Sweet Potato Stew

One of my favorite treats is a baked sweet potato topped with cinnamon and peanut butter. Every now and then I’ll sprinkle on a little bit of cayenne pepper. When the potato is hot, the peanut butter gets all gooey and melty. The combination of sweet and spicy flavors is so good. If you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend it.

This recipe is like the sweet and spicy potato in soup form. It’s great for a chilly Fall evening and it makes a huge batch of soup so there is plenty to freeze and take for lunches during the week.  It’s very quick to throw together and doesn’t need to simmer for a long time before it’s ready. I was able to start the soup and squeeze in backyard sprints while it simmered on the stove. How’s that for multitasking? 😉

Sweet Potato Stew 

• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 Tbsp minced ginger
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 15 oz cans no salt added petite diced tomatoes
• 1 cup water
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp coriander
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 16 oz sweet potato, cubed
• 6 cups mixed greens like kale, spinach, chard

Spray a large soup pot with non-stick spray and add the onions, ginger, and garlic. Heat over medium heat and saute for approximately 3 minutes until the onion is softened. Add all of the ingredients but the mixed greens and stir slightly to combine.

Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes until the sweet potatoes are cooked. Add the greens and cook for another 2 minutes or so until the greens are wilted. See below for my thoughts if you are planning on leftovers!

Makes 8 large servings at 162 calories each – 6g protein, 21g carbs, and 7g fats.

Notes

• I used garlic and ginger from a jar since it saves time and you don’t have to worry about it going bad as quickly as fresh.
• The peanut butter I used was chunky because that’s what I had in the house. You can use creamy if you prefer. I recommend using natural peanut butter if possible because regular versions will probably be too sweet for this soup. Bleh, sweet soup. No.
• I didn’t peel my sweet potatoes because I usually don’t and it saves a step. After the soup simmers, you don’t even notice if they are peeled or not so why waste the effort if it makes no difference.
• I got a large bag called Super Greens at the Walmart for this recipe. It’s a mix of kale, collards, spinach, and chard in one bag. You can use all of one variety of greens if you want. I liked the combination for a nice change of pace.
• I added 3 oz of shredded grilled chicken to my bowl of soup when I ate it. The Kid had hers vegetarian without the chicken. Both ways got thumbs up from us.

If you are planning on leftovers, I recommend not adding the greens until just before serving. Sometimes greens can get a little weird when frozen and thawed. It’s kinda like they turn to tough leather. Probably not the texture you’re looking for. They also lose some of their vitamins since they are frozen after cooking.

I cool leftover soup without the greens and freeze half of it for later. When I’m ready to eat it, I just thaw it in the fridge overnight. I heat up the leftovers and then drop the greens in right before serving. Works like a charm and no leather veggies to contend with.