Meatballs in Pineapple Sauce

There is an event going on at the farm where we get a lot of our products from.  It is called Land and Table which is a Sustainable Traditions initiative to help cultivate sustainable agriculture and the local food movement. Tonight is a pot luck, open mic plus a market.  So for this I wanted to make something that was easy to transport and easy to eat.  The recipe comes from the Grassfed Gourmet Cookbook by Shannon Hayes.  When I made this, I doubled this recipe.  

Meatballs in Pineapple Sauce
For the Meatballs:
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 pound ground beef (since I doubled this recipe, I used 1 pound ground beef and 1 pound ground pork)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Mix all ingredients, except the olive oil, in a large bowl.  Shape into 1-1/2 inch balls (I used a large cookie style scoop with holds about 3 tablespoons).  Saute meatballs in the olive oil over medium heat, turning occasionally, for about 15 to 20 minutes, until browned.  Remove the meatballs, pour off the fat from the skillet, and set aside.
For the pineapple sauce:
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch (I use arrow root)
1 13-1/4 ounce can of chunk pineapple, in natural, unsweetened juice
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon tamari
1 small green bell pepper, coarsely chopped (since I was doubling this recipe I used 1 green and 1 red bell pepper)
Mix together the brown sugar and cornstarch, and add to the skillet used for the meatballs.  Pour in the pineapple and juice, and add the vinegar, tamari, and chopped pepper.  Over medium heat, bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat immediately, add the meatballs, and simmer 10 minutes longer.

Since I didn't have a lot of time today to make this.  I made this last night, placed it into a ceramic crock pot bowl.  This afternoon I took the bowl from the refrigerator and placed it into the crock pot (the part that heats) and turned it on.  It didn't take very long for everything to heat all the way through and now I can carry the crock pot to the pot luck.

To go along with this part of the meal.  I also decided to make a pineapple blueberry mint salad.

Pineapple, Blueberry, Mint Salad
1 fresh ripe pineapple, core and outside removed, cut into bite sized chunks
About 8 ounces of blueberries (I used some blueberries that I froze last summer, if using frozen blueberries don't thaw out, just add to salad as is)
Fresh mint leaves, chopped
Add chopped pineapple, blueberries and mint together.  Mix and refrigerate.  You want to make this the same day you plan on eating it, the blueberries can be tough if left in the refrigerator too long.