maple pork and veggie stew with polenta

little foodie snotty booty is running around with a little cold that has found its way over to my side. it was just a few days ago that i began bragging about how we haven't been sick in about a year...ha...karma?

we haven't been baking much lately since spring has hit and it has been beauitful out and the early time change has been in our favor this year! waking up an hour later and dinner with the sun still up and daddy home..beautiful days don't get much better and simpler these days. littlefoodie peen'poopy has decided to ditch the nasty ol pullups and sports some fancy lavender curious george and care bears undies and now uses the potty!!!! it was that easy and i am so happy with my little man....

today i needed something easy and hearty that will warm my scratched up throat. i thumbed through some recipes i have been meaning to do and this one was the winner today. i got it off of the cookinglight website. i didn't do much to it except omit a few things, add a few things and stick it in the crockpot so i don't have to think about it at all.

i am posting the original recipe copied from the cookinglight website...to the sides i've posted what i omitted and added. it was so simple i didn't need to change much.

i'll be posting some pictures later when littlefoodie decides to nap!


Maple Pork-and-Vegetable Stew
From Cooking Light

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (1 1/2-pound) boned pork loin roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cups diced onion
1 (8-ounce) package mushrooms, quartered
1 3/4 cups (1/8-inch) diagonally sliced carrot
(i added 2 scrubbed and unpeeled diced potatoes)
3/4 cup diced red bell pepper (i omitted..didn't seem to fit in this recipe)
2 tablespoons maple syrup (organic grade b)
1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (16-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (used veggie broth)
1 (12-ounce) bottle beer (used pumpkin beer..yum!)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon country-style Dijon mustard
8 cups hot cooked brown rice (doing polenta instead)
Sage sprigs (optional)

*Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half of the pork; sauté 5 minutes or until browned. Remove from pan. Add remaining pork; sauté 5 minutes or until browned. Remove from pan. Add onion and mushrooms to pan; sauté 4 minutes. Return pork to pan; add carrot and next 7 ingredients (carrot though beer). Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until pork is tender.

Combine cornstarch, vinegar, and mustard in a small bowl, and stir with a whisk. Add to pork mixture, and bring to a boil. Cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve with rice. Garnish with sage sprigs, if desired.

note: after browning the pork and veggies i added everything else straight to the crockpot and put it on low...about an hour before serving i'll do the cornstarch thing to thicken it. i am slicing some firm polenta and grilling it on the grill pan and serving the stew over it along with some steamed broccoli.