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!
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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!
- Catch up with me on Twitter.
- “Like” gfe—glutenfreeeasily on Facebook to see updates/more content.
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Creme Brulee Ice Cream

This post is linked to Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Food on Friday, Foodie Friday, and Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.
I admit it … I was going to cheat a bit on my entry for this month’s Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten Free! If you’re not familiar, Go Ahead Honey! is the longstanding gluten-free blog carnival invented by sweet and creative, Naomi Devlin, over at Straight Into Bed Cakefree and Dried. Each month, the carnival is hosted by a different blogger, who chooses the theme. (I had the honor of hosting last summer with the theme, Make Me A Happy Camper.) This month’s hostess is Sheryl of Breaking Bread. Her theme is Ooh, La, La, Bastille Day!—which, of course, means the entries should be recipes for French food. How was I going to cheat with my entry? Well, I made a sort of French dish the other night, but I didn’t have to go across the pond for it. It was Catfish Etouffee, a French Cajun dish that turned out very well. But, I’ll have to share it another time because it was actually after making the etouffee that true inspiration hit. Suddenly I knew what I really wanted to make—crème brulee. After all it’s my favorite dessert and it’s a classic French recipe … Julia Child and all that. 
I realized that thoughts of making crème brulee have been forming in my brain for quite some time. It started subconsciously when I first tasted coconut sugar. I was so surprised by its caramel/butterscotch flavor and its slightly crunchy texture. I fell in love on my first bite, and that was before I discovered the depth of flavor it can add to desserts. So coconut sugar and its application to crème brulee were bound to reach my conscious state eventually.
To be clear, I didn’t actually want to make crème brulee itself. The amazing dessert that comes in lovely little ramekins. (It’s the dessert that can decide if a restaurant is a good one or a great one in my book.) No, I didn’t want that crème brulee. I wanted crème brulee ice cream—with that rich, creamy, caramelized brown sugar taste—and I wanted to make it without eggs. Frankly, I just don’t have the patience for ice cream recipes where you have to cook the ingredients, temper the eggs, and usually chill the results for several hours or overnight. (It’s that whole “easily” thing, you know?) And, there are always my egg-free gfe readers to consider, too.
I knew I’d add full-fat coconut milk and vanilla extract, in addition to the coconut sugar. Then I decided to add half of a vanilla bean as I had one on hand. But, I knew I needed more thickness and lusciousness to turn the ingredients into creme brulee ice cream. After I thought about the possibilities, the answer was clear … and easy, too. Condensed milk. One can readily purchase condensed milk or make one’s own—even a dairy-free version. (See notes in recipe.) I cheated and picked some up a can of condensed milk at the little, family-owned store I frequent. So I didn’t make this particular recipe dairy free.
I started measuring, mixing, caramelizing, and after about a half hour, the ice cream was finished. It was glorious. Yes, glorious. Or, c’est magnifique! And, somehow, I just knew it would be.
With the beater dripping ice cream into a large bowl and a big spoon in hand, I headed to our bedroom where Mr. GFE was relaxing. He eyed me suspiciously, as he looked up from the movie he was watching.
Me (offering a big spoonful of ice cream): Taste.
Mr. GFE (scowling, looking first at me and the large bowl, and then back at the television screen): Is that French?
Me (momentarily confused and then looking at the screen, on which “Entre Acte” was displayed): Yes, it can sort of mean intermission … between acts. Taste.
Mr. GFE: What is it?
Me (impatiently): Just taste, please. It’s crème brulee ice cream; I need your opinion.
Mr. GFE (no longer frowning, eyes bright): Uhhmmm. Is that French?
Me: Yes, crème brulee is French.
Mr. GFE: No, on the tv.
Me (looking at the television again and frowning upon seeing “Entre Acte” still displayed): Yes, I just told you that. It basically means intermission.
Mr. GFE (shrugs): Sorry. I got distracted by the ice cream. What is it again?
Me (somewhat patiently): The words on the screen or the ice cream?
Mr. GFE: The ice cream.
Me (as I am exiting the room): Crème brulee. Do you like it?
Mr. GFE did not answer. Instead, he followed me into the kitchen and grabbed a spoon to dig into the beater bowl of ice cream himself.
Mr. GFE (emphatically): That’s not ice cream. That’s custard.
Me: It’s really good, isn’t it?
Mr. GFE with his mouth full, nods.
Me: Well, yes, it does taste like frozen custard, but custard is made with eggs and this has no eggs.
(Have you noticed that we discuss semantics a lot in our house? Food semantics, to be specific. Cake or bread—here and here? Pizza or casserole?)
Mr. GFE (still eating, I’m very liberal with the amount that stays on the beater and ends up in the tasting bowl): Now, how are you going to show people how good this is?
Me: With my photos, of course.
Mr. GFE (shaking his head): You can’t show them how good this is … you just can’t. They have to taste it. Where did you get the recipe?
Me (smiling): I made it up.
Mr. GFE (eating another giant spoonful, doubtfully): You made this up? Really?
Me (smiling even wider): Yep. Pretty good stuff, huh?
Mr. GFE (still eating, nodding): Yeah. Pretty good.
Me: What movie is that you’re watching? (I knew it wasn’t a high-brow French art film or anything similar, so I was curious.)
Mr. GFE: How the West Was Won
Me (my turn to be doubtful): Really? Why would How the West Was Won have displays in French?
Mr. GFE (shrugs, eats the last bite of ice cream in the bowl): I don’t know.
Enough of our bantering and “Who’s on First?” routines that go on pretty much non-stop in the gfe household. You’ll want to make this recipe, but it is not one to make when you’re home alone. Consider yourself forewarned. I had to take half of it to work today, as a way to impose some self discipline. Because as much as Mr. GFE loves it, he’s also the type to decline when I offer it to him the next night and come back a week later and ask, “May I have some more of that great ice cream?” Yeah, like it’s still going to be around a week later. Clearly, we have different genes … and jeans. He’s wearing the same size jeans (34 x 34) that he wore when we met so many years ago. After we got married and he was no longer eating bachelor cooking, he was on his way to gaining 20 pounds. He was going to have to move, uh, “up” to the next size of jeans. He refused to do it. So he stopped eating third and fourth helpings (yes, you read that correctly), and soon his jeans were fitting perfectly well again. Sigh. Now do you know why I say my marriage is a love-hate relationship?
Oh, and what did my friends at work think of this ice cream? Well, only two got to try it. Here’s what they said.
Sherry (expression of incredulity): Ooohhh! That is so good. What’s in it? It’s so creamy. I could eat that whole container.
Then when she ate some more later, she emailed me: All I can say is CREAMY DELISH GOODNESS !!! I’m glad this is all you brought in cuz I could eat 10 gallons of it !!!! AWSUM delicious I tell you!
Tavie: It’s really good. I think it tastes like toasted coconut, but I don’t eat crème brulee often, so I’m not a good one to say about the crème brulee flavor.
They both tasted the coconut flavor. Neither I nor Mr. GFE taste any coconut flavor, but maybe that’s because we’re used to coconut milk as a non-dairy milk substitute.
Here’s the recipe …

