Slow-Cooked Pork Roast Dinner

So I guess "crock pot" is a name brand, and Rival owns it.  So you can't just throw it around if you are a cookbook.  You have to use code names such as "slow cooker."  So, this is a crock pot recipe, but you didn't hear that from me.

I like to throw things in the crock pot in the morning while the kids are doing school, especially if I have appointments in the afternoon.  Then I just come home from the appointment or whatever and plop the food on the plates.  Which it pretty much seems like "plopping" with crock pot food, because it mostly never looks good, even though it tastes yummy and is very easy.  I also liked this recipe because you don't have to brown the meat or anything.  I like recipes that you just throw in ingredients and go about your day, without having to like wash a skillet after while you're trying to help a kid with long division.  This one is from Simple & Delicious.

Slow-Cooked Pork Roast Dinner
1 cup hot water
¼ cup sugar
3 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp ketchup
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp chili powder
1 large onion, halved and sliced
2 ½ lb pork loin roast, halved
4 med potatoes (about 2 lbs), peeled and cut into 1-in pieces
1 pkg (16 oz) frozen sliced carrots, thawed
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp cold water

Whisk the first 9 ingredients til blended.  Place onion in 5-qt slow cooker.  Place roast, potatoes, and carrots over onion.  Add sauce mixture.  Cook, covered, on low 6-8 hours or until pork and potatoes are tender.

Remove roast and vegetables from slow cooker.  Transfer juices to a small saucepan.  Skim what fat you can.  Bring to a boil.  In a small dish, mix cornstarch and cold water; stir into cooking juices.  Return to a boil; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until thickened.  Serve with roast and vegetables.

I ran out of time so I didn't thicken the juices, just spooned them over the meat.  Still good.  Also, if you use GF soy sauce (I use Bragg's Liquid Aminos), then this is a gluten free, dairy free meal, without even having to think about it.  Which is awesome.