I love Sunday afternoon/evenings in the fall when I get to do two things. Cook and watch football. I prep for the week by both relaxing and watching one of my favorite sports and prepping for the week by cooking. Today I decided to make one of my favorites and modify it a bit. It is called West African Stew. I’m not entirely sure where I got the recipe from, but since I first made it I continue to modify it. And it is super easy to make! You pretty much just throw it all in a pot and let it simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.
Today thought I added the apple chicken sausage from Trader Joe’s which was definitely delicious! If you choose not to use it the dish will be vegetarian, but definitely still filling. If you do choose to add meat make sure you cook it first and dice it up before you put everything else in the pot.
Ingredients:
1 large carton of chicken broth (the box kind)
1 sweet onion diced
2 small zucchinis diced into bite sized chunks
1 can of tomatoes drained
1 can of chickpeas drained
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 of a red pepper diced
1/2 of a green pepper diced (or yellow)
3/4 cup frozen spinach
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
4 small sweet potatoes peeled and diced into bite sized chunks
1-2 teaspoons of red cayenne pepper (depending on level of spicyness)
2 heaping teaspoons of minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup brown rice flour (add this at the end for thickening and add slowly so that you don’t overdue it)
1 package of Trader Joe’s Chicken Apple Sausage (optional)
Directions:
Put all the ingredients in a large pot except meat and rice flour and boil for 10 minutes then reduce to simmer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes put the meat in and simmer for 10 more minutes. As long as your potatoes are soft at this point then add the brown rice flour for thickening and simmer for 5-10 more minutes.
Serving: If you so choose you can add rice, couscous, or quinoa for it to be served over but it can also be eaten plain. Serve it up and enjoy!!