GFCF Sandwich Wrap

Like many of you, I've had a difficult time getting my kids to eat a GF bread, whether it's store-bought or homemade. My youngest has eaten Noah's Bread at times, but not regularly. I created a deviation of Tom's Bread that I dubbed Lindsay's Bread that she once ate but wasn't overly fond of and eventually got tired of it as a lunch bread. So, I've figured the best thing for my kids is variation, having a few breads that I can get them to eat if I mix them up and don't serve them daily. I know, it's a real pain. But, by using them sporadically in lunch and dinner menus, it's not that bad. So, that brings me to this very simple recipe for a sandwich wrap. You'll find many variations of this recipe on websites and in cookbooks. I use a mashed potato base. That's essential to give the wrap some flexibility. Without it, you come up with a dry tortilla that easily cracks. Here's how I make it.

Ingredients are potatoes, salt, Darifree (or milk sub), 1 cup gf flour, xanthan gum, water.

First, boil enough potatoes to make two cups of mashed potato.

Next, when done, take two cups of the potato in a bowl and mash them, adding enough Darifree or milk sub to the mix to make them "mashy" but not too wet. Add 1/2 tsp salt in the process.

Now, heat a pan on high without oil.

While heating, add the cup of flour. I use 1/2 cup rice flour, 1/4 cup tapioca flour and 1/4 cup corn meal. You can use any mix you want. If you're corn and rice free, consider using sorghum and tapioca mix.

Add 1/2 tsp xanthan gum.

Now, mix the flour in and start making a dough. Add water by the tbsp if necessary.

When the dough is ready and the pan is hot, sprinkle some tapioca flour on a surface, grab a handful of dough (like 1/4-1/2 cup), and with floured hands (or a floured roller), flatten into a circular shape, but not too thin. When flat, put it in the pan. Heat a couple minutes on both sides until they start to brown. Continue doing this with the rest.

All in all, this is a very easy recipe and becomes very versatile. I have a pizza wrap recipe I'll post soon. You could use this with lunchmeat, ground beef like a taco, etc.

Stop the presses! You can treat autism through diet!

Yeah, there's a little sarcasm there. You may have seen this item from the Feingold organization circulating across webland. If not, save these links, print out the article and post it on the fridge. Yippee.

A doctor from Children's Hospital in Boston wrote an article for the American Academy of Pediatrics' AAP Grand Rounds publication on the impact that food additives have on people with ADHD. Those of us dealing with the spectrum know how additives, colorings and preservatives really can screw your day up.

So, here's the links for you to enjoy.

-- the actual AAP article is at this link: http://www.feingold.org/Research/PDFstudies/AAP08.pdf

-- a previous study on this issue published in Lancet, in the UK, is at this link: http://www.feingold.org/Research/lancet.html

-- the Feingold write-up on this is at this link: http://www.feingold.org/aap.html

-- Feingold's "Behavior, Learning and Health" publication is at this link: http://www.feingold.org/BLUEBOOK.pdf

I'm not a strict follower of Feingold but we certainly share many of its beliefs.

Burger King and the pirate ship

My wife, kids and I took a very important outing yesterday. We stopped at Burger King on the way back from a doc visit. Why Burger King? Gluten-free fries, of course. If you missed my GFCF restaurant post, don't panic, I've put a permanent link down the right side of my blog. Or, just click here. This was the first in a very long time that the four of us actually sat and ate at a restaurant. The kids got a plain burger, no bun, that they put in a plastic salad plate. And, they got small french fries, which are cooked in a dedicated fryer. Water to drink. Heinz ketchup packets (gf). We got a window booth and the kids pretended they were on a pirate ship and the sea was out the window. They had a blast. It really is a test run for us. First, we want a fast food place that we know we can rely on when traveling or visiting out of town. I think Burger King is that place. Plus, we want to try other restaurants in our area that provide GFCF options. There are a few. Check out that previous blog post. But, those aren't really fast food and we need to be on our best behavior there. So, this was our test. They were well-behaved, until the end. They didn't want to leave. My oldest stuck her tongue out at mom. That didn't go over well. So, now she has to earn the restaurant outing back. And, she will. She's very determined. This was a big step for us after feeling nearly like hermits for the past six years. I hope it helps open a new chapter in our lives.