Crock Pot Asian Pork with mushrooms

It was a low key sort of day before our big day of food touring Vermont tomorrow. I decided to make a crock pot meal since it is easy and requires no work. John was sweet enough this morning when he saw me putting things together he took over so Sarah and I could hang out. The recipe he followed is:
Crock Pot Asian Pork with Mushrooms (Skinny taste)
Servings: 7 • Size: about 3 oz pork + mushrooms • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 6 pts
Calories: 224.1 • Fat: 8.5 g • Protein: 25 g • Carb: 11 g • Fiber: 0.4 g • Sugar: 7.3
Sodium: less than 854 mg, since you don't use all the liquid

Ingredients:

• 2 lb lean boneless pork sirloin roast (aka pork center rib roast, pork center loin roast)
• kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
• Non-stick oil spray (I used Smart Balance spray)
• 1 cup low-sodium fat-free chicken broth
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce (for gf use gf tamari)
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3 tbsp agave (or sugar)
• 1 tsp hot sesame oil (aji oil)  (or use sesame oil + pinch red pepper flakes)
• 1/2 tsp Chinese five spice (I used McCormick)
• 3 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger root
• 8 oz sliced mushrooms (I used baby bella)

For topping:

• 1/4 cup chopped scallions
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions:
Season pork on all side with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Heat a skillet on medium-high heat, spray with a little oil and brown the pork on all sides for about 7 - 8 minutes.


In the crock pot, combine the broth, soy sauce (or Tamari), balsamic, agave, sesame oil, Chinese five spice, garlic and ginger; add the pork and set the slow cooker to 8 hours on low.

Thirty minutes before the timer goes off, remove the pork and set aside to rest a few minutes; add the mushrooms to the crock pot, cover and cook on low for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, shred the pork using two forks.

When the mushrooms are tender, remove about 1 cup of the broth and reserve if needed. Add the shredded pork to the crock pot and mix well. If adding baby spinach, add at the end and cover a few minutes until it wilts. 

Instead of serving the pulled pork on rolls we decided to stick with the Asian theme and use rice noodles.

It had great flavors, I even had seconds.

Headed to bed early so we can get an early start on our Vermont food tour tomorrow!