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Zesty Marinated Pork Chops for Go Ahead Honey

This post is linked to Go Ahead Honey, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Real Food Wednesday, and Wheatless Wednesday.

When I was heading to the International Food Bloggers Conference this past week, I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to pull off an entry to Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten Free! carnival this month. I had forgotten to plan ahead for my post and I was running out of time. However, I’ve been participating in this fun roundup initiated by Naomi Devlin (Straight Into Bed Cakefree and Dried) for a long time now and didn’t want to miss it. So I was relieved when I saw that this month’s host, Chandice, of Gluten-Free Frenzy, had selected Barbecue Bash as her theme. I had a recipe—with photos—that I’d been wanting to share, which fit the bill well. And, thankfully, Chandice was gracious enough to let me join in despite delays due to all kinds of technical difficulties, including my blog being down for about 24 hours–aaargh.

Now what most folks call a barbecue, we call a cook-out in our area. Or at least both my families do. When we say barbecue, we actually mean pulled pork. As in, “let’s stop at that barbecue place,” or “I’m fixing barbecue for dinner.” We never say “let’s barbecue” or ”how about shrimp on the barbie?” Well, unless, we’re doing our Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee) imitation anyway, and that would inevitably also evoke the “big knife” quote, too, but I digress.  So the term barbecue means pulled pork to us, but I never say I’m serving pulled pork. Confused? I understand. Really, I do. But if you’re interested, my pulled pork recipe is here. (It’s a slow cooker recipe with just three ingredients, and it’s well loved by my family and friends.)

But let’s get back to my guess on what barbecue means for Chandice’s roundup. I’m thinking in cook-out terms—anything that one can grill. As far as pork, which is my husband’s absolute favorite and I don’t turn my nose up at it, there are a number of outdoor methods and cuts. One can go whole hog, so to speak … dig a hole, fill it with coals, and slow cook a pig starting in the wee (or is it wee wee?) hours of the morning. We call that a pig roast or a pig pickin’ event. It usually reserved for summer holidays or major celebrations, like weddings. Now if I grill a pork tenderloin, I call that cook-out fare. However, most often, I tend to go for pork that cooks up  more quickly when grilling. This recipe is another favorite in our household. It’s one of many recipes here at gfe that’s naturally gluten free, plus naturally dairy free. If you use an alternative like coconut/palm sugar instead of the brown sugar, it’s also refined sugar free.

Zesty Marinated Pork Chops
(Click here for a print version of this recipe.)

2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp oregano
2/3 cup olive oil
½ cup lemon (or lime) juice
½ cup soy sauce (gluten free; or coconut aminos, which Ali discussed here)
2 tbsp brown sugar (or alternative, like coconut/palm sugar)
dash of black pepper (I used fresh ground)
4 – 8 pork chops

Combine all ingredients in a glass pan (or Ziploc bag) large enough to allow adequate marination. Marinate pork chops overnight for optimum flavor; turning at least once. Discard marinade. Grill pork chops on medium-high heat about 10 minutes on each side. Thicker pork chops may take an additional 5 to 10 minutes.

Shirley’s Notes: Marinating the pork chops overnight will definitely yield the best flavor, but I have marinated my pork chops for as little as an hour before and have still been pleased with the results. In cooler weather, I have also baked mine in the oven versus grilled them. I preheated my oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and baked the pork chops on a lightly greased baking sheet for about 10 minutes on each side. I tested for doneness by cutting a tiny corner off of one pork chop to taste. As stated above, thicker pork chops may take an additional 5-10 minutes. Both bone-in pork chops and boneless ones work equally well.

Add a great salad and a veggie, like corn on the cob or a baked potato (or pan-baked potatoes), and you have a terrific meal … and your own little barbecue bash!  (Or rustic candlelight dinner on the screened porch perhaps.) With Labor Day this weekend, this could be a good time to try this recipe.

Be sure to check back over at Chandice’s for the complete Go Ahead Honey roundup.

Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!

Slow Cooker Potato-Zucchini Soup

This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Real Food Wednesday, Pennywise Platter Thursday, and Food on Fridays.

I’m ready. I’m ready for the transition. I’m ready to “cross over,” if you will. Not Medium or Ghost Whisperer style, just seasonal. The school bell is ringing for some local students here already and sweaters are starting to appear in the clothing stores. I know it’s still August and hot weather isn’t completely over yet, but I’m ready for fall, which is definitely my favorite time of the year. And, a definite fall thing for me is soup.

We had one day last week that was rainy and cool enough for me to make Chicken Tortilla Soup (with corn and black-eyed peas this time—little Southern touch) and the next few days are supposed to only be in the 70s. I’m headed to Seattle for the International Food Bloggers Conference where it’s even cooler—mostly 60s during the day and 50s at night. Oh, my, what an event the IFBC is going to be! Diane has outlined what we, the gluten-free bloggers, will be doing at IFBC and in Seattle, here. Just reading her post made me get more excited … and a little panicky realizing how much I need to do before I leave. So, yes, a little warming, soothing soup is in order.

