African Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew

This stew recipe is from  this  book we got for free at a yard sale this weekend.  Its so delicious!  We were going to freeze the extra (it makes enough for 6-10 servings) but we ate the leftovers so fast we didn't need to.  Ingredients:

3 tbsp water

2 medium yellow onions

3 garlic cloves

2 red bell peppers, cut in 1 inch squares

1 tbsp light brown sugar

1 tsp grated or minced fresh ginger (we used 1/4 tsp ground ginger)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 to 3/4 cup smooth or crunchy peanut butter

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes

1 can red kidney beans, drained (we used pink beans)

1 can diced tomatoes

4 cups vegetable stock

1 tsp salt (or to taste)

Directions:

Heat water in a large sauce pan- add onions and garlic and cook until softened.  Add bell pepper, cover, and cook until softened.  Stir in brown sugar, ginger, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
Stir in peanut butter, distributing evenly.  (We tried thinning the peanut butter out first with a whisk and water before adding to the pot, so that it incorporated evenly into the stew).

Add sweet potatoes, beans, and tomatoes.  Add vegetable stock, bring to a boil, then simmer on low until sweet potatoes are soft (about thirty minutes).  Taste and salt if necessary.