Sweet Potato Stew

This sweet potato stew with caramelized onions, black eyed peas and collard greens is a very tasty and hearty stew that is perfect for autumn. It is vegetarian - vegan, actually - but you will not think you are missing out on anything at all!

Ingredients:

2 - large sweet potatoes
1 - large yellow onion
1 - bunch collard greens
1 - cup dry black eyed peas
1 - Tbsp. light or medium molasses
1 - Tbsp. ground cumin
1 - tsp. ground cardamom
1 - tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 - tsp. ground sage
1 - tsp. dried oregano
1/2 - tsp cinnamon
pinch - red pepper flakes
2 - Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
1 - lime, juice and zest
2 - tsp. salt
2 - Tbsp. olive oil
2 - qt. vegetable stock, water or a combination

Method:

Soak the black eyed peas overnight. Drain and rinse. Add fresh water to cover and cook until tender. (Hint: if you have a pressure cooker it will greatly speed up the process; if not, it may take 2 or more hours to cook the black eyed peas until they are really tender).

Cut the ends off the sweet potatoes, then peel off the skins with a potato peeler. Chop into bite sizes pieces and set aside.

Peel the onion and cut into chunks. Place the olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, salt and red pepper flakes into a large pot and heat until the oil thins. Roll it around until the bottom of the pan is evenly coated, then throw the cut up onion pieces in. Saute for a few minutes on high heat, until they start to break apart. Lower the heat to medium high and add the molasses, stirring to evenly coat the onions. Continue cooking until the onions caramelize, then remove from the pot and set aside.

Add the sweet potato chunks into the pot along with a little extra olive as needed. Saute the sweet potatoes until they have a little crust on them, then remove from the pot and set aside.

Next add the broth and deglaze the pot, then add in sauteed onions and sweet potatoes, then the blacked eyed peas that should be nearly cooked, draining any excess water from them before adding them to the stew.

While the stew simmers, add the rest of the seasonings and adjust the flavors by adding more salt if needed. Rinse and chop the collard greens also.

When the sweet potatoes and black eyed peas are done, add the collard greens, the balsamic vinegar and the lime juice and zest, and cook for another 20 to 30 minutes or until everything is done.

Enjoy!