Sweet Potato, Peanut and Moving Out Stew

I am officially finished my undergraduate degree...assuming I don't fail any of my exams...

I submitted my final essay, the lingering symbol of my status as a student, 6 minutes ago. I am already growing anxious... I'm really going to miss being in an academic setting and it's freaking me out a bit.

More depressing, I am leaving Guelph tomorrow and...moving back in with my parents... I will become one of those university graduates who is living at home and working a job I could've had straight out of high school. This kind of thinking almost makes me wish I did fail a course, so I could cling to my student status for just a little bit longer...almost.

Anyways, this is leading somewhere, I promise.

I am moving out and I am broke. So, I'm trying to use up all the food bits and pieces I've accumulated over the year to simultaneously empty my cupboards, thus facilitating the moving out process, while filling my belly, meaning I don't have to spend money on groceries. An inventory of my cupboard and fridge revealed the following:

• some left over dried black beans from making Black Bean Brownies
• some dried kidney beans I bought with no purpose in mind...and which ended up serving no purpose
• carob powder from making things like Sweet Potato Brownies and Avocado Mousse
• a mason jar of frozen Vegetable Broth (whoever said it only lasts a month in the freezer lied)
• left over peanuts from my most recent batch of Peanut Butter 
• a bunch of loose garlic cloves from making an assortment of soups
• spices I never ended up using
• some cilantro from when James was visiting
• a lot of zested lemons from my recent obsession with adding lemon zest to everything

It's like going back in time through food and blog posts...it's making me so sad...

Anyways, these ingredients reminded me of a West African Peanut Stew from a local restaurant, that I love, called The Cornertstone. So, I thought I might try my hand at making a version of it.

I weighed my ingredients as I went, just for clarity—they're all suggestive and "about" measurements. Here's what I did...

Sweet Potato, Peanut and Moving Out Stew

(makes about 8-10 cups)

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1 medium sized onion (150 grams), diced
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 apple (150 grams), cored and cut up
• 3 large tomatoes (675 grams), diced
• dried beans (6 oz—I used a combination of kidney and black beans...if only I had chickpeas too)
• 2 large sweet potatoes (650 grams), peeled and cubed
• 1/2 cup (120 grams) smooth Peanut Butter
• 1/2-3/4 cup (120 grams) dry-roasted peanuts
• 3 1/2 cups Vegetable Broth
• 1/2 cup (or so) cilantro, chopped
• 3 Tbsp carob powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp fine sea salt (or to taste)
• 1 tsp black pepper
• juice of a lemon

Instructions:

1. Prepare beans:

• Soak them overnight in enough cool water to cover them, plus an inch
• Drain, rinse and place in a saucepan
• Cover with water, plus an inch or so
• Bring to a boil, then let simmer until beans are tender (from 1 to 2 hours)
• Drain and rinse
• There is also a quick soak method, but I've never tried it because apparently it makes the beans prone to falling apart.

2. Heat oil in a deep saucepan. Add chopped onions and garlic and cook until onion is translucent.

3. Add tomato, apple and spices and cook until soft.

4. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter. Let it cool a bit, then place in a food processor and process until smooth.

5. Return to medium heat and add beans, sweet potato, half the cilantro and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, and let simmer for an hour, or until sweet potato is tender.

6. Remove from heat and stir in the rest of the cilantro and the peanuts. You can reserve some peanuts for garnish/toppings.

The recipe worked out great and I loved it—sweet potato, beans, peanuts...so many favourites in one. I ate it everyday for lunch this week.

Keep in mind, this recipe is a mishmash of what I had around the house and the ingredient amounts were completely dictated by this, so nothing about this recipe is set in stone.

 The carob powder was a rather last minute add—I thought, while I was adding everything else I had, why not? Stroke of genius, I going to call that. Don't worry, it's not too strong, and I think it balances out some of the more contrasting flavours in the stew.