Senegalese Style Peanut Stew

We had some friends we hadn't seen in a long time over for an impromptu lunch last week.  The ingredients I had on hand were for a dish I was wanting to make from my favorite vegetarian cookbook ("How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" by Mark Bittman).  A Senegalese-style (as in the African country of Senegal, where peanuts are a primary crop and sweet potatoes are also featured prominently--thank you, Wikipedia!) peanut stew (and a vegetarian one at that!) was not what I would have planned on serving company (why couldn't I have had some nice deli turkey in the fridge???). 

Anyway, our friends arrived and when they found out what I was making exclaimed, "You don't have to make something vegetarian just for us!"  Turns out, they've started eating primarily vegetarian and it was a very nice coincidence.  Over some very sweet catching up with our friends, we became such fans of this hearty, complex stew that I made it again this week (plus I needed to make sure to get a picture!). 

Serve it with a scoop of hot cooked rice or couscous to round it into a very satisfying meal. Here it's pictured with cooked millet which is a small, round grain found in African cuisine.  I found it at my local health food store, but familiar white rice was great with it.  It's so good, you'll be fighting over who gets to take the leftovers for lunch the next day!

Senegalese Style Peanut Stew
3/4 cup shelled, roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
pinch of cayenne pepper, more or less to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 (about 1 pound) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes, with juice
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 bunch kale or collard greens, washed thoroughly and cut into wide ribbons
juice of half a lime
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large pot.  Once hot, saute onion, bell pepper, ginger and garlic stirring occasionally until softened--about 3-5 minutes.  Add 1/2 cup of the peanuts, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper. 

Stir in the stock, sweet potatoes and can of tomatoes.  Bring to a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally until the potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Stir in the peanut butter and kale.  Cook just until the greens are tender--3-5 minutes.  Stir in lime juice and cilantro.  Taste and adjust seasoning and serve, garnished with the remaining peanuts and cilantro.  
Recipe Adapted from "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" by Mark Bittman

Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

In the checkout lane of several grocery stores, I have been referred to as the "weird produce girl."  I frequently challenge the checker in his/her memory of obscure produce codes.  What can I say?  I've never met a vegetable I haven't liked (unless you count parsley, which I would consider an herb--hate that grassy-tasting stuff!).

I definitely find joy in buying some of the more overlooked vegetables, such as the root vegetables featured in this recipe.  Winter is the season for root vegetables, i.e. vegetables that grow under the ground (look for them for around a dollar a pound).  Today, I want to share them with you in a Shepherd's Pie.  Filling and comforting, think of this dish as the "Snuggy" among entrees.  Tender vegetables and savory ground meat all cozy under a blanket of mashed potatoes (in this case, a mixture of both sweet and regular potatoes--if you do all sweet potatoes, it feels a little too cloyingly sweet like perhaps it should be covered in marshmallows and featured next to the roast turkey). 

A Small Primer in Root Vegetables:
 Rutabaga: (also known as "swede") firm, round, yellow-fleshed and ranging in shape and size from a baseball to softball, was originally a cross between a turnip and cabbage.  It has a bit of a cabbage taste.
Turnip: similar in size and shape to the rutabaga, mild flavor, firm texture, white with purple near the top.
Parsnip: looks like a white carrot with an extra long root, a bit sweeter and more intensely flavored than a carrot.
Carrot: hopefully, we are all familiar with the humble carrot


Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie
serves a lot -- 6-8 hungry folks
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1/2 pound lean ground hamburger or turkey
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 large carrots, peeled and diced into bite-sized pieces
2 small rutabagas (about 1/2 pound), peeled and diced
2 small turnips (about 1/2 pound), peeled and diced
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup frozen peas3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 medium white (I used plain, ol' russet) potatoes, peeled and diced
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

In a large pot over medium high heat, saute onion in olive oil for 2-3 minutes or until it starts to become translucent.  Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute, stirring frequently, or until garlic becomes fragrant.  Add ground meat and allow to cook until no longer pink.  Stir in ketchup and Worcestershire sauce.  Toss in diced carrot, rutabega and turnips and stir to combine.  Add broth and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until root vegetables become tender (about 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces).  Remove lid, raise heat and allow to simmer uncovered to allow most of liquid to evaporate.  Once most of the liquid is gone, add 1 tablespoon butter and frozen peas.  Stir to combine and remove from heat.

