Recipe and blog post courtesy of Renee Strnad, a dedicated ESA Advisor since 2017.
When I first started cooking vegetarian meals when I was in college, I was not very informed about nutritional needs and did not worry about having a very balanced diet. I ate basic salads, many baked potatoes with broccoli and cheese, and entirely too much pasta. My protein levels dropped to levels that required I quit donating blood. I partially gave up a full vegetarian diet because I was bored and thought it was too hard.Now today, you have the internet for a wealth of recipes, it is easy to find many plant-based items in most grocery stores, and many restaurants have vegetarian items on the menu (besides just a salad). Gone are (my) days of thinking vegetarian food is bland, boring, and uninspired!
To kick off your week trying to include more vegetarian meals in your diet, I wanted to share one of my favorite recipes. It comes together pretty quick, does not require expensive ingredients, and can feed a group (or makes great leftovers). I simply serve it over whole wheat couscous, though white or brown rice would be fine, too. If you make this dish, or any other vegetarian meals March 1-7, remember to take a picture and post to the ESA Instagram account (@esa.ncsu). Enjoy!
West African Sweet Potato Supper
Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes
6 servings. Can be halved, but again… leftovers. And it can be frozen.
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium sweet white onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped (can be omitted)
¼ cup creamy peanut butter (I have not tried this with almond or sunflower butter)
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (or more to up the heat)
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled, and cut into ½ inch cubes
2 cans (28 ounces) diced tomatoes with liquid (or about 8 fresh, but will take longer to cook down)
1 can (14 ounces) black beans with liquid
Salt to taste
Cooked couscous or rice, if desired
Directions:
1. In a heavy pan with a lid, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and a sprinkle of salt. Stir frequently. As the onion begins to sweat and become tender, add the garlic.
2. Add the spices (chili powder, ginger, cayenne, and a bit more salt), and heat for about a minute. Add the diced sweet potatoes, the canned tomatoes and black beans with their liquid. Stir all together, and bring to a boil. Give the pot another stir, reduce the heat to medium low, and put the cover on. Check and stir about every 5 minutes or so. If you feel like there isn’t enough liquid, add a bit of water or vegetable broth. When the potatoes are close to tender, add in the ¼ cup of peanut butter. Give it one more sprinkle of salt. Stir and let it all come together. When the potatoes are tender, remove from heat and serve over the couscous or rice.