A while back Dr. Rodney Ford, one of our world’s gluten-free experts who I greatly admire for so many reasons (more on Dr. Ford in a moment), shared a link on his main Facebook page to a cookbook and website called 4 Ingredients. Well, remember the “easily” part of gfe … I really liked that concept. Recipes with four ingredients would inherently be easy. I have a bunch of four-ingredient (or less) recipes here on gfe, but I’m always looking for new ideas. So, I immediately checked out the site and signed up for the newsletter to get a feel for what was being  offered. Personally, I’m a bit reluctant to order a cookbook without knowing more about it. The 4 Ingredients authors, Rachael Bermingham and Kim McCosker, live in Australia. Their cookbook is the number one bestselling cookbook there. The recipes aren’t all gluten free, but many are. Bermingham and McCosker have a few more cookbooks in development. They are seeking input on their site on which ones readers want most. Two of the selections are for gluten-free cookbooks, a gluten-free 4-ingredient cookbook and a 5-ingredient one. Head over to their site to place your vote and get a free recipe or two, if you like. I find that often recipes from another country are quite different from ones we’ve “grown up on” and can expand our horizons a bit. And, I have been intrigued by the very simple recipes these ladies share.

The latest newsletter featured a zucchini soup recipe that was actually submitted by a reader. It included zucchini, onion, chicken bouillon, and enough water (and seasonings) to cover all ingredients. I had a large zucchini on the counter and a tub of small potatoes that needed to be used. So I decided to use both to ensure a creamier soup that would be as tasty as the Baked Potato Soup here on gfe. However, this potato-based soup recipe would be dairy free as well. I was headed to work, so after completing the initial steps, I decided to throw everything in the slow cooker and let this soup slowly “develop.” The result is this savory soup that comforts me and makes my taste buds happy.

Slow Cooker Potato-Zucchini Soup (Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Sugar Free, Soy Free)
(Click here for a printable version of this recipe.)

About 9 cups broth (I used 3 cups of vegetable broth and 6 cups of chicken broth, which I pulled from the freezer; use all vegetable broth to make this soup vegetarian/vegan)
About 6 cups of peeled, diced potatoes
One large zucchini, quartered and thinly sliced (mine was very large; I cut out the soft part with seeds and discarded)
One large sweet onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic
about 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp curry powder (optional)
Sea salt and fresh grated pepper, to taste

Add broth to large slow cooker. (I used my oval, 5-qt Rival SmartPot.)

Peel and dice potatoes and add to slow cooker.

Add olive oil to large skillet. Heat to medium-high temperature. While skillet is heating, chop onions and quarter and slice zucchini thinly. Add to skillet. Stir occasionally. Add garlic about halfway through cooking. When onions are translucent and zucchini is also showing some translucency, transfer mixture to the slow cooker.

Stir curry powder, sea salt, and pepper. Cook 6 – 8 hours on low. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, use immersion blender in one area for about 15 seconds. Stir. Check appearance and taste. If you want a thicker soup, use immersion blender again. Cook additional 30 minutes.

Serve. Enjoy alone or with a nice gluten-free “bread” treat on the side—like popovers, corn muffins, cheese muffins, garlic cheese biscuits, Kate’s cheese rolls, or Kiva’s grain-free Golden Flax Bread.

Adapted from a reader-submitted recipe to the 4 Ingredients newsletter

Shirley’s Notes: If you have family members who are die-hard carnivores and must have meat, feel free to add some crumbled bacon or diced chicken towards the end of the cooking time. You could even add bacon, chicken, etc. to individual bowls and stir until heated through. This recipe makes a lot, so feel free to halve the ingredients, use a regular 4-qt slow cooker, and reduce the cooking time. If you’d prefer to cook it on the stove, I’d still recommend slow cooking at a lower heat. I do love a pot of soup simmering on the stove!

A little more on Dr. Rodney Ford … Dr. Ford hails from New Zealand. He traveled with his wife, Chris, to the U.S. to do a number of speaking engagements in November 2009. I was extremely fortunate to hear him speak twice during one week and even got to have dinner with him and his wife prior to these events. A huge group of us (some who belong to the Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG) of Richmond and others who are part of The Richmond Health Initiative) gathered at the local PF Chang’s to welcome Dr. and Mrs. Ford. Some attendees had met Dr. Ford previously when had visited the U.S. for a conference. I was already a fan of Dr. Ford before I met him—from his articles on celiac.com and his numerous down-to-earth, and often humorous, YouTube videos. I was fortunate to sit sort of across from him during our dinner and we chatted a bit . Almost immediately, he asked for my Twitter name and “followed me” on the spot. That was unexpected … and pretty neat!

