Curried Sweet Potatoes with Chard and Chickpeas

This week’s recipe is a super-early sneak preview from my next book, Wild About Greens, which is about to go to the printer for publication next June. In a majority of the recipes, greens are front and center, but in this one, they share the spotlight with sweet potatoes and chickpeas. It’s perfect for this time of year; a superb fusion of flavors permeates this nourishing harvest dish. Serve like a stew in shallow bowls, accompanied by warm flatbread. Photo by Susan Voisin, FatFree Vegan Kitchen.

Serves: 4 to 6

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large sweet potatoes or 4 medium garnet yams, peeled and cut into large dice
• One 16- to 20-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• One 16-ounce can diced tomatoes (try a flavorful variety such as fire-roasted)
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons good-quality curry powder, or more, to taste
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger, more or less to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin, or more, to taste
• 8 to 12 ounces chard, any variety, or a combination of chard and beet greens
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro or parsley, or more or less to taste
• 1/4 cup raisins, optional (but highly recommended)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet or a stir-fry pan. Add the garlic and sauté over low heat until golden.

Add the sweet potato dice and  cup and a half or so of water; bring to a simmer and cook until just tender, adding just enough additional water if needed, as they cook, to keep the mixture moist.

Stir in the chickpeas, tomatoes, scallions, curry powder, ginger, and cumin and bring the mixture to a simmer again; cook over low heat for 10 minutes or so, until the sweet potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, strip or cut the chard leaves (and beet greens, if using) away from the stems. Slice the stems thinly, and cut the leaves into strips.

Add the chard to the skillet, in batches if necessary, and cover. Cook briefly, just until the chard wilts, then stir in. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, or until the chard is tender but not overdone. Stir in the cilantro and optional raisins. Season with salt and pepper, then serve.

Variations 

This is also good with kale, collard greens, spinach, and mustard greens. Stemmed, coarsely chopped spinach or whole baby spinach leaves can be added as you would the chard in the directions above, as can chopped mustard greens. If you’d like to try kale or collard greens in this dish, I’d suggest steaming first before adding to the dish when you would the other greens.

You can also vary the kind of beans used. Try black beans, red beans, or pinto beans.

• Sample more recipes for global stews.
• Enjoy more of VegKitchen’s sweet potato recipes.
• Find lots more recipes on VegKitchen for kale, collards, and other hardy greens.