I met Louise Racine a few years ago while working on a Board of Directors. Louise is the owner of Thirteen Moons Wellness, a retreat center for women. When Louise released her Thirteen Moons cookbook I didn’t waste any time picking up a copy. The first recipe I made was her Black Bean and Sweet Potato Stew. I realized that it would be perfect for camping.
The following recipe is from the Thirteen Moons cookbook (page 192 to be exact). I have added a few dehydrating steps to the final stages.
The recipe serves 8 so I dehydrated enough for 6 (serving 4 hungry campers) so there was enough leftover to enjoy immediately.
1 (19-ounce / 540 mL) can black beans, or 2 cups (500 mL) cooked
1 tsp (5 mL) ghee or olive oil
1 cup (250 mL) chopped leeks or onions
1 cup (250 mL) chopped celery
1 tsp (5 mL) black pepper
2 tbsp (30 mL) tamari
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tsp (5 mL) dried oregano
2 tsp (10 mL) cumin
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into very tiny cubes
1 cup (250 mL) cubed carrots – very tiny as well
1 cup (250 mL) chopped or diced tomatoes – tiny
4 cups (1 L) vegetable stock
2 cups (500 mL) torn kale – into tiny pieces
1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped cilantro, (in the original recipe it was for garnish but I actually added it into the stew)
Drain the canned beans, reserving 1 cup (250 mL) of liquid, and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat, and then add the leeks, celery, pepper, and tamari. Simmer for 3 minutes, then add the red pepper flakes, cinnamon, oregano, cumin, sweet potatoes, and carrots. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring until well coated and allowing the mixture to brown slightly. Add the beans and tomatoes and simmer for 2-3 minutes, and then add the vegetable stock and reserved bean liquid to cover the vegetables.
Simmer, covered, until the sweet potatoes are soft. Add the kale and cilantro and let it wilt.
If you are eating this at home you can leave it chunky but if you are dehydrating it you have the option of pureeing the stew or mashing it very lightly with a potato masher.
Let it cool – it will thicken a bit making it easier to put on the dehydrator trays.
Spread thinly on the dehydrator trays. Set temperature to 140. Dehydrating will take between 20 and 30 hours.
To re-hydrate in camp, just cover with water and simmer.