African Sweet Potato And Peanut Soup

You know what kind of annoys me? When people refer to Africa as if it is one country. People are so quick to label art as “African” or clothes as “African.” There are almost 50 countries in Africa! Can’t we give them a little respect and narrow down a characteristic to a country rather than a continent? I mean, they all have populations that speak different languages, after all.

Am I valid in being annoyed by this? Probably not. I’m not African. I don’t know why it rubs we the wrong way. It just does and I welcome your opinion on this (trivial?) matter.

But I know one thing it can surely be labeled as: abso-freaking-loutely delicious. If you’ve never tried peanut butter in a savory form, this is a great recipe to start with.

• Sweet Potato and Peanut Soup (serves 4)
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 4 cups water
• 1.5 tsp coriander
• 1.5 tsp cinnamon
• 1.5 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• dash cayenne
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 2-3 T peanut butter
• 1 sweet potato
• 2 tsp minced ginger
• 3 cups chopped kale (optional)
• 1 cup chick peas
• garnish: sliced scallions and chopped peanuts
• Saute onions until soft, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook on low heat until soft, about 3 more minutes. Stir in ginger and spices. Cook 2 minutes. Add water, diced tomatoes, carrot, and sweet potato. Simmer 20-30 minutes over low heat, until vegetables are soft. Puree soup. Stir in 2-3 T of peanut butter. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Add chickpeas and kale 5 minutes before serving, stirring until it wilts.
• Serves 4
• Calories 221.6
• Total Fat 5.7 g
• Saturated Fat 0.9 g
• Polyunsaturated Fat 1.4 g
• Monounsaturated Fat 2.0 g
• Cholesterol 0.0 mg
• Sodium 280.0 mg
• Potassium 596.4 mg
• Total Carbohydrate 36.9 g
• Dietary Fiber 9.4 g
• Sugars 8.8 g
• Protein 9.6 g