Cheater’s Pork Stew
Taking the time to brown your meat and vegetables is often worthwhile, but some days are just too busy
Here’s a quick and satisfying stew that I throw together when I’m uber lazy and tired. In other words, this is a dish I cook on a typical day I don’t brown anything and all the ingredients are dumped into the slow cooker to simmer on low for 8-10 hours. Poof! Dinner is ready in less than 10  minutes of prep time!
Here’s what I toss into the slow cooker to feed 4-6 people:

2 small onions, thinly sliced
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
½ pound baby carrots
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 pounds of pork shoulder, cut into 1.5 inch cubes or a 4 pound bone-in pork shoulder roast
1 tablespoon Sunny Paris seasoning (or your favorite seasoning blend)
1 tablespoon Red Boat Fish sauce
1 small cabbage, cut into 8 wedges
1 cup Rao’s marinara sauce (or any other Paleo-friendly marinara sauce)
1 tablespoon of aged balsamic vinegar
¼ cup finely chopped Italian parsley (optional)

Here’s how you make it:

Slice up the onions and smash the garlic cloves…
…and add them with the carrots to the slow cooker liner. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
Grab some high quality pork…
…cube it (if you’re so inclined)…
…and toss with Sunny Paris seasoning and fish sauce.
(No Sunny Paris? No problem. Just use an herb blend you like.) Add another sprinkle of salt and pepper and toss to combine Pile the seasoned pork on top of the onions and carrots  …and tuck the cabbage wedges on top.Drizzle on the marinara sauce and some more salt and pepper. Put on the lid and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

When the pork and veggies are fork-tender, adjust the stew for seasoning with  balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.If you’re feeling fancy, top the stew with fresh Italian parsley.
I make a simple marinara sauce myself
1 8oz can (drained) diced tomatoes. You can blend if you wish.
1 tsp minced garlic
Salt, Pepper and Italian Herbs to taste
Heat a skillet to medium heat. Drizzle some olive oil in the bottom, add the minced garlic and let it cook for a minute with the oil. Then add the diced tomatoes and spices. Let this cook for 5 – 10 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes at least. Done. It’s simple and delicious!