Gluten-Free Food That's Actually *Good*

Lately, I've been hearing a lot about gluten-free foods. Cheesecake, macaroni and cheese, Communion wafers (?)-it seems that there's a gluten-free version of pretty much any food you can think of. It's usually related to celiac disease or other gluten allergies, but I've also heard about avoiding it for health reasons. The jury's still out on exactly how healthy gluten-free diets are. Allergic or not, many people try to find gluten-free recipes because a member of their family has an allergy and they want to find something their allergic child (it's more common in kids) can actually eat.

A lot of people think that gluten-free=gross, but this is far from true. In fact, I've found an awesome recipe for pork tenderloin that the whole family will love.

Marinated Pork Tenderloin-serves 6
3 1-pound pork tenderloins
1 lemon zest, grated
3/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons rosemary leaves, minced
1 tablespoon thyme, chopped
2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup, 3 tablespoons olive oil, separate


Preheat the oven to 400F.

In a 1-gallon freezer or other sturdy plastic bag, mix the garlic, mustard, 1/2 cup olive oil, thyme, rosemary, lemon juice and 2 teaspoons salt. Add the tenderloins to the bag, seal the air out of the bag and turn over to distribute the marinade. Refrigerate overnight or, if not possible, at least 3 hours.

Now, take the tenderloins out of the bag and discard the marinade. Heat the 3 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add salt and pepper to taste, sear the pork until both sides are golden brown and put in the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes, place on a plate and cover well with foil. Let it stand for about 10 minutes, and then cut into diagonal, 1/2" thick pieces. Season as desired and serve.

Enjoy!