Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. However, I did receive an all- expense paid trip by al fresco All Natural . However, all opinions are 100% my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC guidelines.
What do you do when an amazing all natural sausage company and a Food Network star all want to have an Iron Chef Competition with ten fun food bloggers? You GO GLAMPING of course! I had an amazing time Glamping at FireLight Camps. You can read about my GLAMPING adventure HERE.
I was one of those 10 bloggers invited to go Glamping, courtesy of al fresco All Natural. I wasn’t sure what to expect and what the other bloggers would be like. I only knew one of them before I went. Every blogger there was so much fun and we bonded over our 3 day experience!
Have you ever been challenged to cook a healthy meal on an open campfire with a cast iron skillet? al fresco All Natural divided our group into 5 teams of 2 for the competition. We only had limited time to come up with a recipe from the “pantry”, cook it and plate it for the judges and for photo opps.
My partner, Nicole from Mom Trends had some amazing ideas. The 2 of us came up with recipes that were easy, kid-friendly and low-carb. We worked well together and I can’t wait to “cook” with her again!
The foods that al fresco provided us with were fresh, locally grown and all natural. The pantry was a work of art and i deserves to be seen!
Here is the set up of where we cooked during the competition. Yes, it was 90 degrees out and we were out in the beating sun, but they all kept us well-hydrated and it was so much fun, I didn’t even think about the heat until it was all over. You can see my friend Becky from Mom Blog Society checking out the cook area behind the bamboo!
I had done an Iron Chef Competition before, but nothing like this! We really had to be creative and come up with dishes that everyone would love, not just ourselves. One thing (out of many) that I took away from this competition is not to be afraid to mix sweet and hot together. The judges loved the strawberries with jalapenos. They also said that peaches with jalapenos were an amazing combination, so we used that tip to make our Asian Slaw!
Images courtesy of Gary Tardiff/culinaryphoto.com
So what did we end up making? For our breakfast – we made a Breakfast Burrito with a Mango Salsa.
Mango Salsa
- 1 ripe mango peeked and cut into cubes
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1/2 small jalapeno diced
- 1/4 shallot minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 lemon juice
Mix together- use as a dip or topping on fish or chicken too!
Breakfast Burrito
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup of milk
- salt and pepper
- 1 package of al fresco all natural apple sausage
- small tortillas
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
Asian Sausage Stir fry
- One package of al fresco all natural chicken sausage with garlic cut into slices
- 4 small heads bok Choy
- 1/2 lb mushrooms sliced
- 2 stalks lemongrass peeked and cleaned
- Olive oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Heat oil in large wok or cast iron skillet. Add sausage and lemongrass and sautee. Add mushrooms and continue stirring. Add soy sauce. When sausage is cooked almost through, add bok Choy to wilt. Remove lemon grass and top with roasted almonds.
Image courtesy of Gary Tardiff/culinaryphoto.com
Special thanks to Kelly from kellyupson.com who taught us how to plate our food!
Spicy Asian Slaw
- Grate/shred green and red cabbage 1/2 cup of each- mix in bowl
- Grate jalapeno pepper and lemon rind into mixture
- Squeeze fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup into mixture
- add 1/4 cup of fresh diced peaches
- Add Salt and peper to taste
- Mix together and let sit for at least 1/2 hour before serving
[…] The whole reason I went Glamping was to participate in an Iron Chef Competition with 9 other Food Bloggers, sponsored by al fresco All Natural Chicken Sausage. You can read about all the fun we had and the amazing recipes we came up with HERE. […]