundnut which is, served over rice, comprised of sweet potatoes, carrots, and bell peppers lathered with a peanut sauce. I looked through my various cookbooks for an African Peanut Soup and found nothing. It wasn't until my friend Eva sent me a recipe found on allrecipes.com that I reinvigorated my search. I found another recipe on a fat free vegan website (fat free my ass - it has peanut butter... but whatever), that seemed to fit the bill. I, of course, altered it a bit to suit. Of course this is more of a stew than a soup, but I decided that was allowable:

African Peanut Stew

2 tbsp canola oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 jalapeno peppers, minced

3-4 cloves garlic. minced

1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp red pepper flakes, more if desired

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1- 28 oz can diced tomatoes, in juice

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 in cubes

2 cups chickpeas, cooked

3 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

2 cups frozen green beans

salt and pepper to taste

In a soup pot heat canola oil over medium heat. Cook onions and jalapenos for 5-6 minutes until onions are translucent. Add garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes to release aromas. Add tomatoes, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, broth and peanut butter. Stir thoroughly. Bring to a slow simmer and cook 30-40 minutes until potatoes are soft. Add green beans and cook until heated through. Salt and pepper to taste. If you like a spicier dish you can always add more red pepper flakes. Serve over brown rice or quinoa.

Jay's review:

4.5 yums (out of 5)! One of the best stews ever!

Harira

Day 5: For Health!

Today I prepared, Harira, a traditional Moroccan soup with lentils and chickpeas that is served to break fast in the holy month of Ramadan. I got the recipe out of Moosewood's Low-Fat Favorites, which is one of my favorite cookbooks. I stuck pretty much to the recipe though I did replace the potatoes with parsnips and chose to cook the lentils with the soup rather than precook them as the original recipe suggests. It turned out fine, though next time I would go ahead and use the potatoes because parsnips have too much flavor and, I thought, took over the flavors of the soup. Here is the soup as I prepared it:

Harira

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp tumeric

1/4 tsp cayenne

1 tsp coriander

1 tbsp fresh grated ginger

1 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup diced celery

1 cup diced parsnips

6 cups vegetable stock

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup dry brown lentils

1 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas

pinch of saffron

1 tbsp lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Fresh chopped cilantro

plain yogurt

Heat olive oil and cook onions for 2-3 minutes. Add spices and ginger and cook for a few more minutes to release flavor. Add carrots, celery, parsnips, and lentils and stir thoroughly. Add stock and tomatoes and cover. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes or until the lentils are soft. Add chickpeas and cook for 5 minutes. Add lemon juice, pinch of saffron, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with plain yogurt and fresh cilantro as garnish.

Jay's review:

3 yums (out of 5). Yogurt was a nice touch.