Name: Warming Butter Bean Stew
Prep time: 13 min
Cook time: 31 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 large white onion ((200g) cut in half widthways then sliced); 1 stalk celery (thinly sliced); 2 large carrots ((260g) peeled then sliced); 2 medium sweet potato ((465g) peeled then cut into medium cubes); 2 cloves garlic (minced); 2 cans chopped tomatoes ((400g cans, 2x 14.5oz cans US)); 0.5 cup vegetable stock ((100ml) made with one teaspoon of vegan, gluten-free vegetable bouillon and 100ml/0.5 cup of boiling water); 2 cans butter beans ((400g cans drained weight 240g, 16oz cooked beans US)); 1.5 cups curly kale ((100g) roughly chopped, woody stems removed.); 0.25 tsp dried red chilli flakes; 0.5 tsp smoked paprika; 1 tsp ground cumin; 0.25 tsp cinnamon; 1 tbsp maple syrup; 5 sprigs fresh thyme; 2 null bay leaves; 0.25 tsp sea salt; 1 squeeze lemon juice; 0.25 tsp cracked black pepper; null null fresh parsley (chopped)

Instructions

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1

Heat olive oil (1 tbsp) in a large pan. Add the white onion (1 large) and celery (1 stalk) and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until translucent (about 10 minutes). Add garlic (2 cloves), dried red chilli flakes (0.25 tsp), smoked paprika (0.5 tsp), ground cumin (1 tsp) and cinnamon (0.25 tsp). Stir and cook for about 2 minutes or until the spices release their aroma.
2

Add the carrots (2 large) and sweet potatoes (2 medium) to the pan, and stir well. Pour in chopped tomatoes (2 cans), adding a little water to the empty cans to rinse any remaining tomatoes or juice and add to the pan. Pour in vegetable stock (0.5 cup), stir well, then add leaves (2 bay), fresh thyme (5 sprigs), maple syrup (1 tbsp), sea salt (0.25 tsp) and cracked black pepper (0.25 tsp). Cover the pan, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes.
3

After 20 minutes, check that the [sweet potato] are cooked. If not, simmer for another 5 minutes. Then add butter beans (2 cans) and stir well. Add curly kale (1.5 cups) to the pan, return the lid, and leave to simmer for about 5 minutes. Check seasoning and add a lemon juice (1 squeeze). Remove and discard the [bay leaves] and [thyme] stems. Give the stew a good stir, add some chopped [fresh parsley] to the finished dish, then serve immediately with crusty bread if desired.