This savoury, creamy vegetable stew is inspired by Oh She Glows' Soul-Soothing African Peanut Stew. A legume and peanut-free hearty stew that is delicious served over a side of coconut steamed rice. If almond is an allergen in your house, I think sunbutter or pumpkin seed butter would be a great safe alternative.
Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
1 tbs minced garlic
1 small acorn squash, cubed (I like to leave the peel on mine but you can remove it)
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed
2 small tomatoes, cubed with the seeds removed
1 700g bottle of strained tomato (not pasta sauce, look for passata)
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup creamy almond butter
2/3 cup pearl barley
1/2 cup chopped kale
1 1/2 tsp chilli powder
salt and pepper to taste
toasted, chopped almonds or pumpkin seeds to garnish
Directions:
In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is translucent. Add chilli powder and stir to coat the onions.
Add the squash, sweet potato, and tomatoes along with pearl barley and the vegetable broth. Raise the temperature to medium/high and cover to create steam.
Using your blender, combine together the almond butter and passata. Stir the mixture into the saucepan with the rest of your veggies.
Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer until the squash and sweet potato are fork-tender and the barley is al-dente. Continue to taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Make sure you scrape the bottom of the pot so nothing burns.
Stir frozen or fresh chopped kale into the stew a couple minutes before serving. Serve on a bed of coconut rice, and sprinkle with some chopped almonds or pumpkin seeds.
