(Bastardized) African veggie-peanut stew

Some of my closer friends know that I spent the latter half of summer 2014 working at an NGO that serves the African community here in Rhode Island. One of the many exciting events we planned was an amazing cooking demonstration at a farmer's market in South Providence. There were some fantastic recipes made using African vegetables, but the majority of them were very meat-centric - pulled pork, grilled chicken, etc. I spent some time manning the stand that had printed copies of the recipes on it, and I found a more complex version of this recipe, and it was the only recipe there that they weren't making! I was bewildered that they weren't offering this for the hippie-vegan folk at the market, and in protest, I decided to make it myself! That's right: this is how I protest.

The end product, served over basmati rice, in all its peanuty glory.

Serves 6-8 lovers of peanuts, and of the African continent

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large sweet potato, chopped into small cubes

1 green bell pepper, chopped into small pieces

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 green onion, finely chopped

1 small eggplant, chopped into small chunks

1 medium zucchini, chopped into small pieces

1 can of chopped tomatoes

⅓ cup peanut butter

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 vegetable stock cubes

2 cups water

4 garlic cloves, crushed

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Salt and pepper to taste.

Method:

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sweet potato and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add cinnamon, tomato puree, garlic, cumin, zucchini, bell pepper and eggplant, stir and allow to cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper.

Add stock cubes, peanut butter and canned tomatoes. Add water and ginger. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the sweet potato is cooked through. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Mix in green onion before serving.

Serve over rice, couscous, quinoa, or on its own in a bowl.