Vegan Peanut Stew

You know it's fall when...you finally succumb to the first cough of the season. Colds are no fun and chest colds are rough. But if it means an excuse to drink all my meals as soup and tea, then I guess there's a silver lining.

This stew comes from the Oh She Glows cookbook. I've dabbled in these vegan recipes from time to time and this stew sounded like it was the right amount of hearty and spicy for the darker days of fall. Plus, it has all kinds of veggies in it and after all the Halloween sweets I ate, it's time for a reset.

The vegetables are chopped and cooked first. I thought about adding carrots, you totally could, but in the end, stuck to the recipe. Onions, garlic, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper and sweet potato--that's a lot of chopping.

While those start to cook and soften, add the diced tomatoes. Hopefully, your can opener won't break at the beginning of this process like mine did. Fortunately, you can still use the sharp part of the can opener to punch tiny cuts into the lid, it will just take ten times as long to open the stupid can. Struggles.

The diced tomatoes and juices will help to cook the vegetables while you mix up some broth. Peanut butter and 1 cup of broth are whisked together until no clumps survive. This mixture and another 3 cups of broth (conveniently making one carton) are added to the vegetables. Now we're in business!

Allow the stew to cook until the vegetables are tender. Add the chickpeas and spinach last so they will warm and soften. Clearly you should serve this hot but if you're feeling extra hungry, you can also add some rice.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go make some tea and curl up in a ball of warmth and sniffles.

Recipe

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 sweet onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped
• 1 28oz can of diced tomatoes (with juices)
• Paprika (optional for additional heat)
• 1/3 cup of peanut butter
• 4 cups of vegetable broth (divided into 1 and 3)
• 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup of spinach, roughly chopped

1. Mince the garlic and chop up your onion before adding to a large pot with the olive oil. Cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent. 
2. While the onion cooks, peel the sweet potato and chop up with the red bell pepper and jalapeno. Add to the pot with the onion and garlic.
3. Pour the canned tomatoes with juices into the pot. If you like a spicier soup, add paprika to your liking. Stir everything together and allow to cook over medium heat while you prepare the broth.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter and 1 cup of vegetable broth. Once all of the peanut butter clumps are gone, add to the pot of vegetables. 
5. Next, add the remaining 3 cups of vegetable broth.
6. Lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Cook until the sweet potato is soft and easily skewered with a fork.
7. Last, add the torn spinach and drained chickpeas. Stir to combine and allow to simmer until the spinach is wilted.
8. Serve hot and potentially with rice.