Week 129: West African Peanut Stew

Hello & Happy Thursday!  At least I'm pretty sure it's Thursday ... like most of you, I'm struggling to keep track of the days of the week.  We were telling the kids that it feels like we're stuck in the movie "Groundhog Day."  We were considering watching it but hesitated because I wasn't sure if I would laugh or cry while watching it ... might hit too close to home right now .

On the menu for MONDAY, APRIL 20th is WEST AFRICAN PEANUT STEW and CHALLAH.  This West African-inspired stew of chicken, sweet potatoes and peanuts is rich, creamy and packed with flavor! The secret ingredient here is chunky peanut butter, it adds great texture and the essential peanut taste to the stew.  When I made this for my mom, who dislikes peanut butter, she couldn't get enough.  So I promise, you do not need to even like peanut butter to love this stew. 

The stew begins with sauteing onion, garlic and fresh ginger in the pot.  Next, diced chicken is added to brown.  Homemade chicken stock, diced sweet potatoes and a little crushed red pepper are added.  Once the sweet potatoes are soft, diced tomatoes, fresh kale and chunky peanut butter are dropped in.  The stew is garnished with fresh cilantro and choppped peanuts.  

The bread companion this week is my challah.  This eggy, slightly sweet bread with it's salty topping will taste perfect alongside this stew.