From your Bariatric Nutrition Team

Cooler weather tends to make us crave a warm, soothing bowl of goodness to satisfy our appetite and chase away that fall chill in the air. One pot meals make for easy clean-up, and this vegetarian recipe lends itself to variations based on ingredients on hand. It is also high in and fiber and antioxidants, two things that support a healthy immune system. To boost the protein content try topping with some plain Greek yogurt or a poached egg, or you can serve it with shrimp, fish or chicken.

Ingredients:

For the spice paste:

  • 2 yellow onions, roughly chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1-2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • Pinch of salt
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

 For the stew:

  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1-pound sweet potato, peeled and diced
  • 1 (14 oz) can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
  • 3 cups vegetable stock
  • ½ cup smooth natural peanut butter
  • 8 oz fresh spinach, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • Handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 2 scallions, finely chopped

Directions:

  1. To make the spice paste, combine the ingredients in a food processor and mix to a coarse paste.
  2. Heat the oil in a large, heavy bottom saucepan over medium-low heat. Add spice paste and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until lightly browned and fragrant.
  3. Add the sweet potatoes, black-eyed peas and tomato paste to the saucepan, and mix to combine.
  4. Stir in canned tomatoes, stock and peanut butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a few dashes of hot sauce if you like things spicy. Cover pan with a lid an bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.
  5. Remove pan from heat and stir in spinach, letting it wilt in the pan for 5 minutes. To finish, add the lemon juice and adjust seasoning as needed. Before serving, sprinkle on cilantro and scallions.

Nutrition information:

Per serving (for 8 servings total) about 1 ½ cups: 283 calories, 11 gms protein, 35 gms carbohydrates (8 gms fiber), 13 gms fat