September is Hunger Action Month. There is a national campaign to raise awareness and encourage people to take action and help get food to those in need. I am proud, honored, and thrilled to be a part of a special cookbook of healthy affordable slow cooker meal recipes called Where Slow Food and Whole Food Meet: healthy slow cooker dinners from our kitchens to yours. All of the proceeds from the book benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. To see a short video on the book click here: Cookbook Promo Video
Over 30 bloggers teamed up to put together this cookbook. It includes my recipe for Chicken, Potato, and Barley Stew. You have to purchase the book to get that recipe. The book also includes the recipe for Slow-Cooker Island Pulled Pork featured in this post (the recipe is way down at the very bottom so keep scrolling down to get to it). Click on the photo of the book to purchase it on Amazon. It is a gorgeous book with recipes, tips, and more.
You can also get it as an eBook. Feeding America food banks across the country are giving the eBook version as a free gift to their donors. If you make a donation you will be given the eBook as a free gift. Donate right now and get your free eBook by clicking here: Feed Hope Now
We have generous sponsors. They have joined with us to help get the word out about hunger in America and our cookbook. Grimmway Farms, Old Oak Farms by RPE Produce, and San Miguel Produce are contributing food to their local food banks and giving $5 per book sold to the food bank (up to $600 and that is in addition to the proceeds from book sales going to the food bank). There are also some wonderful giveaways thanks to them and Hamilton Beach.
About the giveaways: I am giving away two prizes. One is a combination of a Hamilton Beach Set & Forget® Programmable 6 Quart Slow Cooker (model 33464) and a copy the cookbook. The other is a copy of the cookbook. The co-editors of the book, Christine and Jennifer, are also giving away one prize of free carrots for a year from Grimmway Farms, one prize of free greens for a year from San Miguel and a potato prize pack from Old Oak Farms by RPE Produce including 40 pounds of potatoes and 1 Bamboo Bowl, 1 cutting board, 1 pepper mill, 1 measuring spoon set, 1 recipe booklet, 1 about potatoes booklet. Many of the participating bloggers are also doing giveaways so visit each one and enter to win on their blogs too. Scroll down to see the list of bloggers with links to each.
How to enter my giveaway: Either purchase the cookbook or donate to a food bank (or both) and leave a comment letting me know which one you did. I’m using the honor system and taking your word for it so I’m trusting you did your part.
My giveaway details: Giveaway is for United States residents only. Contest runs from Monday, September 8, 2014 and ends on Tuesday, September 30, 2014 at 11:59pm Eastern Time. Winners will be selected from valid entries using a random draw. Winners will be notified via email and they have 3 days to respond or alternate winner(s) will be selected. Good luck!
We are having a twitter parties too. It is to help get the word out about hunger and how our book is helping. Print copies of the cookbook will be given away at all of them and some will have extra prizes as well including another slow cooker. Our main twitter party is September 18, 2014 at 9pm Eastern Time. Follow and tweet with the #slowNwholeCookbook hashtag to keep up with the conversation. We will also be joining Courntey Crozier, former contestant from The Biggest Loser, for her weekly #justcrunchem twitter parties on September 11, 18, and 25th from 8-9pm Eastern Time.
Here are participating cookbook bloggers. The recipe title is the one they did for the book. The link goes to their cookbook launch post. Visit them to find more chances to enter to win giveaways:
- Autumn Apple Chicken Sandwiches from Chocolate & Carrots
- Balsamic Orange Roast Beef from a farmgirl’s dabbles
- Barbacoa Tacos from My Baking Heart
- Broccoli and Cheese Potato Soup from Big Bear’s Wife
- Butternut Squash Vegetarian Chili from Nutmeg Nanny
- Chicken, Potato and Barley Stew from Magnolia Days
- Chicken Burrito Bowls from Two Healthy Kitchens
- Chicken Cacciatore from Poet in the Pantry
- Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic from Around My Family Table
- Chinese Beef and Broccoli from Very Culinary
- Creamy Buffalo Chicken from Mother Thyme
- Cuban Black Bean Soup from Food n’ Focus
- Cuban Seafood Stew from The Kitchen Prep
- Harvest Chili from WonkyWonderful
- Italian Beef Sandwiches from Yummy Healthy Easy
- Lentil, Sausage and Kale Stew from Jeanette’s Healthy Living
- Macaroni and Cheese With Sugar Snap Peas from Brooklyn Farm Girl
- Mango Chicken from Stetted
- Pork Meatballs in Marinara Sauce from Savvy Eats
- Pork Tenderloin Florentine from All Day I Dream About Food
- Pumpkin, Chicken and Spinach Tortellini Soup from An Edible Mosaic
- Spiced Lentil Stew from Je suis alimentageuse
- Strawberry-Habanero Pulled Chicken from Healthy. Delicious
- Sweet and Spicy Carnitas from Cravings of a Lunatic
- Sweet Italian Sausage and Peppers from Sweet Remedy
- Tex-Mex Scalloped Potato and Carrot Dinner from Cook the Story
- Thai Coconut Curry Beef and Broccoli from Food Faith Fitness
- Thai Pork with Vermicelli Salad from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
- Vegetarian Pumpkin White Chili from Kitchen Treaty
- Whole Tuscan Chicken from The Little Kitchen
Stay in touch with our partners and sponsors:
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida: Facebook | Newsletter
- Feeding America (National): Website | Facebook | Twitter
- Hamilton Beach: Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram
- Old Oak Farms by RPE Produce: Twitter | Facebook
- Grimmway Farms: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
- San Miguel Produce Inc:
Thank you very much for taking action to help get food to those in need. Your support is greatly appreciated. Oh, and about the Slow-Cooker Island Pulled pork. It has wonderful jerk spices and flavors. Serve it as-is or on a sandwich with your favorite BBQ sauce and fresh cilantro. It is a recipe I know I’ll make often since I very much enjoy those Caribbean flavors.

