Maple Chipotle Sweet Potato & Bean Stew
This recipe was adapted from Forks Over Knives (FOK), which is a vegan magazine that comes out quarterly. They have great recipes but we tend to modify them somewhat because we prefer not to eat 100% vegan and FOK does not use any olive oil.
This stew is incredibly flavorful, has great texture and is really filling. The recipe makes a large batch but we have yet to freeze any because we like it so much and the leftovers taste better each day.
The first time we made it, we didn’t have any silken tofu (and quite honestly, I wasn’t sure I wanted it) so we substituted yogurt instead.
The second time, we used the tofu and it was actually better than the yogurt! Yes, this was a big surprise to me. There was no flavor to it, besides from the lime, the texture was the same as the yogurt and it added more protein to the stew.
I was also surprised by how well the combination of beans worked. They each had a slightly unique texture, which melded really well with the sweet potatoes, but you can certainly sub out any of the beans for a different kind.
If you get motivated to make this recipe, I imagine that you won’t be disappointed. I’m ready to make it again and we just finished it two days ago!
Ingredients for Stew:
2 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 medium large green bell pepper, chopped
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (approximately 4 cups)
1 1/2 cups vegetable or bone broth
1 15 oz can of each, rinsed and drained: kidney beans, butter beans, pinto beans
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 - 4 ounces of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped*
sea salt and ground pepper to taste
Ingredients for Lime Topping:
8 ounces of silken tofu (1/2 package) or yogurt
1 lime, juiced
Directions:
Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large pot.
Add onion, garlic, green pepper and lower heat to medium. Saute for 3 - 5 minutes, stirring frequently (until vegetable are soft).
Add broth and sweet potatoes. Stir, cover and bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer (low boil) for 10 - 15 minutes (until sweet potatoes are almost done).
Add the beans, tomato sauce, maple syrup and chipotle pepper. Mix well and cook over medium heat for another 10 minutes, or until the stew start to look “saucy”.
While the stew is cooking, put tofu into a small food processor and add lime juice. Blend until the topping is about the consistency of yogurt. (We added extra lime to get this consistency, rather than adding plant-based milk which was suggested by FOK.)
Once the stew is done, season with salt and pepper to taste and add the lime topping.
*Before making this recipe, I had no idea what chipotle peppers in adobo sauce were. If this also applies to you, they’re hot peppers that come in a can with tomato-based seasoning and can be found in the international foods section of most supermarkets.
They’re an essential part of this recipe so are worth finding if you like a bit of heat in your food. The original recipe called for 2 TBSP, which may be preferable to anyone who wants less heat. Enjoy!
