Mushrooms Pack a Healthy Punch

Include mushrooms—rich in unique nutrients, flavor, and health potential—in your diet every week.

Our Creamy Mushroom Pasta. