African Sweet Potato Stew with Red Beans

The fun with my slow cooker continues apace. This spicy stew will warm you right up.

Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 and 1/2 cups chopped onion and 1 minced garlic clove; cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Spoon the onion mixture into a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker, along with: 4 cups peeled (1/2-inch) cubed sweet potato, 1 and 1/2 cups cooked small red beans, 1 and 1/2 cups vegetable broth, 1 cup chopped red bell pepper, 1/2 cup water, 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. cumin, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, 1 drained (14-ounce) can of diced tomatoes, and 1 drained (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles.

This time around, I didn't have the time to slow cook the red beans beforehand. Luckily, Eden Organics sells canned small red beans, which worked in a pinch. If you do cook them in your slow cooker, expect it to take about 4 to 5 hours. Small red beans might also be called Mexican red beans at your market - they look like kidney beans except, well, smaller.

Place the lid on your slow cooker and cook the stew on LOW for 6 hours - as always, read your manufacturer's instructions - cooking times can vary considerably.

Just before serving, ladle out 1 cup of broth into a bowl, and stir in 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter with a whisk - I recommend Peanut Butter & Co, which is all natural and certified vegan. (www.ilovepeanutbutter.com) Return the peanut butter mixture to the stew.

Ladle 1 and 1/3 cups stew into each of 6 bowls. Top each serving with 1 and 1/2 teaspoons chopped peanuts and 1 lime wedge. Each serving is 310 calories.

Note: the original recipe called for dry-roasted peanuts, but Planter's dry-roasted peanuts inexplicably contain gelatin. (It looks like this might not be the case with other brands, but I didn't have time to shop around...) Instead I bought organic roasted - tho unsalted - peanuts at Whole Foods.

Cost:
onion $0.76
sweet potato $2.87
canned small red beans $1.69
red bell pepper $1.35
ginger $0.32
canned diced tomatoes $2.19
canned chopped green chiles $0.99
creamy peanut butter $4.99
peanuts $3.39
lime $0.50