west african sweet potato stew

do we dig meal prep? I always feel that people are either in one camp or the other; either you are a structured, type-a, needs to have their meals planned out so life has some sort of semblance kind of person, or you swing on the total opposite pendulum and are looking at me going, ‘i’m sorry what? meal who? ya no.’ it took me a long time to get into the meal prep groove, but now I genuinely look forward to meal planning each week because it 1) does give my life structure, 2) makes frantic mornings much breezier, and 3) makes me feel like I sort of have my shit together. which reminds me! eventually, when honey street is brimming to the tip top with recipes, i’d like to make weekly meal plans to post on the weekends. do we like this idea? let’s discuss.

anyway, STEW. this stew is on heavy rotation in my house throughout the winter because it’s tasty AF and makes a huge batch which usually means that i eat it 5 days in a row and i’m honestly so, so good with that situation. it’s my take on a classic west african peanut stew, which is beyond delicious as-is, but I’ve taken a few modern liberties (you know, with kale, which I realize is overused at this point but it also is such an awesome addition in this dish.)

west african sweet potato stew
6 servings
prep time: 15 minutes
cook time: 45 minutes

1lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 onion, diced
2 in. piece of fresh ginger, grated
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1c almond butter (peanut or cashew butter will work here, too!)
1/2c tomato paste
5c chicken stock (you can sub vegetable stock or water as well)
1 bushel of lacinato or dinosaur kale, torn into small pieces and stems removed
1tbsp coconut oil
2tsp salt, divided
2tsp black pepper, divided
1/2tsp red chili flake
fresh parsley and chopped nuts (I like cashews), for serving

in a large pot, heat the coconut oil over medium high heat. nestle the chicken into the pot, and sprinkle with 1tsp salt and 1tsp black pepper. cook for 3-4 minutes per side until it becomes golden brown (it does not have to be fully cooked) and remove from the pot.

lower the heat to medium, and add the sweet potato, onion, ginger, garlic, tomato paste, and the remaining salt and pepper. stir to scrape up any browned bits from the pot, and cook for 10 minutes until the sweet potato begins to soften.

slice the chicken into smaller pieces, then place back into the pot. add the almond butter and stock. stir until the almond butter melts, and simmer the soup on medium heat until it thickens, about 20-30 minutes.

before serving, stir the kale into the soup. you just want to warm it up, not cook it - about a minute or so.