Pureed Spicy Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew with Chickpeas

My kitchen has been filled with sweet potato goodness this past week. I have created at least three new recipes using glorious, nutritious, delicious SWEET POTATOES!  These recipes are for a new project (hope to share details very soon)!

Today, I am sharing this most satisfying, flavorful, Pureed Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew with Chickpeas.  It combines sweet potatoes with earthy spices, a good dose of fresh ginger, and just a small amount of peanut (or nut) butter.  The nut butter isn’t heavy – you know how sometimes you have a peanutty or nutty stew, and it’s just too rich and cloying?  This one gives depth of flavor without overwhelming the other ingredients.  The soup is pureed and then whole chickpeas are added for more texture and protein.

But FIRST, let’s share a little sweet potato luv…

Sweet potatoes are truly one of my very favorite plant-powered foods.  If you know my books, you know that I use sweet spuds often in my books, and make the distinction between orange and yellow varieties.  In Canada, most grocery stores label the yellow spuds simply as “sweet potatoes”, while the orange spuds are called “yams” (either jewel yams or garnet yams).  Why there is so much variance in classification I do not know – and it causes confusion since in other areas yams refer to these huge tubers.

When I specify using one versus the other, it’s not just for color.  The texture and flavor of sweet potatoes differ by variety.  The orange spuds are sweeter than the yellow, and also more moist and somewhat more fibrous (stringier).  The yellow are a little more dense/dry, and not quite as sweet.  I often use them for sweet potato fries, because they do not crush/squish as easily.  But, both are delicious for sweet fries, and for many other recipe uses.  (If you have Let Them Eat Vegan, try out the “Sunshine Fries with Fresh Rosemary and Coarse Sea Salt” using the yellow sweets!)

Our whole family loves sweet potatoes.  Oddly, our eldest loves them baked, but not so much as fries, whereas the younger girls love them pretty much any way!  Whenever I make them into fries, hubby says “how can anyone NOT like sweet potato fries, they’re like candy?!”  They become so caramelized and sweet, they really are almost like candy!  Perhaps that’s why some folks don’t like them as fries?  Are they too sweet for french fries purists?!  I don’t know… I just know WE love ’em!  (YOU?!)

So, let’s get to this stew!  This recipe is from my 3rd book, eat, drink & be vegan.  If you’ve tried it, I’d love to hear your feedback.

Puréed Spicy Sweet Potato & Peanut Stew with Chickpeas gluten-free, soy-free, oil-free  LINK to RECIpage to print/share

1 tbsp water

5 1⁄2 – 6 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped (see note)

2 cups onions, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

3 – 4 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 tsp sea salt

2 tsp cumin seeds (not ground cumin)

3 – 31⁄2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp paprika

1⁄4 – 1⁄2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or more to taste)

2 cups vegetable stock

3 cups water

2 1/2 – 4 tbsp fresh ginger, grated (adjust to taste)

2 tbsp natural peanut butter (can substitute almond or cashew butter)

2 cups cooked chickpeas

3–4 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

lime wedges (for serving)

fresh cilantro, chopped (optional, for serving)

In a large pot on medium heat, add water, sweet potatoes, onion, celery, garlic, salt, cumin seeds, ground coriander, paprika, and red pepper flakes and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring once or twice. Add stock, water, and 1 tbsp ginger (reserve remaining 1-2 tbsp). Stir to combine and increase heat to bring mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15–18 minutes or longer, until sweet potatoes have completely softened. Stir in remaining ginger (adjusting to taste) and peanut butter. With a hand blender, puree soup until just smooth.  Stir in chickpeas and lime juice, and serve with additional lime wedges and fresh cilantro.  Makes 7-8 servings.

Note: This soup uses the orange-flesh tubers that many people know as sweet potatoes. In some countries, like Canada, they are commonly referred to as yams. You can use garnet or jewel yams … or sweet potatoes; just be sure the flesh is orange.

Do you have a favorite – orange or yellow sweet potatoes?  Why?  What are some of your favorite sweet spud recipes?