Meanwhile, to make mashed potatoes, place diced sweet potatoes and white potatoes in a medium-sized pot.  Add water to cover and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and cover, simmering until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork (about 20 minutes).  Drain water and add 2 tablespoons butter and milk.  Mash, with a potato masher (or for fluffier texture, whip with a hand-held electric mixer).  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To assemble, preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spoon meat and vegetable mixture (really, it's a stew, right?) into a baking dish (or you can be especially cute and put into individual ramekins.  Spoon mashed potato mixture on top of vegetable mixture.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (you can also stir some cheese into the mashed potatoes if that floats your boat).  Bake at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and top is starting to brown.

Spinach, White Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas with Goat Cheese

I know, this sounds like a really strange combination. It turned out really good. Trust me. It's hearty, substantial and my husband went back for thirds. And it all came together because I hadn't been to the grocery store in about two weeks and had a rather odd assortment of odds and ends that needed to be used up. The little bit that was left over made an excellent lunch the next day as well! Walk on the eclectic side and give it a try!

Spinach, White Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas with Goat Cheese

1 medium sweet potato
1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 15 oz. can white beans (cannellini)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
4 oz goat cheese
2 cups shredded monterrey jack cheese, divided (or another Mexican style cheese)
1/4 cup green chiles, chopped (or one small can)
1/2 cup pico de gallo or jarred salsa
about 8 corn tortillas
non stick cooking spray

Topping:
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream or plain yogurt
1 cup green salsa
1/2 teaspoon cumin
big handful of cilantro, washed (about 1/4-1/2 cup)
fresh squeezed juice of 1/2 lime

Wash sweet potato and poke holes in it. Microwave on high for about 5 minutes or until tender. Cut open and allow to cool until easy to handle. Cut into bite-sized chunks. In a medium-sized bowl, combine sweet potato, half of shredded cheese and rest of ingredients up to the corn tortillas. Stir until well-combined. The goat cheese should give it a creamy consistency. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a blender or a food processor, combine topping ingredients. Blend until it becomes a smooth sauce and set aside.

Grease a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Warm the tortillas in the microwave for about 30 seconds or just until pliable. Take one tortilla at a time, spread a large spoonful (about 1/4 cup) of filling on middle of tortilla, roll the tortilla up and place, seam side down, into baking dish. Repeat with filling and tortillas until used up.

Pour sauce over top of enchiladas and top with remaining half of shredded cheese. Cover dish with foil and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until enchiladas are bubbly and cheese is melted. Remove foil and allow to bake about 3-5 minutes longer, just until cheese starts to brown.

Top servings with additional pico de gallo and sour cream, if desired.

West African Style Loaded Sweet Potatoes

This is definitely one that tastes better than it looks.

Inspired by a recipe in Cooking Light, I modified this recipe from a side to a vegetarian main dish. The flavors are really unique and addictive and I almost always have all the ingredients on hand. And, if you microwave the sweet potatoes, it can come together in about fifteen minutes. Score!

West African Style Loaded Sweet Potatoes:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes (garlic and onion are nice, but you can use plain, too)
1/3 cup water
1 cup canned garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (about 1/2 a 15 oz can)

fresh chopped cilantro
4 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean

Prick potatoes with a knife or fork to allow steam to release and cook in microwave until tender (approx. 10 min, depending on size of potatoes). You can also bake them or do some combination of microwaving and baking since baking creates a much more tender, caramelized flavor (microwave until tender and then place in a 400 degree oven on a piece of foil so they don't drip and cause a huge mess and bake until they're really soft).

While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the sauce. In a large skillet over medium high heat, saute onion in olive oil until almost tender. Stir in ginger and garlic and saute for one more minute. Stir in coriander, cumin, cayenne and salt and pepper. Cook for about one more minute, stirring constantly. The spices should be very fragrant at this point. Add peanut butter and stir to melt. Add tomatoes, sugar and water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Cook over low heat until sauce thickens, a couple of minutes. Add garbanzo beans (did you know garbanzo beans and chick peas are the same thing, just different names?). Stir to combine and allow to heat through once again.

To serve, split open the sweet potato. Top with about 1/2 cup of sauce per potato and sprinkle chopped cilantro over top.