CREAMY PEANUT SOUP

This simple, one-pot soup is inspired by Mafe (or Maafe), a popular West-African peanut stew made of a spicy, creamy peanut and tomato sauce. The sweet potatoes, chickpeas and kale make this soup hearty and so nourishing, while the peanut butter gives it an irresistible creaminess. The soup is slightly spicy, but feel free to adjust the amount of cayenne pepper to suit your taste.

INGREDIENTS
Makes 5-7 servings

- 1 tbsp coconut oil (or your cooking oil of choice)
- 1 medium white onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
- 1 tsp sea salt, plus more if needed
- 2 medium (600 g) sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into small cubes (about 4 ½ cups)
- 5 cups vegetable broth
- ¾ cup (210 g) Peanut Butter Sea Salt
- ½ cup (130 g) tomato paste
- 1 (14 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2-3 large kale leaves, stems removed and leaves chopped into bite-size pieces

To garnish
- Lime wedges
- ¼ cup peanuts, roughly chopped
- Fresh cilantro leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat the oil in a large dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Once melted, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and soft, about 4-5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne and salt and stir well. Cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the sweet potatoes to the pot and stir to coat. Add the vegetable stock and stir well, then place the lid on top of the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and set the lid slightly askew so that steam can escape.
4. In a heat-safe mixing bowl or large glass measuring cup, combine the peanut butter and tomato paste. Scoop out about a cup or so of the hot broth (avoid the potato pieces, but you will get onion bits - that’s ok) and transfer to the peanut and tomato mixture. Whisk well until smooth, then pour the mixture back into the pot of soup and mix well.
5. Simmer until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Taste and season with more salt if needed. The amount of salt will vary depending on the saltiness of your broth. At this point, you can give the soup a few quick pulses with an immersion blender if you’d like a thicker and creamier consistency, but this step is optional.
6. Stir in the chickpeas and chopped kale and cook for 4-5 minutes, until softened.
7. Taste for seasoning one more time and adjust with more salt or cayenne pepper if necessary.
8. Serve the soup hot with a squeeze of lime, chopped peanuts and fresh cilantro.