Sweet potato and peanut stew

Sweet potatoes, peanuts, and chickpeas may sound like an odd combination, but this stew is actually really good! It's pretty easy to prepare too, and it freezes well.

Recipe as it appears in the magazine:

3 med. sweet potatoes, well scrubbed & cut into 1 1/2 " chunks
1 T. Olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed with garlic press (or 1 generous tsp minced garlic from the jar)
1 1/2 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. salt (optional)
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
1/8 t. crushed red pepper (optional)
2 cans (15 to 19 oz. each) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 oz) vegetable broth (1 3/4 c.)
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes
1/4 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 c. loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1. Place potatoes in 2 1/2 quart microwave safe dish. Cover dish and
microwave on high about 8 mintues or until fork-tender.

2. Meanwhile, in 5 or 6 quart saucepot, heat oil over med-high heat. Add
garlic, cumin, salt, cinnamon, and crushed red pepper, and cook 30 seconds,
stirring. Stir in beans, broth, tomatoes, and peanut butter until blended;
heat to boiling and cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally.

3. Reduce heat to med low; add sweet potatoes to bean mixture and simmer 2
minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cilantro.

*The magazine says the potatoes only take about 8 minutes to microwave--this probably depends on what type of microwave you have, but in ours it takes about half again as long. Just make sure they're pretty much fully cooked before you add them to the stew.

*When I make this, I usually use dried cilantro instead of fresh. If you do this, add it a little bit earlier (when you add the sweet potato) so that its flavor has longer to be absorbed.