Sweet Potato and Kale Stew

Recipe #91: 15 ml (1 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
125 ml (1/2 cup) diced red bell pepper
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5-cm (1 inch) cubes
1 ml (1/4 tsp) red pepper flakes
5 ml (1 tsp) smoked paprika
1 ml (1/4 tsp) sea salt
1 bay leaf
625 ml (2.5 cups) fat-free, low-sodium vegetable stock
250 ml (1 cup) rinsed, chopped and loosely packed kale

In a small skillet, heat oil; saute onion, garlic and bell pepper over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Add to slow cooker with remaining ingredients, except kale. Cover and cook on Low for 6-8 hours.

Add kale during the last 10 minutes of cooking time and let wilt. Remove bay leaf and serve.
Makes 11 servings, each 125 ml (1/2 cup).

Nutritional info/serving: 43 calories; 1 g total fat; 7 g carbohydrates; 1 g protein; 1 g dietary fibre; 108 mg sodium.
*************************************************************************************
Soooo, I just realized my last post was in January.... Yep, it was a nasty semester and I got a bit burnt out. I'm working two jobs again this summer (one to fulfill Practicum 2), but at the moment, I have some extra time so I thought I'd try to get back on the cooking bandwagon.

My mom could probably tell you I haven't been much of a sweet potato/yam fan for the latter part of my life (rumour has it she fed them to me when I was small), but in the interest of expanding my food horizons and improving my nutrition, I decided to try this recipe. Somehow, gross vegetables like sweet potatoes, onions and peppers seem slightly more palatable in stew/soup form than in a lump on my plate.

For the most part, I didn't make too many alterations with this recipe. The store didn't have any red pepper left so I bought an orange one. The garlic is getting a little um, mature, so I added an extra clove to make up for that. I don't think I cut the stupid dense yams into 1 inch cubes per se, but I cut them up into bite-sized pieces. I'm using up the normal paprika for now, and the sea salt was just regular salt because I couldn't find the sea salt that I could have sworn was in the cupboard yesterday... I added two cups of kale for extra nutrition, in case you care.

This recipe is pretty simple to make, once you chop the bloody sweet potato to make sure it will all fit in your wee little slow cooker. I left it on low for about 6 hours, and it was ready to go when I got home. All I had to do was add the kale for 10 minutes, and presto! It's a bit on the sweet side for me, and the kale is kind of crunchy (next time, I'll remove the middle stem part and just add the leaves), but it's a hot, nutritious lunch to come home to after an intense gym workout that I will surely be paying for in the morning....