Crème Brulee Ice Cream (Gluten Free, Egg Free, with Dairy-Free, Vegan Option)
(Click here for a printable version of this recipe.)
just under 2 ¼ cups full-fat coconut milk, chilled
1 can condensed milk (see homemade versions—including dairy-free options—in this post from Heidi (Adventures of a Gluten-Free Mom) and here at Alisa’s Go Dairy Free site)
1 cup coconut sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
scrapings from half a vanilla bean
Mix all together in a large bowl with hand mixer. Pour into frozen ice cream tub. Churn 25 to 30 minutes. As soon as ice cream starts churning, start making brulee sugar as shown below. (It doesn’t take long to make, but you will want to chill it as directed, which does take several minutes.)
Brulee Sugar for Swirling In
1 – 2 tbsp oil (coconut or grapeseed oil)
3 tbsp coconut sugar
1 tbsp coconut “cream”
In a small skillet, heat oil on medium heat until warm.
Add coconut sugar. Stir constantly for a few minutes until coconut sugar is a little crunchy.
Stir in about a tablespoon of the coconut cream (the thick “cream” at the top of the can after refrigerating for a long period of time) or a little less of some full-fat coconut milk, as a binder. Stir.
Place skillet in freezer until 5 minutes before the ice cream will be finished churning. Remove skillet and break up brulee sugar, if necessary, with wooden spoon. While ice cream is still churning, using wooden spoon, knock brulee sugar pieces into ice cream maker, a little at a time. Wait until each piece “disappears” before you add the next one, so you’ll have brulee sugar “deposits” spread throughout your ice cream.
Transfer ice cream to a freezer container and freeze a bit longer if needed.
Shirley’s Notes: When making the brulee sugar, I recommend only using grapeseed oil (which is flavorless) or coconut oil, as a second choice, when making the brulee sugar. Other oils may be too strong and negatively impact the crème brulee flavor. After scraping vanilla bean, don’t discard it. You can add it to a container of granulated sugar to make vanilla sugar, add it to hot chocolate, add it to your homemade bottle of vanilla extract, etc. (The latter is what I did. My homemade vanilla extract that I made last year for Christmas is getting low. Soon, I’ll be adding even more vanilla beans and vodka to the bottle.) If using non-dairy condensed milk, this recipe will also be vegan. Personally, I’d use full-fat coconut milk when making my own dairy-free condensed milk.
Original recipe by Shirley Braden
Only spoon a few bites’ worth (un petite peu, if you will) into a bowl. See the amount in my grandmother’s creamer in the top photo. (I love using non-traditional, sentimental dishes for small bowls of treats.) That amount is almost too much, but once you’ve spooned it into your serving dish, you will eat it. You just won’t be able to help yourself. I don’t know if you’ll agree that it tastes like creme brulee, but I’m pretty sure you’ll find this ice cream to be tres bonne!
Other gfe ice cream recipes (some made with dairy; some dairy free) that you might enjoy:
Chocolate POMerdoodle Ice Cream
Honey Cinnamon Grand Marnier Ice Cream
Surprise Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Maple-Nut Sundae (with Vanilla Ice Cream)
Be sure to check back at Sheryl’s over at Breaking Bread in a few days for the complete Go Ahead Honey roundup. It’s always a treat to see what everyone has created!
Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!
- Catch up with me on Twitter.
- “Like” gfe—glutenfreeeasily on Facebook to see updates/more content.
- Get gfe posts (including recipes) by email.
- Looking for a gfe recipe?
- Local to Fredericksburg, VA area? Check out Support Group & Events page.
Gluten free since June 2003, I lead a celiac/gluten intolerance group in Virginia. My passion is educating folks on gluten issues and showing how eating gluten free can be easy if you focus on “real” foods versus processed and specialty foods.













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