Crockpot Pork Stew

Stew ready to eat!

I’d never really thought about having any other kind of stew besides beef until I ran across this recipe in the Fix-It and Forget-It Lightly Cookbook by Phyllis Pellman Good. This stew features pork and in addition to the regular items like carrots, potatoes, and onions includes parsnips which adds a nice hint of sweetness to the dish. Tapioca is used for the thickening agent so this dish works well for those with gluten intolerance. I think you’ll enjoy this if you give a try . . . it’s a nice change from regular old beef stew! BTW, this only has 300 calories per serving.

Here’s a picture of parsnips for those who may not know what they look like. They look like carrots only are creamy white in color. They are also delicious roasted because the natural sugars carmelize which intensifies the sweetness of this root vegetable. Sometimes they’re coated with a thin layer of wax so don’t put the peels down your gargage disposer.

Parsnips

Ingredients
2 lbs. lean pork loin, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 lb. baby carrots
3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 onions, cut into wedges
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 t. fresh ground pepper
1 t. dried thyme leaves
1 t. salt
2 1/2 C. low-sodium canned vegetable juice (I use half regular V-8 and half hot V-8 juice)
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. prepared mustard
4 t. instant tapioca

1. Place pork in slow cooker.
2. Add carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic, pepper, thyme, and salt. Mix together well.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the vegetable juice, brown sugar, mustard, and tapioca. Pour over the meat and vegetables.
4. Cover. Cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 4-5 hours.