African Pineapple Peanut Stew

by on March 7, 2006
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Several years ago, my husband and I were thumbing through Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home when my husband stopped at this recipe and said, “Let’s try this one.” I looked at it. . . and then I looked at him like he was insane. Pineapple, onions, and kale? And peanut butter? What kind of crazy combination is that?

That was before I learned something that D. already knew: Unusual combinations often make the best dishes. We tried this mixture of peanut butter and pineapple, and it was terrific. And it was the first time I really loved kale.

Since then, this dish has become a favorite, but one we have very seldom. Its higher fat content puts it into the category of “special occasions” for me. I have adapted the recipe to remove the oil in the original, which is really unnecessary for sautéing. And I’ve increased the kale and replaced the cilantro with parsley (because I can’t eat cilantro). But I haven’t been able to reduce the amount of peanut butter and have it taste right. A full half-cup is needed to create enough sauce for the kale. (The original recipe is here, if you’re interested.)

African Pineapple Peanut Stew

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{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Anonymous December 28, 2009 at 6:30 pm

This recipe sounds delicious and I can't wait to try it. Susan, can the peanut butter be replaced with almond butter or a different nut butter?
I love your blog!

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2 Rawket Food January 6, 2010 at 10:14 pm

I just made this and it was amazingly fantastic! This will be a keeper in my house for years to come. Even my 6 year old loved it. My husband said it was delicious. No left overs tonight!

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3 D&J January 26, 2010 at 5:58 pm

We've made this twice in 2 weeks. It's delish and is a great way to eat Kale, which can be a little too firm and robust for some people.
We DID find it a little too sweet for our palates the first time around, so tonight we included the pineapple WITHOUT the juice and added the juice and half the tomatoes from a can of diced. Success! Grrreat, and no leftovers again.
Thanks for the blog, it's a huge help for our recent transition to vegan.

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4 Andrea Boddam April 28, 2010 at 2:46 pm

Well everytime I try to explain this dish to people, I always get a raised brow “Peanutbutter with pineapple… And kale?!” (Okay… a lot of the people I know don’t even know what kale is to be honest… but still)
But both times I’ve made this it has gone over exceptionally well! I tend to add more than the tbsp of hot sauce, but we like things spicy!

Great recipe and site!

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5 Jessica June 17, 2010 at 6:40 pm

This dish is amazing. I put it over whole wheat cous cous. Fantastic , thank you.

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6 elizabeth August 25, 2010 at 5:43 pm

You need healthy fat in order to provide satiety as well as to allow necessary nutrients to be absorbed but you know this.

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7 Jen August 25, 2010 at 5:48 pm

Thanks for posting this! I used to make this recipe years ago and had lost the printout of the recipe (which listed its origins too). We’ll be having it soon.

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8 Alex August 25, 2010 at 9:09 pm

My boyfriend will love this! I like to use him as an excuse to cook, this look so delicious :D

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9 Originaldave September 4, 2010 at 6:48 pm

I was just going to print off this recipe and make it but see there is no link (that I see) for the usual printer friendly version!

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10 SusanV September 4, 2010 at 7:22 pm

Hi Dave–Sorry about that! This was posted before I started doing the printer-friendly versions, but I’ve just made one. Click here for the new printer-friendly page.

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11 Angela October 3, 2010 at 8:27 pm

Does this recipe freeze well?

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12 SusanV October 3, 2010 at 8:48 pm

I’m sorry. I haven’t frozen it, so I just don’t know.

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13 janet November 8, 2010 at 5:27 am

I really liked this unusual stew! I threw in tons of kale and it wilted down nicely. The peanut butter doesn’t make this an every day meal, but it is great if anyone has gotten into a cooking rut!

I wrote about it here: http://tastespace.wordpress.com/2010/11/08/african-pineapple-kale-peanut-stew/

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14 Kim December 16, 2010 at 4:12 am

Hi Susan,
I am wanting to try this recipe, however I’m from Australia and Kale is not widely known here, what do you suggest I can use for a sub?

PS What an amazing site you have here, I rely on it and you are quite an inspiration and I must say I am very thankful for all of your lovely healthy fat free recipes.

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15 SusanV December 16, 2010 at 7:56 am

Thanks for your kind words, Kim! I think any leafy green could be used instead of the kale. If you can get Swiss Chard (silverbeet?), that would probably make the best substitution.

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16 Kim December 17, 2010 at 3:58 am

Many thanks for your response Susan! I will try silverbeet.
Tonight I am making your Spinach & Mushroom Lasanga with Tofu.
Thanks again.

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17 LisaGG January 1, 2011 at 11:07 pm

The comments on this made me so curious that I made it tonight, with swiss chard instead of kale, served with coconut rice. It was actually surprisingly good and the flavors melded beautifully. Who would have thought?!

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18 Chef Damien January 13, 2011 at 8:46 am

Blog des régions

Bonjour,

Nous continuons le tour de France des blogueurs région par région.

Nous aimerions que votre blog apparaisse sur ces portraits de régions.

Pouvez vous nous contacter en précisant votre région.

En vous remerciant par avance.

Chef Damien

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19 Megan February 25, 2011 at 11:19 pm

We loved this! We kept the cilantro, because we love cilantro, but otherwise followed the changes in this recipe. I’ve never tasted anything quite like this before. The hot sauce is a must, and I’m a wimp about spice, but it gave it such a great flavor.

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20 Dani April 28, 2011 at 8:37 pm

I have been browsing your blog for a while, and was originally going to make your Mac N Cheese tonight, but unfortunately my local grocer was out of nutritional yeast- thank goodness for that though, or who knows how long I would have waited before I tried this! The flavors blend SO well- even when I substituted Cajun seasoning for the hot sauce. Thank you so much!

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21 SusanV April 28, 2011 at 9:13 pm

You’re welcome! I’m so glad you liked it– one of my family’s favorites.

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22 Julie & Marty June 20, 2011 at 9:04 pm

African Pineapple Peanut Stew was the first recipe we tried off your Fat Free Vegan Kitchen website. I decided to go from A to Z in the Main Dishes. My husband is doing most of the cooking and doesn’t like tofu so we are skipping any of those recipes or any recipes where we can’t readily find the ingredients. This stew was FANTASIC! Wow! It is a keeper! I don’t like peanut butter, but it sure made this dish pop!

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23 Lois Gowen August 16, 2011 at 4:35 pm

Love this recipe. I’ve been making this with swiss chard. Never have tried kale, but will try it soon.

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24 rachel August 27, 2011 at 5:51 am

This was amazing! 3 big thumbs up from our house.

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25 rozina November 4, 2011 at 2:37 pm

Loved this recipe. I cook for 4-5 days together as I am away from home during the week. This recipe worked out perfectly and tasted great each day. Best recipe to get used to eating kale. I increased the tobasco sauce amount to 3 tblspoon to bring out the contrast.
I added butternut squash too to make it a more hearty meal and eat it as is… without any grains.

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