When Joe is on-call, I prefer to make vegetarian meals for myself. It's just easier, and I usually have a bunch of vegetables that need to be used up anyway. Thursday night I finished up my Pastoral Care and Theology class and biked home to make this wonderful vegan stew. This was actually the second meal I made this week that had pineapple in it, which is unusual, but I've been liking it a lot. I wouldn't say that I'm a big fan of sweet and salty combinations like pretzels dipped in chocolate, but in this dish, the slight saltiness of the peanut butter is nicely contrasted with the sweetness of the pineapple. I doubled the recipe so that I could have leftovers for this coming week.
African Pineapple Peanut Stew (source: Gillian's Goodies)
Makes two servings
Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tbsp. olive oil or other vegetable oil
2 cups spinach, kale, or Swiss chard
1 cup undrained canned crushed pineapple
1/4 cup peanut butter (I used creamy natural peanut butter.)
1/2 tbsp. hot sauce (Thai chili garlic sauce to the rescue again!)
1/8 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Chopped green onions
Additional fresh cilantro to garnish
Optional: you can also sprinkle some chopped peanuts on top if desired
Instructions:
1. In a covered saucepan, saute the onion and garlic in the oil for about 5 minutes until softened and slightly browned, stirring frequently.
2. While the onions saute, wash the kale/chard/spinach. Remove and discard the large stems and any blemished leaves. Stack the leaves and slice crosswise into 1-inch thick slices.
3. Add the pineapple and its juice to the onions and bring to a simmer. Stir in the kale/chard/spinach, cover, and simmer about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Mix in the peanut butter, hot sauce, and 1/8 cup cilantro. Simmer 5 more minutes.
