Slow cookers can be lifesavers if you’re short on time. You simply mix up some ingredients, throw it in a pot, turn it on before you head out the door, and come home to a beautiful meal at the end of the day.
So for this week’s Whip it up Wednesday recipe, I’m featuring a hearty slow cooker meal–African Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew. I picked this meal not only because it’s simple to make, but also because its flavors are so complex. When I saw this in the new Good Housekeeping Cookbook, I can honestly say I swooned. Sweet potatoes, peanut butter, cilantro, tomatoes, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, chickpeas, and green beans? It sounded amazing, and it was 
NOTE: This picture below might look like a pile of mush, but it’ll be one of the best tasting piles of mush you’ve eaten in a while. Like I said, slow cooker recipes are lifesavers if you’re short on time, but I never said they were pretty 
African Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew (From The Good Housekeeping Cookbook)
Serves 6
Total Prep: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 cups loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves and stems (about 1 bunch at the store)
- 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup water
- 3 lbs sweet potatoes (4 medium), peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
- 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 pkg (16 oz) frozen cut green beans
Directions:
1. The Night Before: In a blender or food processor, blend garlic, cilantro, tomatoes (with juice), peanut butter, cumin, cinnamon, ground red pepper, and salt until pureed.
2. The Day Of: Peel and cut the sweet potatoes. In your slow cooker, pour in the peanut-butter mixture and stir in the water. Add sweet potatoes and chickpeas; stir to combine. Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours until potatoes are very tender.
3. Ten Minutes Before Serving: Cook the green beans according to package directions. Gently stir into stew. Serve hot with a fresh loaf of bread, rice, or simply in a bowl by itself.
My Two Cents: Don’t be afraid of the preparation for this dish. I used to be turned off to blenders before I got into cooking, but they are such great gadgets. Because of the blender, the only chopping involved is the chopping of the sweet potatoes, and that only takes 10 minutes before you walk out the door for work. It’s incredibly easy to throw together, and it’s definitely worth it.
This is a vegetarian dish, but the end product almost fools you into believing that there’s meat in it because it’s so filling. The sweet potatoes literally fell apart at the end–which is why it looks like mush But that made it all the creamier. The chickpeas also ended up with a silky texture.
Chris loved this dish, too (which is a sure sign the recipe is good.) He kept taking heaping bowls of it throughout the week and every time he ate it said “it’s like eating butter.”
But do you see butter in that ingredient list?
Enjoy!
