African Peanut Butter Stew (Mafe)

A delicious, simple, nutritious stew inspired by a recipe I found in a Philadelphia newspaper. Can be made with any protein (fish, chicken, lamb, etc). A 5-quart Dutch oven is the perfect size for the size of this recipe.

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1  medium onion, diced
• 1 1⁄2 cups  uncooked quinoa
• 1 1⁄4 cups broth
• 1 1⁄2 lbs stew beef chunks
• 1  red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 1⁄3 cups milk (skim, 1%, 2% whole all work)
• 1⁄3 cup peanut butter (crunchy or smooth)
• 6  garlic cloves
• 1  teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1  teaspoon salt (to taste)
• 2 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 1  sweet potato, 1/2 inch cubes
• 10  ounces frozen spinach

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Coat inside of dutch oven and lid with oil or cooking spray.
3. Place onion and quinoa in dutch oven, pour in broth and stir lightly to distribute evenly.
4. Place meat on quinoa layer and top with bell pepper.
5. Whisk together milk, peanut butter, garlic, cayenne, and salt until smooth then pour over the meat.
6. Layer in the tomatoes, sweet potato, and spinach.
7. Cover and bake for about 50 minutes; when the aroma permeates the kitchen, wait a few more minutes and it will be done.