Giveaway Archives - Strength and Sunshine

Freedom Feature: Incredible Foods “perfectly free™”

January 5, 2017 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 51 Comments

Connecting the celiac disease and food allergy/intolerance community together by sharing our stories to food freedom. From our beginning struggles to striving after a diagnosis, we can all relate and help each other out by sharing what we’ve learned and our unique personal journeys.

You guys are in for a “treat” (pun intended) with today’s Freedom Feature! I was introduced to perfectly free at the GFAF Expo last October. They may just be the most fun frozen “free-from” treat you will ever eat! The brand is run by some fantastic people who care so deeply about food allergies and making sure no one is left out when it comes to a great sweet dessert. I’ll let them do the talking, though, but these frozen bites of creamy goodness will blow your mind! (Good thing they were kind enough to throw a killer giveaway for you all at the end of the feature!)

Freedom Feature: Incredible Foods "perfectly free™" | Strength and Sunshine @RebeccaGF666 Connecting the celiac disease and food allergy/intolerance community together by sharing our stories to food freedom. From our beginning struggles to striving after a diagnosis, we can all relate and help each other out by sharing what we’ve learned and our unique personal journeys.

background: who are you?

perfectly free™ is a brand committed to creating delicious “Top 8 Allergy-Friendly” foods for everyone who desires a fuller, happier, healthier, free-from lifestyle. Today, food allergies affect more than 15 million Americans. That’s one in every 13 children under 18 years of age in the U.S., or about two children in every classroom. In addition, millions of households in the U.S. are simply deciding to eat healthier to feel good. And to do that more and more of us are eating free-from, allergy-friendly foods, like our perfectly free frozen bites which contain only natural, premium ingredients that are non-GMO, certified gluten-free and free from the top eight food allergens: dairy, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, soy, fish, and shellfish. All our products are prepared in a setting that is free from all major food allergens.

Freedom Feature: Nicole & Rob “88 Acres”

October 6, 2016 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 73 Comments

Finally! Another Freedom Feature! It’s been a while on out long summer hiatus, but I have a backlog of wonderful bloggers and brands to share with you! Today I am more than honored and excited to share the company of 88 Acres with you. I was first introduced to them at the Fancy Food Show in NYC this past summer. I was lucky enough to try their delicious allergy-friendly wholesome snack bars and immediately fell in love. Once I got to know more about Nicole and Rob’s new brand and buisness, along with the values and mission they have, I knew they would be a perfect fit for a Freedom Feature. You are going to be blown away not only from their delicious bars and snacks but also the high standards and community help they provide! (There’s a giveaway at the end too!)

background: who are you?

Nicole: I grew up on an 88 acre organic farm in North Brookfield, Massachusetts. My experiences on the farm gave me a strong connection to food, from tinkering in the kitchen with my mom as a child to running the family farm stand.

A few years ago I met the love of my life, Rob, and on our fourth date he almost died at dinner when his restaurant meal was cross-contaminated with nuts. The next day, I got rid of all the peanuts and tree nuts from my kitchen to help make Rob safe. I have no food allergies, but because of his, how I thought about food began to change.

Freedom Feature: Celine Ikeler “Karma Baker”

June 14, 2016 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 58 Comments

Today I get to introduce you to Karma Baker! The vegan & gluten-free bakery located in Southern California (but ships nation-wide!) and is making fantastic sweet treats for all us allergy-foodies! Celine Ikeler is here to tell you about her bakery and company with their stellar philosophy of “enlightened baking”! I first connected with Celine after she reached out to me about trying some of her baked goods and all-purpose baking flour. Let me tell you…AMAZING! Even after being shipped across the country, that massive snickerdoodle cookie, soft brownie…the smell, taste, wonderful! The all-purpose flour is great for baking up some delicious goodies yourself too! Celine is also offering a fun giveaway to y’all at the end of this post!

background: who are you?

We are Karma Baker. A bakery created out of the need for amazing baked goods that are organic, vegan, gluten-free, and certified kosher with KCA certification. But really, they surpass everyone’s expectations about how good it can be.

Freedom Feature: Jules Shepard “gfJules”

April 26, 2016 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 57 Comments

I am beyond honored to have an icon in the gluten-free community on this week’s Freedom Feature. Jules Shepard, the founder of gfJules, has created an empire of amazing gluten-free, celiac-safe flour mixes that are a staple and so loved by the community. I’ve gotten to know Jules over the last few years and am always inspired by her dedication to the celiac community and her determination to only support the safest products, environments, practices, and incredible advocacy for all things gluten-free. Not only does she have a thriving business, but is also the author of numerous cookbooks and makes sure her products and recipes are adaptable for all food allergens. Jules is sharing the story of her business and her own celiac story so be prepared for a long and wonderful read (as well as an exclusive giveaway at the end of this post!)

background: who are you?

I have always been a person with a fierce sense of loyalty, of right and wrong, and of my faith. How that manifests itself has changed quite a bit over my life.

When I was diagnosed with celiac disease, I was prosecuting domestic violence crimes, training police officers and helping to draft stalking laws; now I write cookbooks, travel the country teaching people how to bake gluten free and own a gluten free flour and mixes company. Despite these obvious differences, I see the experiences as fundamentally the same, since at the end of the day I feel good about what I have done to help others and I derive positive energy from my work.Read More

Roasted Hatch Chili & Jicima Salmon

September 30, 2015 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 125 Comments

Robust and spicy hatch chilis, roasted and paired with sweet jicima, make the perfect topping for rich and buttery salmon. This gluten-free and paleo recipe for salmon will have you craving dinnertime!

