Recipe of the Week – African Groundnut Stew

In Africa, a groundnut is another word for a peanut.  This stew is rich in Omega-3′s from the almond butter instead of peanuts but if almonds are not your thing, feel free to use peanuts.  After all, cooking is creating and putting a little bit of yourself into everything you make.  You can also substitute chicken, tofu, beef or fish for the soybeans.

1T extra virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion – finely chopped
1 medium green bell pepper – finely chopped
1/2c chopped celery
3 cloves of garlic – minced
2T fresh ginger – peeled and minced
1T curry powder
2 large tomatoes – peeled, seeded and chopped
1 bay leaf
4c fat-free, low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth (the "low-sodium" is very important, be sure to check the label)
3T creamy or crunchy natural almond butter
1 1/2 c soybeans (edemame)  – cooked and dried
1/4c fresh cilantro – chopped
1/2lb baby spinach leaves torn into bite sized pieces
Salt and Pepper to taste.

1. 1. Heat olive oil in a 4-qt saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add onoin, bell pepper and celery and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes
2. 2. Add garlic, ginger and curry powder and saute until fragrant; do not brown the garlic.  Add the tomatoes and bay leaf and cook, uncovered intil tomoatoes are slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.
3. 3. Ass the brother and bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and whick in almond butter until blended.  Add soybeans (edemame) and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.  Stirin cilantro and spinach.  Season with salt and pepper.

Taken from: The 14-Day Perricone Weight-Loss Diet by Dr. Nicholas Perricone