What's for Dinner Wednesday - African Sweet Potato Stew with Red Beans

Fall is well and truly with us, and I for one am a huge fan! This was my first stew of the season, and will be something that will certainly be repeated on the cold wet days ahead.
The warm flavours of the potato and the peppers balanced with the tang of the lime juice and the crunch of the peanuts makes this tasty treat a keeper.
The ease of sticking things in the crock pot and letting them do their thing while you get on with your day is always appealing, and this is a simple and delicious dish to add to your crock pot repertoire. Thank you again, Cooking Light!



Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 C chopped onion (I just used one medium onion)
1 garlic clove, minced
4 C (1/2 inch) cubed peeled sweet potato (about 1.5 lbs)
1 1/2 C cooked small red beans (I just used one 14.5-oune can of red beans, rinsed)
1 1/2 C vegetable broth
1 C chopped red bell pepper (I just used one small pepper)
1/2 C water
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes drained (I just threw the whole can in, juice and all)
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained (again I just threw it all in)
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons chopped dry roasted peanuts
6 lime wedges to squeeze on top.

Directions

1. Heat oil in a non stick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender.

2. Place onion mixture in a crock pot. Add sweet potato and the next 10 ingredients (through chiles). Cover and cook on LOW 8 hours or until vegetables are tender.

3. Spoon 1 Cup of cooking liquid from the crock pot into a small bowl. Add the peanut butter and stir well with a whisk or a fork. Stir peanut butter mixture into stew. Serve stew in bowls, (makes 6 servings of 1 1/3 Cups) add 1 1/2 tsp of chopped peanuts to each bowl and squeeze the lime juice on top.

Eat, and oh my goodness you won't be sorry you did!