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| Slow Cooker Recipe that uses Seasonal Pumpkins |
We are looking forward to the holidays everything about this time of year is filled with fun anticipation. As a family, though, we want to maintain the regular cycles of life and eating. One of the regular routines is our daughter's weekly preparation of crockpot recipes! This week she did a crockpot recipe we originally sourced from She Wore the Dress and I Stayed Home. Truthfully, the recipe called for butternut squash but since pumpkins are plentiful and we have pumpkins available from our decorations, we chose to use the pumpkins. It turned out to be a great substitute. The other part of the recipe we changed was to put only one poblano pepper in instead of two. We also decreased the brown sugar. The recipe had a mild amount of heat but was not spicy hot.
The flavoring in this recipe was rich, savory and sweet. The pumpkin and sweet potato added the hint of sweet. The cumin, ginger and cinnamon added the savory. The pork combined with all the ingredients made it a rich and satisfying dish. We made 8 servings out of the crockpot for about 1 1/2 cups per person. We completed the meal with steamed haricots verts in chicken broth.
An easy recipe that turned into a cozy and flavorful winter meal. We all loved it. A definite repeat.
Slow Cooker Spiced Pork with Pumpkin and Sweet Potato
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pound pumpkin or butternut squash, halved, seeded, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/8 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 fresh poblano pepper, seeded and cut into bite-size strips
- 3 onions, cut into thin wedges
- 2 pound pork shoulder roast, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2/3 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley
Directions
1. In large bowl combine squash and sweet potatoes. Drizzle oil over veggies, tossing to coat. In a small bowl combine brown sugar, salt, cumin, black pepper, cinnamon, and ginger. Add half of the spice mixture to squash mixture and set aside. Transfer to a 5 quart slow cooker. Add poblano peppers and onion to cooker.
2. In small bowl combine the meat and the remaining spice mixture, tossing to coat pieces. Add meat to cooker. Pour broth over meat.
3. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 7 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 to 3.5 hours.
4. To serve, transfer squash mixture and meat to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve up with LivSpoons!
Nutritional Information
Serves: 8. Calories per serving: 478. Fat 7g (Saturated Fat 2g); Sodium 48mg; Protein 15g; Carbohydrate 17g; Fiber 4g; Sugars 9g.
Make-it-a-Meal Tip: Add 3/4 cup of steamed green beans for 26 calories to complete your meal. Total calories for the meal will be 504.
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