African Peanut Soup

Recently I tried a recipe that was a legitimate success with my son. It was for African Peanut Soup, which apparently originated in West Africa after the peanut was brought from South America in the 16th century. I was thinking that adding nut butters to savory dishes would be a wonderful idea for children. It adds a richness and sweetness, as well as good fats and plenty of nutrition. In American cuisine, very few savory dishes involve peanut butter or other nut butter, aside from the ever popular PB and J. So I decided to look around and find a different way of preparing a nut butter meal.

After looking at a variety of recipes for peanut soup, and trying one that I found unappealing, I found this one and only adapted it slightly. I admittedly got the recipe from Cooking Light and not from a more authentic source, but it’s so good that it’s a keeper.  It is a vegetarian version that uses sweet potatoes and other simple ingredients to make a lovely, sweet and nutrient-rich stew that is just as good a day or two later. My one suggestion is to not overdo the tomato. If you don’t have a fresh tomato and you’re deciding between putting in a whole can of tomatoes (which I often end up doing in order to avoid waste) or leaving it out, leave it out.

African Peanut Soup

• 2 sweet potatoes, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 carton vegetable broth
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp cumin
• salt and pepper to taste

In a pot or dutch oven, fry the onion in the oil until  beginning to brown. Next add all of the ingredients except the peanut butter. Simmer until sweet potatoes are soft. Crush some of the potatoes in the pot and mix well. Add the peanut butter and simmer gently for another 15 or 20 minutes. Can be served as a stew or over rice.