African Peanut Stew (vegan recipe)

I admit it, this is NOT an original, it is a forgery of an original that can be found at Relish… but of course I made a couple tweaks (but they were minor at best)… so here's my (slightly modified) version…  I loved this so much I had to share!!

Ingredients:
  Spray Olive Oil
  1 1/2 cups finely diced Red Onion
  1 large Green Bell Pepper, finely diced
  1/2 cup diced Carrots
  2 stalks Celery, diced
  3 cloves Garlic, minced
  2 Tbl peeled, minced, fresh Ginger Root
  1 3/4 cups diced fresh Tomatoes
  1 Sweet Potato (1 lb), peeled and diced
  1 1/2 cups Edamame, shelled (I used frozen)
  1/4 cup Natural Peanut Butter (I used smooth, can also use chunky)
  1/4 cup(s) chopped fresh Cilantro
  5 oz container Baby Spinach, chopped into bite sized bits
  1 Tbl Sweet Curry powder
  4 tsp Better Than Bouillon Vegetable + 4 cups Water
    (or sub in 4 cups Vegetable Stock)
  1 Bay Leaf, broken into bits
  Sea Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
  Have ready some freshly cooked White Rice



Spray a Dutch oven with Olive Oil.

Sauté together Onion, Bell, Carrot, and Celery until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add Garlic, Ginger and Curry Powder; sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute (do not brown garlic).

Add Tomatoes and Bay Leaf; cook, uncovered, until tomatoes are slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.

Add broth and Sweet Potatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 8 minutes. 

Add Edamame and Peanut Butter; stir until well combined. 

Add Cilantro and Spinach; cook until thoroughly heated and spinach wilts, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

We ate it in bowls, with 1/2 cup cooked rice in the bottom of the bowl, and 2 ladles full of “stew” on top.  Served that way it makes 6 nice dinner-sized portions... YUM!!