African Peanut Soup

It's amazing how you meet people who don't stick around long (which is probably a good thing!) but make a huge impact on your life. Ok, it's not always a huge impact, but they make an impact nonetheless. When I think back to why I became a vegetarian, I think back to the summer of 2008. I sat there at a bar with a friend, eating a chicken ceasar salad, deciding it was the last time I was going to eat meat. I just wanted to see if I could do it. We decided to try it together. I'm not sure if he stuck with it, but a big THANKS for helping me with that decision. One of the best things I've ever done.

Speaking of firsts, this soup is one of the first vegetarian dishes I ever made. It was ssooooo good, we even sold it at my sister's restaurant a few times. I couldn't believe how delicious it was!

*Please don't mind the sloppiness of the bowl. I had already eaten a bit when I remembered I had to take a picture. It's a heck of a lot prettier than the amount of soup that was all over my face because it's just that good.


African Peanut Soup
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes

*This soup makes A LOT. If you're not cooking for more than two and you don't like a lot of leftovers, I highly recommend cutting this recipe in half!

2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
1 large onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
8 cups vegetable broth
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp chipotle chile powder (regular will work fine, too)
1/4-1/2 tsp habanero powder or red pepper flakes (you're adding this for heat, so start small!)
2/3 cup chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice

1. Heat oil in a (very) large saucepan over medium heat. Saute peppers and onion until tender and they start to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and saute a little longer. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, and spices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.

2. Stir in rice and simmer for another 15 minutes, or until rice is tender. Stir in peanut butter until well blended, simmer for another 5 minutes, and serve.



After plugging all the ingredients into Calorie Count and bringing up the nutritional value, I thought the calories were a little on the high side until I realized one serving is almost 3 cups. That's a lot of soup! This is a pretty hearty soup, too, so it sustains and warms the soul. If you're a seasoned vegan or vegetarian OR you're just trying to cut out meat (Do it! Do it!), this is a soup for you!

PS: If you're NOT thinking about cutting out meat, or you're just looking for a good read, check out this article. Thanks Missy!