Slow-Cooker Island Pulled Pork
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons thyme
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon sweet or hot paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 pound boneless pork butt
- 1 cup apple cider or apple juice
- 1 bay leaf
- 8 to 10 hamburger buns sliced open
- BBQ sauce
- Fresh cilantro
Instructions
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In a small bowl combine onion powder, garlic powder, cloves, ginger, allspice, thyme, dry mustard, salt, paprika, cumin, sugar, black pepper and cayenne. Use fingers to rub spices together to ensure that ginger is dispersed throughout. Rub spice mixture all over pork.
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Put the pork in the slow cooker fat side up. Pour apple cider over pork and add bay leaf.
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Cook on low for 8 hours. Remove pork from slow cooker. Use two forks to shred meat.
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Skim fat off liquid in slow cooker. Drizzle a few tablespoons of the remaining liquid over the meat and mix to combine.
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Serve on a bun as-is or slathered with your favorite BBQ sauce and sprinkled with fresh cilantro.
Recipe Notes
Recipe ©copyright Jill Holland, Sous Chef of Catering for Good and Chef Instructor of Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. Used with permission.
Disclosures: Links to the cookbook on Amazon are affiliate links. I received a Hamilton Beach slow cooker at no charge in exchange for offering a giveaway for one in this cookbook launch. I was under no obligation to post a review for the slow cooker. I am not receiving any compensation for participation in the cookbook or any portion of the cookbook sales.
Jen says
I just got my hands on the Kindle version of this book! What a great cause!
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says
Renee, I love pulled pork. . and what a great cause and so cool that you are a part of this!! And today must be cookbook giveaway day! 🙂
Christine at Cook the Story says
Thanks for being a part of this cookbook! Your sandwiches look so good!
Michelle says
What a great way to start the week!
Jessica of My Baking Heart says
Beautiful post, Renee! So great to work with you on this project! 🙂
San Miguel Produce says
Your dish looks fantastic! Thank you so much for doing this, and for including us in the project. It is our pleasure to support such a worthy cause.
Keep it green,
–Your friendly Southern California farmers at San Miguel Produce / Cut ‘N Clean Greens / Jade Asian Greens
Kim Beaulieu says
That is one amazing dish Renee. I can’t wait to try yours. Such a worthwhile cause too.
Kelly Garcia says
I donate once a month to a local food bank. The kids and I just took three bags of canned food this weekend. Great cookbook! Thank you.
Sandy Headtke says
I shop at Costco so every time I buy in bulk I donate a can or two of the item to the food bank. I never miss it and it helps someone feed their child.
Kathleen Kempken says
I’ve been reviewing your cookbook websites and would love to win one of the prizes. I donate the food in my pantry to the food bank, before the expiration date, that I know I’m not going to be able to eat in time!
Stacy says
Great cause and looks like loads of great recipes, Renee! I’ve bought the Kindle version!
Mandy Shannon says
Love the idea behind this cookbook! Such a great collaboration of people, hearts, and cause. And I just so happened to have donated a lot of food to a foodbank here in DFW a couple days ago 🙂
Amy L says
Thank you for giving me the “nudge” to donate. I made a donation to the Mid-Ohio Food Bank. 🙂
Karen D says
We donate canned goods to our local food shelf often. And my son, who works for a restaurant/bakery brings back the items leftover at the end of the day and delivers them to the food shelf, as they don’t sell day-old items. The breads, etc, don’t go to waste, especially when they could feed someone!
Barbara Gilbert says
Thank you for participating in this! I often cook an extra meal for an elderly widower who lives next door. The larger slow cooker would be so helpful for that, and because I’m having hand reconstruction surgery soon, so the cooker will literally be a lifesaver for me as my husband doesn’t cook! I have prepared bagged and frozen meals for him to put it so we can eat a good hot meal at night.
Tina W says
I volunteer at my local food bank, and also make recipe flyers with usage suggestions and tips for many of our staple items.
tammigirl says
We volunteer at a local food pantry (held in a Lutheran church) and also donate to them directly – they buy food from the food bank, so we just cut their cost to zero by donating straight to them. Our night to volunteer again is tomorrow, and we’ll be taking some more items after seeing the shape of the shelves tomorrow night.
Margot C says
In our neighborhood the Fire Dept collect food for the food bank, no perishables. Every month after my husband’s second paycheck we buy stuff and leave it there. Last time was end of August, next time is Saturday! (I hope that counts, but if not that’s ok)
christine j says
I have so many cans. Great reminder to donate to the food bank down the street. I am going to work on this tonight
Tina W says
I donate to my local food bank almost every week during the summer. We have a large backyard garden and always plant extra so we can share. They LOVE getting tomatoes and zucchini. This past week I also had a great couponing trip so I had a bunch of shampoo and toothpaste to donate also.
Annette says
I donated to a food bank and will continue to do so throughout the year.