Over the next two days, his presentations (one to the medical professionals and the other to GIG members and guests) were superior … riveting, actually. I like seeing Dr. Ford get visibility because I think that he can make a “believer” out of just about anyone. He has the medical chops for one thing—he’s a pediatrician with a background in allergies, gastroenterology, and nutrition. Dr. Ford shared case studies—with ”before” and “after” photos—of children he’s treated who did not test positive for celiac using the gold standard diagnosis of positive blood testing and positive biopsy, but were transformed on a gluten-free diet. Those innocent faces make extremely compelling cases. It’s important to note that early in his practice, Dr. Ford followed the conventional wisdom and did not place his pediatric patients on a gluten-free diet when they tested negative for celiac. However, he found that many over time did finally test positive for celiac, but, sadly, for some, the damage that had been done (e.g., short stature, developmental delays) could not always be undone. He shares some of his findings and thoughts here. 

Currently, Dr. Ford’s main push is for a gluten-free planet. That was his topic when he spoke at the GIG conference banquet in Minneapolis this summer (a presentation that was very well received!) and that’s the focus of his new Facebook page, Gluten-Free Planet. My good friend, Heidi (Adventures of a Gluten-Free Mom), just happened to share a post on Dr. Ford’s mission yesterday. I told her we must have unknowingly done the Vulcan mind meld thing. She doesn’t have a husband who is a Star Trek fan, so she didn’t get the reference, but being free-spirited and positive Heidi, she eagerly bought into the idea anyway! Heidi shares her thoughts on Dr. Ford and his concept, as well as the Gluten-Free Planet YouTube videos. These videos include some of the photos showing the transformation of his patients after going gluten free. Pictures are worth a million words in these cases. Check it all out over at Heidi’s. 

Incidentally, I just found out that Dr. Ford has a new blog. Check it out here. His current post asks what we want in our world. Hmmm, I think the answer for us gluten-free folks is obvious. Is it possible to have a Gluten-Free Planet? I’d like to think so, and as the saying goes, Dream Big!

Speaking of dreaming big, have you signed up for Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger yet? We have 16 entries at this moment—that’s terrific! Of course, I’d like more … a lot more. How about 50? Go ahead, adopt someone. If you have never participated before, then all the better. We have several folks participating for the first time. There are so many amazing gluten-free bloggers! Some have been helping us out for years; others have just joined the party to share and offer another place to learn and chat. Remember … non-bloggers are welcome to participate, too. Chances are, you know some gluten-free bloggers (or other bloggers with searchable gluten-free recipes) whom you admire or have always wanted to try their recipes. Now’s the time. Make a favorite blogger’s recipe, take a photo, do a short write-up, and email it to me. (Read more here.) Nothing hard at all, and a great way to be inspired to try a new recipe and show appreciation to a blogger.

Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!

Guest Post: Dana (Home*School*Home), My New Gluten-Free Life

Dana blogs at Home*School*Home. She is a medical trancriptionist and mom of 3 who lives in Kentucky.  She has been gluten free for 8 months and feels like a brand new person! Read the rest of her story to find about her personal journey to being gluten free and finding this “brand new person” within herself.

I was in college when I started feeling overwhelmingly exhausted and aching all over.  I began to go back to the dorm to take naps between classes.  I went to the doctor back then but really didn’t get any answers.  I just coped with it the best I could. I had to take a nap every day.  I’d get up in the morning and be okay for a while but by 2:00-3:00 p.m. each day, I’d be exhausted, aching all over with a foggy feeling in my head and pretty much always a headache to go with it.  I almost constantly had to go to the bathroom to urinate and would feel pain and pressure in my bladder even when I didn’t have to go.  My joints would ache.   Over the years I was diagnosed with interstitial cystitis, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, depression, Raynaud’s phenomenon, bursitis (of all my joints at the same time!)  restless legs, anemia and chronic fatigue syndrome.  At one point I was so anemic that my hemoglobin was 8 when the normal range is 12-14 and I was dizzy and weak and lightheaded.  I have not, to this day, been diagnosed with celiac disease because I decided to skip testing and just try the diet.  I kind of regret that but I don’t want to go back on gluten to be tested. 

Despite feeling exhausted all the time, I managed to have a life.  I got married and had 3 kids.  I continued to work and have homeschooled my kids. I’m fortunate that my husband and kids were very patient and tolerant of my need to nap.  I also worked at home as a medical transcriptionist so my job was flexible.   Sometimes I would be so exhausted; I would have to lie down during my work shift!  If I couldn’t nap for some reason, I had to take Tylenol and caffeine and just try to deal with it, but it wasn’t easy.  I planned everything around getting to sleep in the afternoon.  I homeschooled the kids in the morning, slept in the afternoon, worked 4 hours in the evening and then went to bed absolutely exhausted.

