RVegan Slow Cooker African-Inspired Peanut Stew with Brown Basmati Rice

After dropping off brother at school yesterday sister and I embarked on a new culinary adventure.  I have been craving something with a peanut sauce - but needed to make something in the crock pot.  I found Slow Cooker African-Inspired Peanut Stew on Pinterest (of course).  I made one slight modification using collard greens instead of spinach because another similar recipe Vegetarian West African Peanut Soup did so and I always like to use ingredients I am less familiar with.

The morning was beautiful and I started the crockpot outside on it's 8 hour job without any inkling of the weather adventure I would face later that evening.  Two hours before it was done the sky became dark and cloudy.  An hour before it was done (and at the time I needed to add the last ingredients and make the rice) it was raining steadily and too windy to keep the awning open and the crockpot dry.  I mad the executive decision to bring it indoors and break my rule of cooking inside when it started raining sideways and the whole trailer was shaking in the wind!  I tried to take a quick picture from the door during the worst of it.

I made the brown basmati rice on the stove (much more convenient than the camp burner), and added the final ingredients to the crockpot inside.  It worked out well.  The temperature outside had cooled so much in the rain the air conditioning was not working hard at all to keep us cool even with the heat of the crockpot and stove.  The final product filled the Hideout with an exceptional aroma and I could hardly wait for Husband to get home from work.

Though he had to drive through it, when he arrived here the monsoon had passed and left us with a little flooding!

Dinner was amazing!  Kids ate it, I inhaled two full bowls.  It was excellent.  I am also very much looking forward to the weather cooling and having the option of using the stove and oven indoors.

As a side note, I want to recognize the Tempe Farmers Market for their excellent produce, customer service and stellar vegan breakfast burritos.  I am so excited to live near a farmer's market that is open everyday!  I have tried two varieties of their breakfast burritos and they are both so good. Here are the descriptions of them as posted in the store.  If I had to chose my favorite it would be the AM Burro, if you are not a fan of tofu then you may prefer the Quesorito.  I think I live two miles from this place.  Thankful.