Chili -- GFCF and bean free

My kids like this and I tend to make it more in the fall and winter. Well, here's the colder weather. And here's the recipe. Basic chili -- free of gluten, casein, soy and most major allergens. What's nice is that you can tailor this to the things you like to eat. Ours does not have beans because my youngest can't eat them. You could use rice, quinoa, potatoes, etc.

Ingredients:

- 1 lb ground beef
- half an onion
- 15-16 oz can tomatoes
- 16 oz tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup polenta (optional)
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Easy directions:

- cook the burger and diced onion in a pan, then drain grease.
- put burger mix in a crok pot (or large cooking pot)
- add the remaining ingredients. Stir.
- cook crok pot on high for 1 hour, then at least 3 more hours.
- or cook in pot on low for 2 hours, stirring frequently.

An Autism guide -- finally

Yes, finally. I wish they had this when my kids were first diagnosed with PDD. The group TACA has published a guide about dealing with autism, called the Autism Journey Guide, which you can buy in book form, or DVD, or both. I have not read this yet, but TACA shows the table of contents and judging by the topics covered, this is thorough and covers all the important points. It appears to really help people who need help quickly, especially those who have just received an autism diagnosis and are seeking treatment options or want to start the gluten and casein free diet. This could end up being the "How-to" guide for autism.

Gluten-free brown rice bread

Bread is difficult to overcome on the gluten-free diet, much less gluten and casein-free. My youngest still cannot tolerate rice or eggs or yeast. But my oldest can. I like this bread recipe, which I found at the Pratt Family Allergy Free Cookbook online, and modified slightly. That's a helpful website if you're searching for ideas, simple conversions and other helpers. All the credit here goes to Barbara Pratt. It's a good bread. One note, although it's a "brown" rice bread, the bread is more of a white bread.

Brown Rice Bread
2 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons GF Flour Mixture (1 cup GF brown rice flour, 3/4 cup sorghum flour, 3/4 cup tapioca starch plus 2 tbsp tapioca starch)
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons instant (quick) yeast
2 extra large eggs
1 teaspoon vinegar
3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 cup water (100˚-120˚F)

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Add the eggs, vinegar and oil. Mix. Slowly add the water to the mixture while mixing. Scrap into an oiled or greased non-stick loaf pan. Cover with wax paper or plastic wrap. Let rise for 35-45 minutes or until it rises about 3/4" below the top of the pan. Bake in a preheated 375 ˚ F oven for 20 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes more. Test with a toothpick. It will come out clean if it is done. (It will be light brown on top or it will smell done.)
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