African Peanut Stew

Happy Monday and happy LEAP DAY, friends! Got any super fun plans to celebrate this year?

I know most people dread Mondays. But I admittedly have come to love Mondays. The weekends, while I can loosen the reigns of my mom duties a little bit, tend to get really crazy, really fast. During the week, I keep things under control. Toys are put away. Shelves are dusted. Bathrooms are cleaned. Sheets are changed. The weekends bring a whirlwind of activity, toys everywhere, kids yelling at each other, and it feels like a mad dash just to get them to bed so there’s some semblance of peace and quiet in the home.

Mondays bring back order. My older one goes to school. My husband goes to work. I blog. My younger one plays quietly. We read books and play Play-Doh.

So yeah. I kinda like Mondays.

Since your weekends may be just as insane as mine, I thought I’d share a delicious recipe with you today help you feel grounded and sane again. Whether you’re a busy working professional, or a stay-at-home-mom ready to pull her hair out, this recipe is easy and tasty, and will leave no one complaining at the dinner table. I pulled this recipe from the Oh She Glows cookbook with only a few minor tweaks to suit my family. Enjoy!

African Peanut Stew

adapted from Oh She Glows

Ingredients

1 tsp water (or extra virgin olive oil)
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed in bite-sized pieces
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, with juices
1/3 C smooth peanut butter
4 C vegetable broth
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 large handfuls baby spinach
salt and pepper, to taste
peanuts, for garnishment

Directions

In a large saucepan, heat the water over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until onion is translucent, adding additional water to eliminate sticking as necessary. Add the bell pepper, jalapeno, sweet potato, and diced tomatoes. Raise the heat to medium-high and simmer for 5 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the peanut butter and 1 C of the vegetable broth, until smooth. Stir the peanut butter mixture into the vegetables. Add remaining vegetable broth and chili powder.

Cover the pan and simmer on medium-low for 15-20 minutes, or until sweet potato is fork-tender. Stir in the chickpeas and spinach until the spinach is wilted.

Garnish with peanuts.