Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Welcome to 2012 – a year of change.

Before we share with you all that’s in store for Nourishing Hope this year, we’d like to take a moment to reflect on an amazing 2011 – and share our heartfelt appreciation for all of the parents and professionals that helped further our collective cause of hope and healing. Thank you for remaining connected with us!

January 2011: We launched a new NourishingHope.com website, along with a refreshed blog and 40 new posts this year!

A big thank you to Stacey Fenech, amazing autism mom and web designer,

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When I saw these at Lexie’s Kitchen, I had to share it with our readers!

They are simple, beautiful, and delicious!  As well, they are gluten-free, dairy-free and soy-free!  You’ll even get a dose of antioxidants or two while you’re at it!

Pomegranates are seasonal and available in winter.  Their red color is beautiful and festive, making them perfect for the holiday season.  Try them at your next holiday gathering.

Lexie has inspired me to add pomegranate to my “Chocolate Bark” – which I will share soon.

For now, check out Lexie’s recipe for Chocolate Pomegranate Clusters.

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An Easy-to-Make Delicious Meal Your Family Will Love

Thanksgiving is a holiday of food. Unfortunately for those with food intolerances, the prospect of a Thanksgiving meal rich in gluten and dairy leaves them saying “no thanks!” Traditional stuffing, a Thanksgiving favorite, is made from bread (wheat).   Gravy is made with wheat flour, and mashed potatoes are loaded with milk, cream and butter.  Pumpkin pie contains wheat and dairy. All of these foods are off limits for those following a gluten-free and casein-free diet (GFCF diet).

But you needn’t miss out on these delicious holiday dishes, nor the good times that

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Ingredients for Gluten-Free Stuffing

• 1 loaf gluten-free bread (cut into1/2 inch cubes).  I like Udi’s but any will do.
• 1/2 cup CF ghee (or other casein-free oil like pastured lard, coconut oil, or olive oil)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 2 tablespoons sage
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
• 1 ½- 1 ¾ cup homemade chicken broth from pastured chickens (not from a carton or can)
• 3 large eggs

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325°

Chop celery and onion.

Prepare the breadcrumbs (or bread “cubes” to be precise).

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• 1/4 cup ghee (or a lard and expeller pressed coconut oil blend if you are not certain your ghee has all the milk solids removed)

• 2-4 tablespoons sorghum flour or sweet rice flour

• 2 cups of pan drippings strained through cheesecloth to remove bits (to make a large volume of drippings, add several cups of water to the bottom of the roasting pan, along with chopped onion and celery that you can place in and around the bird)

• Salt to taste

After gently melting ghee in a pot, sprinkle 2 Tablespoons of flour into ghee and

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Fish eggs, particularly salmon roe, are very rich in nutrients.

Salmon roe has the highest level of omega 3 of any other food.  The omega 3 fats (EPA and DHA) in one ounce of salmon roe equate to 1800 mg.  This is 3.5 times the amount in salmon (from the highest omega 3 species).

In addition to being rich in brain fats, salmon roe is rich in antioxidants and fat-soluble vitamins including high levels of vitamins C, D and E, thiamine, folate, vitamin B12 and selenium.  Fish eggs are also high in protein, with one ounce of salmon roe containing

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Here’s a recipe from Special Diets for Special Kids that your kids will love.

Special Diets for Special Kids is an all-time classic!  It has just been revised and the new edition does not disappoint.

The new printing of Special Diets for Special Kids by Lisa Lewis is outstanding!  It is definitely a go-to guide for GFCF recipes!  The new format with colored photos and layout is beautiful.  The collection are great foundational recipes, and it’s obvious they were created  from the experience of a mother.

World’s Easiest Chicken Curry

Not long ago I roasted a 7 lb chicken on

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Do you love butter but are avoiding it because of dairy intolerance?  Then try ghee – it’s easy to cook with, its nutritional properties are outstanding, and it’s casein-free.

Dairy is rich in many important fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins, but casein can be a problem for many people, including those with autism.  This is where ghee comes in. While ghee is made from butter and contains many important nutrients found in dairy, it’s casein-free.

Ghee stems from South Asia and is commonly used in the preparation of Indian foods.  Ghee is a form of clarified butter. Making ghee involves

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