Not only do I have an incredible salmon recipe to share with you today, but a virtual baby shower celebration (and giveaway) for my dear friend Michelle of Vitamin Sunshine and her new adorable son, Xander! A group of food bloggers and I got together to throw Michelle this virtual “Under the Sea” themed baby shower to celebrate her new journey in motherhood and hopefully ease her back into blogging again soon 😉 Although, I think spending every second with this precious gem is much better <3

So we have an entire menu planned out, full of appetizers, drinks, mains, sides, and desserts! My contribution was a main dish with the one and only fish, SALMON! I’m pretty sure salmon is my favorite fish. The rich, buttery, salmon taste just gets me swooning every time. I’m pretty partial with keeping my salmon simple with some honey mustard and basil on a normal day, but this is a special occasion and called for an extra special salmon recipe!

There are tons of ways to top a blank-slate protein. Evidenced by chicken, but also with the lovely salmon. We’re just ending Hatch Chili Season, my first season with them, and I made sure to make it memorable. I had to wait awhile, but Frieda’s sent me a TON of (mild) hatch to work with this year. When they talk about the amazing aroma of hatch chilis roasting in the oven, they mean it! I can’t even tell you how wonderful the house smelled! This deep, roasted, spicy smell that’s hard to describe. It was amazing! I made sure to freeze some once roasted so I’d be stocked up for the “off season” as they say 😉

Even though these came from a mild batch, I was still nervous they would be too spicy. So to ton it down (in case, but they actually weren’t that spicy), I created a salsa with some balance. Balance in the form of sweet, crunchy jicima! The one veggie I still hadn’t totally come to love and use properly had been jicima. The first time I tried it (raw), it was terrible. That was years ago and I was determined to find a way to love it. I decided it would be the perfect balance to some spicy chilis in a “salsa” topping for this salmon. I read that roasted jicima is fantastic, so when I roasted the hatch, I threw the chopped up jicima on the pan with them. Then I threw all that roasted goodness in the processor and make the perfect roasted salsa topping to put on the salmon, and then roast it all again in the oven!

The fact that I roasted the chilis and jicima first, and then it was baked again, created the perfect crusty crunchy topping on the salmon. It really was fantastic! Each bite had a bit of spice, some mild sweetness in the background from the jicima, and that buttery richness from the glorious salmon. It was a pretty special fillet! One that was perfect to bring to Michelle’s shower!

Roasted Hatch Chili & Jicima Salmon

Roasted Hatch Chili & Jicima Salmon

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Author: Rebecca Pytell

Recipe type: Main, Fish

Cuisine: American

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1 Large Hatch Chili (or canned)
1 Small Jicima (about 1 cup chopped)
1 Tsp Dried Oregano
1 Tsp Dried Cilantro
½ Tsp Onion Powder
½ Tsp Minced Garlic
¼ Tsp Smoked Paprika
¼ Tsp Cumin
2 Wild Salmon Fillets

Instructions

For the salsa:
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Slice the hatch chili lengthwise in half, peel the jicima and chop in to chunks. Throw it all on a baking pan lined with parchment and bake for 35 minutes.
Once roasted, turn the oven down to 400°F and remove.
Place the chili, jicima, herbs, and spices in a food processor and pulse to a salsa texture.
For the salmon:
On a lined baking sheet, place your two salmon fillets down. Top each with the salsa, fully covering the tops.
Bake the salmon in the 400°F oven for 15-20 minutes of until fully cooked (flakes apart easily).

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1

Are you guys ready to see the full menu now? Take a look at all the wonderful dishes my blogging friends created! I think we nailed the “sea” theme, don’t you? 😉

Appetizer

Roast Smoked Salmon and Mango-Avocado Salsa Cups | Healthy Recipe Ecstasy

Cheesy Shrimp Polenta Bites | Healthy Nibbles and Bits

Miso Butter Scallop | Omnivore’s Cookbook

Main

Lobster and Bacon Mac & Cheese | Wok and Skillet

Baked Skinny TEX MEX Fish | Bam’s Kitchen

Roasted Hatch Chili & Jicima Salmon | Strength and Sunshine

Sides

Baby Bok Choy with Beech Mushrooms | Nogojis No Glory

One Pan Caramelised Vegetables | The Big Man’s World

Dessert & Drink

Paleo Spiced Almond Sugar Cookies | Cotter Crunch

Simple Vanilla Cupcakes from Scratch | Natural Chow

Autumn Sangria | Simply Fresh Dinners

And of course, I mentioned a special giveaway! To make this even more “sea-worthy” the lovely fishy people of Sizzlefish are donating a 14 piece box of fresh wild caught fish, valued at $100.00 to one lucky reader! 3 cheers for Sizzlefish! Just enter using the Rafflecopter widget below! And one more big virtual hug to Michelle, her husband Alex, and their new beautiful son, Xander! xoxo

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway will be open from September 30 to October 12, 2015 (13 days). It ends on October 14 at 11:59pm EST (New York Time). This giveaway is open to the worldwide audience. If you’re based outside the US, you will receive a $100 Amazon gift card instead.