Spicy Bean and Vegetable Stew - Hairy Biker Style!

Hello everyone - happy Friday! Don't you just love weekends? Here's the Hairy Biker's spicy bean and veg stew - quick and easy but probably more a midweek dish! We had a potato and mushroom curry tonight - not blown away by it at all and feeling rather unsatisfied and disappointed! Spending the rest of the night trying not to nibble! Little pickers wear big knickers!

Spicy Bean and Vegetable Stew - Hairy Biker Style!

Serves 4

18 pp per recipe

Oil spray

1 small aubergine, cut into chunks(I don't like aubergine so I used butternut squash instead)

2 medium onions, halved and finely sliced

1 yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks

1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks

1 medium sweet potato (300g), peeled and cut into chunks

1 tsp ground coriander

½–1 tsp hot chilli powder

½ tsp smoked paprika (hot)

400g can of chopped tomatoes

400g can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

600ml cold water

1 large courgette, halved lengthways and cut into 1.5cm slices freshly squeezed juice of ½ lime

4 tbsp half-fat crème fraiche

fresh coriander leaves, to garnish (optional)

lime wedges, for squeezing

1. Heat the oil in a large, deep non-stick frying pan, saucepan or sauté pan. Stir-fry the aubergine/butternut over a high heat for 3 minutes until nicely browned. Add the onions to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Scatter the peppers and sweet potato into the pan and stir-fry with the aubergine/butternut and onions for another 4 minutes. Sprinkle over the spices and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

2. Add the chopped tomatoes and beans and stir in the 600ml of water. Season with a good pinch of salt, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the courgette, return to a simmer and cook for a further 10 minutes, stirring regularly, check that the sweet potato is cooked.

3. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the lime juice and serve the stew topped with half-fat crème fraiche and scattered with fresh coriander leaves if you like. Add lime wedges for squeezing.