Apple Cider Pulled Pork with Chipotle Butternut Squash Potato Mash​

This meal turned out so delicious and was extremely simple to make! I threw the pork in the slow cooker first thing in the morning, so that it was done by the time I got home later in the day. Since there was not much prep for the pork, it did not take much time at all to get it started in the slow cooker. When I got home later in the day, I took the pork out to shred and brought the remaining sauce to a boil on the stove top (or put on the saute function if you used an Instant Pot), then let it simmer until it thickened up some and poured it back onto the pork. While that was going on I started the Chipotle Butternut Squash Sweet Potato Mash. I originally wanted to make a Pumpkin Sweet Potato mash, but since pumpkin is not in season I couldn't find any at the store. I guess I could have went for the canned pumpkin, but instead I swapped it out for butternut squash. This combination still turned out tasting amazing and it was a good change up from my normal plain Jane sweet potato mash. The chipolte chili powder spice also gave it a little kick and it paired great with the Apple Cider Pulled Pork. This is a meal I really look forward to eating all week!

Apple Cider Pulled Pork ​
Ingredients:

• ​4 - 5 lbs boneless pork butt
• 1 large sweet onion; peeled and sliced
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened apple cider

Sweet Spice Rub:

• 1 Tbsp sea salt
• 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

Directions:

1. COMBINE all of the spice rub ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle the rub evenly along the sides and top of the pork roast.
2. ADD the onion slices to the bottom of a six-quart slow cooker. Place the seasoned pork roast on top of the onions. Then, add the apple cider. (If the roast is too large, you may wish to cut it in half and place the halves side by side in the slow cooker.)
3. COVER and cook on high 7-8 hours, or on low for 8-10 hours, until the meat is tender enough to be easily shredded with a fork.
4. TURN OFF slow cooker once the roast is done. Carefully transfer the pork to a large platter and allow it to rest a few minutes.
5. POUR the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl. Place one cup of the liquid back into the slow cooker; discard the remaining liquid and onion.
6. SHRED the pork using two forks. Then, return it to the slow cooker. Toss well with the reserved cooking liquid. Season to taste with additional sea salt and pepper, if desired.
7. SERVE the pork with your favorite Whole30-compliant coleslaw and a side of mashed sweet potatoes. (Plus, save the leftover pulled pork to make even more tasty meals, as noted below.) Enjoy!

Original recipe found here

Super Fast Instant Pot Sweet Potato Mash - Chipotle Butternut Squash version
Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes*
• 1 pound Butternut Squash, cubed
• 1/4 tsp Chipotle chili powder
• 1 cup of water
• 1-2 tbsp of coconut oil or ghee (to your tasting)
• salt and seasonings to taste

Directions:

1. Peel your sweet potatoes and cut them into 1″ cubes.
2. Add sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and water to the instant pot. Close pot and set to sealing.
3. Cook on manual, high pressure, for 10 minutes.
4. Immediately quick release the pressure as soon as the 10 minute cooking cycle has completed.
5. Use oven mitts to carefully remove the inner pot from the Instant pot, carrying it to a colander in your sink to drain the potatoes and squash.
6. Quickly wash out the inner pot and dry it with a kitchen towel.
7. Immediately place the clean inner pot back into the instant pot, add the coconut oil/ghee and press the sauté button.
8. Once the coconut oil starts to sizzle, add your potatoes and squash back to the pot along with any seasonings you desire (add the chipolte chili powder). Use a wooden spoon to stir and turn your sweet potatoes, cooking until a desired consistency is reached. This step should only take a few minutes before you are ready to serve your sweet potato mash! Enjoy!

Notes
*I used closer to 7.5 lbs of sweet potato and 3 lbs of butternut squash for this recipe, so I put them in the pressure cooker separately. I put the sweet potato in the Instant Pot for 20 minutes, then let the sweet potatoes drain while the butternut squash was in the Instant Pot for 10 minutes.