I’m not a big fan of peanut butter. I love peanuts, but not peanut butter!  Nope…not a chance. Must be the sticky nature of it that doesn’t work for me. Peanut butter cookies don’t cut the mustard either…just too peanut buttery. So, why would I try this African Stew?  I needed a vegetarian main dish for a class I was doing, and this seemed just too intriguing to pass up. Guess what?  I love it!!  Of course there’s not tons of peanut butter, but just enough to make an impact and make you ask….Is there Peanut Butter in my Stew?

The other main ingredient is sweet potatoes. Not yams?  So, what’s the difference anyway?  I remember a friend that came home empty handed. She went to the market with yams on the list, and all she could find was sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes we eat in the U.S. are not potatoes and they are not yams. They are in the morning glory family, Convolvulus. Yams are not readily available in our markets. Most of the tubers named “sweet potatoes” or “yams” in the markets are really sweet potatoes. Marketers distinguished the darker orange moist sweet potatoes as yams and the lighter starchier sweet potatoes as sweet potatoes.

Sweet potatoes were first found by Europeans in Haiti and were called “batata”…which morphed into “potato” in relation to the other tuber of the new world. Portuguese explorers discovered sweet potatoes in Africa. When asking what they were digging they replied, “something to eat” or “nyami “ which morphed into “yam.”

A true yam is a large starchy root of the Diocorea genus.  It can grow up to 8 feet long and weigh up to 150 pounds. They are found in West Africa and New Guinea.

So, buy a yam or buy a sweet potato. Whatever the name, both will work here and that touch of peanut butter is key. I just might work my way up to a chocolate peanut butter cup some day soon….or not.

Babies cannot have peanuts or too much spice, so take out their portion to puree before adding the cayenne or peanut butter.

On the other hand…most kids’ favorite food is peanut butter. So if they are picky about other vegetables this just may be the ticket to encourage some healthy sweet potatoes in their diet.

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African Sweet Potato Peanut Stew

Serves 4
Prep time: 45 minutes

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8—1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 pound sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 small tomatoes, diced
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup cooked white beans
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet. Add 1 chopped onion, 1 diced bell pepper and 1 large clove minced garlic. Sauté until softened. Stir in 2 teaspoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon minced ginger, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne. Cook and stir for a few seconds to toast the spices.  Add 1 pound diced potatoes, 2 small diced tomatoes and 1 1/2 cups stock. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Stir in 1 cup cooked beans and 2 tablespoons peanut butter. Heat through. Serve over rice sprinkled with 1/2 cup chopped peanuts.

Serves 4