After more than 20 years of feeling exhausted and in pain pretty much all the time, I happened upon an article about a link between fibromyalgia and gluten intolerance.   I didn’t know if I believed it, but I felt that it might be worth a try. I started doing internet searches for gluten.  I started reading everything that I could about gluten, the symptoms and the diet.  Now I have always been overweight and I have never been able to stay on a diet.  Most of my diet efforts in the past would start on Monday morning and be over by Monday afternoon, but I kept reading.  I started thinking about what kinds of things I could eat and what I’d need to stop eating.  I found the Gluten Free Easily site in the first few weeks. I was comforted to know that I could make foods that would be gluten free and would taste good.  This was in November of last year and I was thrilled to read the turkey and surprise stuffing recipes.  I felt like I could really do this diet, and maybe not feel deprived.  

I jumped in.  I messed up a few times.  One time I was at McDonald’s and had already ordered when my daughter said “Mom, doesn’t that have gluten in it?”  There were other times when I forgot to read labels or just thought I would risk it, but finally, I managed to stay gluten free for one day, then two, then after a week had elapsed, I realized that I was already feeling a lot better.  I decided to stay with it and despite my dismal dieting history, I was able to stay with it.   It was easier to stay on this diet than any other because the reward of feeling better was so great.   This past February we were on vacation and I decided just to go ahead and have a restaurant meal that contained bread and gravy because it would be worth it and hey, it was vacation.  That night in the hotel I had a horrible time of it and the next day, on the four hour drive home, my legs ached so bad that I couldn’t keep them still.  It was a miserable trip and so not worth it.

Over the past few months I’ve done more cooking out of necessity because most prepared foods contain gluten, but hey, that’s a healthy new habit.   I’ve learned to make most of the meals for my family gluten free.  Occasionally, I will cook something for them that I can’t eat, so that they can have things the way they used to be, but some of my new recipes have been very popular.

Now I’ve been gluten free for 8 months and my life has been transformed.  I only take a nap occasionally if I’ve missed out on sleep the night before and now my naps last 1/2 an hour or so, instead of 2 or 3 hours like they used to.  My legs don’t ache constantly.  I’m not in a brain fog.  I no longer have a headache every day.  I don’t have fibromyalgia tender spots all over my body.  My joints, with the occasional exception of my knees which have been sprained in the past, don’t hurt anymore.  I had a revelation a couple of weeks ago when I went on a visit to a historical fort with a friend and realized that I was walking easily up the third of 4 flights of stairs and was having no joint pain at all, no weakness and no fatigue. 

Yesterday, I had a day that would have been impossible in my pre-gluten-free life. I cleaned my house all morning, I went shopping all afternoon with my daughter and ran a bunch of errands, then came home and did a workout video from Dancing with the Stars and still was not particularly tired.  I was able to get some other things done in the evening.  In my past life, cleaning the house would have worn me out, I would have had to schedule the shopping on a completely different day and kept the errands limited to maybe 2 at most because “a bunch of errands” would have completely exhausted me and there is no way I could’ve done that workout video. 

Without gluten, I feel like a new person, strong and pain free.  It’s wonderful.  I’m so glad that the ‘cure’ for feeling awful all the time is something so simple.   It may not seem simple when you are trying to figure out a restaurant menu or a food or beauty product label, but when you think about it, really, it is. I don’t have to undergo chemotherapy or radiation, I don’t have to give myself daily shots, I don’t have to be on a lot of expensive medications and if I follow the Gluten Free Easily philosophy of just mainly eating naturally gluten free foods, it’s a snap.  Hey, there are 6 food groups; meat, vegetables, fruits, milk, meat and beans and oils and I can eat 5 of them!  I only have to be careful with that 1 group, grains.  Easy.  Peasy.

Shirley, here: Thanks so very much to Dana for sharing her story! Dana first commented here last fall and just a few times afterwards. I visited her homeschooling blog a short while later and sent her an encouraging comment, telling her that seeing results could take time. I shared my own experience that after months of being gluten free, one day I suddenly realized that I was running up and down stairs with ease and no pain. Out of the blue, Dana popped in here on gfe recently to say: “I just wanted to let you know that I had that moment, the one where I was walking up the stairs, easily, quickly and realized that I didn’t HURT! I’ve been gluten free for 8 months.” Incredibly moved by Dana’s comment and thrilled at her success, I asked her to share her story. I’m so grateful that she did. I hope you’ve appreciated it as well and will share it with others who may be struggling with health issues. The negative impact of gluten can be far reaching, but the gluten-free diet can provide relief to many.

Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!

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