slow cooker pulled pork with fried squash bites and steamed broccoli

This meal was super easy and contrary to the title, the pork is not the main attraction. Mind you, the pork was melt in your mouth awesome, but the squash took the cake! I'm always look for ways to change up or recreate the normal, ho-hum vegetables- it just makes life more interesting. So here we go....

Pulled pork:

I can't take much credit for this one, other than being a super observant/savy Target shopper. I've mentioned before that Target often puts coupons on items in the meat and vegetable department that they want to sell fast. This was one of those finds. Hormel makes pre-seasoned pork roasts. This one had a $3 off coupon so for $4.99 I was willing to take a gamble. See this link Hormel BBQ seasoned pork for the exact product. It was very easy. I was skeptical of the instructions: open package and place contents into slow cooker. Cook for 4-5 hours on high or 8-9 hours on low. immediately my inner chef raised an eyebrow because there was no mention of adding water or a moisture source. However, the people at Hormel know what they're doing- nothing was needed and the pork came out later so tender I had to scoop it out of the slow cooker- it fell apart right on the fork. The flavor was amazing too. A nice smokey barbeque taste, almost as if it had just come off the smoker. There was no need for additional seasoning or sauce, and that's quite an accomplishment.

Fried squash bites:

They don't look like much in the picture, but these little things are a southern bite of heaven. Like I said above, I'm always looking for ways to change up my vegetables and side items and this one was was a homerun. Since the broccoli was steamed I needed something crisp but light to even everything out. Then some little lightbulb went off- I'll cook it like I do fried okra! It will give me the light crunch but still maintain the vegetable inside. 

- Dice squash into bite sized pieces

- Lightly mist with olive oil or cooking oil (your preference, you could even use cooking spray)

- Season Cornmeal with salt and other flavors ( I used seasoned salt and garlic)

- Dust/toss squash pieces in cornmeal until fully coated

- Warm just enough cooking oil to cover the squash 

- When oil is warm, carefully add the squash and cook until pieces begin to turn golden and crispy. 

- Drain on paper towel and enjoy!

I was so thrilled with the way the squash turned out. My husbamd loved it too. He even said "This could be used as an appetizer in a restaurant." If you like fried okra, you'll love this! 

Enjoy!!!