Asian Pork Tenderloin

I wanted to make something different for dinner and after pre-planning most of the meals for the week I decided we’d have pork for dinner. I wanted to use the crock pot but outside of that general idea I didn’t have a specific recipe in mind.  I opted to go with a classic Asian style “marinade” to incorporate into the dish.  I grabbed some of the items I would typically use while making stir fry and then experimented with the rest with fingers (secretly) crossed behind my back that the end result was a tasty one.

Thankfully – it was a success!  It was so delicious and something I am going to undoubtedly continue to make when in the mood for pork loin.  Since cooking the pork in the crock pot it was tender and melt in your mouth delicious.  The vegetables were perfect and the sauce was a perfect addition to spoon over white rice.

Here’s how I made the dish:

Sauce:

1/3 cup Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup water

¼ Hoisin sauce

Tablespoon Gulden’s spicy mustard

2 tablespoons ketchup

Tablespoon fresh minced ginger

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Sprinkle black pepper

Main ingredients:

2 extra-lean pork loins (~1 pound each – I used the Hormel Original pork loins)

One medium fresh onion, sliced

One large red pepper, sliced

Bag fresh baby carrots

Bag frozen Asian Veggie Medley (typically contains broccoli, carrots, pea pods)

2 cans sliced water chestnuts

Directions:

Add all ingredients for the sauce into a bowl and mix to combine.

Place pork loins in the bottom of your Crock pot (feel free to remove any visible fat the Hormel brand has a small amount of fat which I removed).  Pour sauce mixture over the meat.

Place baby carrots, sliced onion and red pepper into the crock pot.  Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours (you can also cook on high it would probably be done in 4-6 hours).

30 minutes before serving add in the frozen vegetables and the water chestnuts.  Stir in, cover and let cook for an additional 30 minutes to bring the frozen vegetables up to temperature.

I calculated it to be 5 Points Plus Values for 4 ounces of pork loin and a helping of vegetables.  I paired it with a side of white rice (1 cup for 5 Points Plus values) making it a simple and easy 10 PPV meal!

QUESTION:

Do you like to use your Crock pot to cook meals?