Katie's Healthy Bites: Vegetarian African Peanut Stew

Serve this African Peanut Stew as a main course or a decadent side. The stew is rich in fiber, protein, vitamins A, B and C and boasts a ton of flavor.
African Peanut Stew

You can’t miss all the turkey talk happening right now, which is great for people who eat meat, but there are plenty of us who celebrate the holidays meat-free. Well, this stew recipe is for you.

I discovered this dish when my husband and I ate lunch at a vegetarian restaurant a few weeks ago. At first, he was a bit skeptical of a vegetarian meal but was pleasantly surprised. We tried several dishes, and they were all amazing, but this African Peanut Stew really stood out. Because we both loved it, I set out to recreate it immediately.

You can serve this as a main course or a decadent side for the holidays or just a weeknight meal. The fresh mix of ingredients means the stew is rich in fiber, protein, vitamins A, B and C and, I must add, boasts a ton of flavor. I've shared this recipe with some friends, who will be serving to their friends and family as a part of their holiday table. I hope it makes it onto yours as well.

African Peanut Stew

Serves 6
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
1 cup carrot, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
2 tablespoon garlic, minced
2 tablespoons ginger, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon curry powder (I add an extra teaspoon of cumin as well)
1 (14-ounce) can low sodium diced tomatoes with juice
4 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup crunchy natural peanut butter, organic preferred
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 bunch of kale, chopped (about 5 cups)
*hot red pepper flakes or freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and celery; sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger and curry powder (cumin optional) and sauté about 1 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook for 2 to 3 minutes to reduce the liquid a bit.

Add broth and sweet potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 8 minutes. Add beans and peanut butter; stir to combine. Add cilantro and kale; cook until thoroughly heated and kale wilts, about 2 minutes.

Nutrition Info:
Calories: 319
Fat: 10 grams
Saturated Fat: 1.5 grams
Protein: 14 grams
Carbohydrates: 47 grams
Cholesterol: 0 milligrams
Sodium: 500 milligrams
Fiber: 10 grams

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