African Peanut Soup Recipe

Over the holidays I was feeling particularly domestic, so I made a bunch of different soups. I am no great chef (my husband does most of the cooking at our house), but I love making soups because they're a cheap and easy way to make something homeade. One of the soups I made was a derivation of a traditional African recipe. It was soooo good. Really there aren't enough o's to properly express how good it was.

African Peanut Soup

1 large carrot, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 large sweet potato, chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

6 cups vegetable stock

2 tbsp oil

1 large can crushed tomatos

2/3 peanut butter (crunchy or creamy)

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp chili powder

*Optional seasoning: 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp curry powder, 1/4 tsp turmeric*

• Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Saute all chopped vegetables in pot. Add crushed garlic to saute the last few minutes.
• Add stock, tomatoes, pepper, chili powder and any of the optional seasonings.
• Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes
• Add peanut butter. Stir and continue simmering until peanut butter is well blended.
• Serve.

I know it sounds weird, but there's something about the creaminess of the peanut butter and the slight sour of the crushed tomatoes that makes this delicious! I saw some recipes that called for a few cups of pumpkin or sweet potato puree and coconut milk. If I tried this again I think I would experiment and add those things. You could also add some beans or brown rice for a little extra protein.

Added bonus, this soup is not only vegetarian, I believe it's also vegan. Who knew vegan cooking could be so yummy?

Photo: I Eat Grains