Apricot Glazed Pork Roast with Shitake Mushrooms

I feel like such a chef after cooking last night's dinner! The leftovers were a fabulous lunch today, too.  Mmm!  I want to share the recipe with all of you so that you can enjoy this too!

Here is Noah, my big helper, sniffing the rosemary that he cut from the garden for me. He loved helping me cook!

This is what the roast looked like when it was still being cooked. I pulled out out just to baste it.  Don't worry, I washed the rosemary before I put it on top. :)

This is what our dinner looked like. And it tasted SO yummy!!!

I got my recipe inspiration from Karina's Kitchen and I changed just a couple of things.

Apricot Glazed Pork Roast with Shitake Mushrooms

Pork Roast~I don't know how big mine was, maybe a 3 pounder, and it was partially frozen, and it had a bone in it

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sea Salt, Pepper

5 teaspoons of minced garlic

1 large onion

2 cups dehydrated Shitake Mushrooms

Fresh Rosemary

The Sauce:

1 jar of apricot Simply Fruit

3/4 cup home-canned grape juice (sweetened)

3/4 cup water

2 tablespoons brown sugar (I will omit this next time, it was sweet enough)

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Put the pork in a roasting pan. Drizzle olive oil on top, and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Put the garlic, onions and mushrooms in the pan.  Put a sprig of fresh rosemary on top.

For the sauce, mix together the apricot preserves, the grape juice, water, vinegar, brown sugar and spices and mix until smooth.  Pour over the roast.

Cover and put in a 325 degree oven for about 4 hours, then increase the temperature to 350 and finish off until about 160 degrees.

Let it rest for about 10 minutes while you make the glaze. Strain all of the juices from the pan and put them in a saucepan.  In a small mason jar with a tight fitting lid, pour about 1/3 cup of water and 2 tablespoons of Tapioca Starch.  Shake it up really well and pour it in with the pot of glaze.  Add salt and pepper if desired, let the glaze thicken over medium heat & keep on stirring.  

Slice the pork thin and pour the sauce on it, and then spoon some mushrooms & onions on top.

I served it with brown basmati rice (which takes an hour to cook, so plan ahead!) and garlic green beans.

Garlic Green Beans:

Frozen green beans from Trader Joes (the best! very sweet French Style green beans)

Butter

Minced Garlic, as much as you like--I probably put in 3 or 4 tsp. to 1/2 a bag of beans

Salt & Pepper

Melt butter in frying pan, toss in frozen green beans and garlic, cook over medium to high heat until done.  Yummmmmy!!