Slow Cook Sweet and Sour Pork

So, after a crazy hectic week of accidents, miserable toddlers and organising and running the worst garage sale in history (thanks ever so much RAIN!) it was finally time to pull out the slow cooker again. 

A spur of the moment decision saw me throwing pork into the microwave to defrost while i searched for a good recipe the whole family would enjoy. I don't like cooking frozen meat in the slow cooker, although I have been assured it is fine to do, I feel more comfortable, and find its a much better flavour if I brown meat first.

Jumping onto my favourite Facebook group Slow Cooker Recipes 4 Families, I searched the Pork section and stopped as soon as i saw Sweet and Sour Pork. This is one of Muddled Hubby's favourites. Could I slow cook it? Could I cook it from scratch, having never tried before? Only one way to find out! 

On checking the recipe I was short on the amount of meat, and didn't have the vegetables recommended, but that didn't stop me! I used mushrooms to fill out the meat portion of the meal, and just what vegetables I had in the fridge. Having never attempted this before from scratch, I stuck to the basic sauce recipe.

So, without further ado, here it is!

Sweet and Sour Pork

500 grams pork (I used diced heart smart pork)

10-12 mushrooms

2 carrots

1 zucchini

1 tin corn

1 tin unsweetened pineapple pieces, or crushed pineapple, with the juice.

3 tbs brown sugar

1 tsp crushed ginger

1 tsp crushed garlic

1/4 cup white vinegar

3 tbs Soy Sauce

200 grams raw cashews

1 tbs corn flour

2-3 tsp herbs for flavour (I used garlic and herb salt & mixed herbs)

Turn slow cooker on high to preheat.

In a bag mix corn flour and dry herbs and coat pork pieces. Use a small amount of oil (olive oil for us, but you could also use Sesame Oil) to brown meat lightly. 

Put meat and veg in pan, add vegetables and then corn, pineapple, sugar, ginger, garlic, vinegar and soy sauce and stir to combine. 

Cook on high for 1-2 hours, and then on low for a further 4-5 hours. I put cashews in in the last hour of cooking and left the lid off to reduce liquid and let sauce thicken a little.

Serve with rice.

Easy and delicious!! 

If you have Facebook, head over and like my Page.

Also, if you love a good slow cooker meal, check out the Slow Cooker Recipes 4 Families group. So many good recipes in there worth trying!! 

Please note: no one is paying or asking me to promote this group or any of the recipes. These are just my own experiences of what I have found to be a valuable resource for our family, that I thought I would share. Over coming weeks you will also get to see recipes from Taste.com and the Bikini Cookbook range that I tweak to suit our family.

Sweet Lamb Curry Casserole

So here is my first recipe. This started as a recipe from a Facebook page Slow Cooker Recipes 4 Families, but turned into my own. I didn't have some of the ingredients, so I improvised, and then added a few of my own flavours to make it a richer, tastier casserole. 

The family all went back for seconds (and maybe thirds) so I think it was pretty tasty! Even Mini Miss Fussy Britches (yes, occasionally I like to use old fashioned words!) ate some! And there is plenty left over for freezing, turning into pie (a favourite use of left over casseroles for me!) or even having again for dinner tomorrow night so its one less thing to think about tomorrow! 

Sweet Lamb Curry Casserole

• 500-750 grams Lamb diced
• 4 potatoes
• 2 sweet potatoes
• 2 carrots
• 2 zucchini
• 1 cup broccoli
• 8-10 mushrooms
• 1 brown onion diced
• 1 tin corn kernels 
• 1 tin tomatoes (I used Italian flavoured tomatoes)
• 1 Tbsp Honey
• decent splash of lemon juice
• 1-1.5 tsp curry powder (to your own taste)
• 2 tsp garlic (I use minced, but you could also use 2 cloves of fresh garlic)
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric
• 1/2 tsp Cumin
• 1 tsp Oregano
• garlic and herb salt
• 1/2 - 1 cup of Beef Stock (I use Vegata as it is gluten free)
• salt and pepper to taste
• extra virgin olive oil 

1. Turn slow cooker onto high to heat. Put potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms and corn in slow cooker bowl while it heats up.
2. Brown lamb in a little olive oil and coat with curry and garlic and herb salt while cooking. Put into slow cooker.
3. Add a little more olive oil, add onions and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes until onions turn translucent. Put into slow cooker.
4. Sprinkle turmeric, cumin and oregano into slow cooker. Add honey and lemon juice.
5. Add tomatoes and mix thoroughly.
6. Add enough stock to cover and cook on high for 4 hours, then for a further 2-4 hours on low, stirring occasionally.
7. Take off lid in last hour and add 1 Tbs of corn flour if needed to thicken sauce.
8. Serve with rice, or just with warm crusty bread!