Peanut Pineapple Coconut Butter-Bean Stew

Clean Out the Veggie Drawer and Cook

I don't know about you, but I have to clean out my veggie drawer the night before the Farmer's Market otherwise what would I buy?  Tonight I had several veggies that were getting tired, so I made a stew.  Not just any ordinary stew.  I made a peanut pineapple coconut savory stew with butter beans and served it over brown rice. 

Here is what I did:

Heat a skillet with a spicy oil, I used hot pepper sesame oil and wok oil which is garlicky.

Sautee a creamy bean in the oil, I used one can of butter beans.

Season the beans, I used Spike Original (my favorite - I use it in my scrambled eggs)

While the beans are getting married to the seasoning, heat a saucepan (deep cooking pan, or a large pot/dutch oven) and pour in two cans of coconut milk, one can of crushed pineapple with the juice, half a jar or about 1 cup of creamy or chunky peanut butter, a glug or tablespoon of rice vinegar.

Back to the skillet, when the beans are coated with the oil and seasoning and you taste one and think it's delicious, add them to the stew which at this point is just soup.

Add more oil to the skillet if necessary and saute chopped carrots, shallots, ginger, and zucchini, or whatever you have on hand and would like in the stew.

When the carrots are just beginning to get soft and the shallots are transparent, add them to the stew.

For that deep, savory umami taste, add tamari or soy sauce, and fish sauce.  Sprinkle the fish sauce, barely a tablespoon.  Glug the tamari, maybe two tablespoons.

Add more peanut butter if you like that flavor.  I do and I did add more.  At this point you could add a curry paste - I almost did.  Maybe next time.  My favorite is the red Thai curry paste.

I pulled out two cups and pureed it with my immersion blender.  Pull it out to puree so that you maintain some of the veggies and beans whole.  Pour the puree back in and stir.  Do it again if you want your stew to be thicker.  Don't puree if you prefer the stew to remain thinner and more like a vegetable soup.

Simmering Peanut Pineapple Coconut Butter-Bean Stew

The very last addition was roughly chopped kale.

I simmered for another three minutes.

I poured it over a bowl of brown rice that I bake in the oven.

Fool Proof Brown Rice

If you don't yet bake your brown rice and want to try this recipe, let me know.  It's from Cook's Illustrated.  It truly has been perfect every time and I've been making it this way for about ten years.  

Oh, by the way, I turned on the ability for everyone to comment.  Sorry about that.  I'm such a novice, I didn't realize.  Please comment - I love all of your email and in-person comments.  It would be very cool to have more comments on the blog too, in addition to the followers who registered.  Now you don't have to register.

So, back to the recipe.  Does this appeal to you?  I love peanut butter, crushed pineapple and coconut milk with my chicken.  This worked out great with my leftover veggies.

I'm off the the Farmer's Market in the morning.  Let me know if you try this recipe.

To your good health and convivial pleasure.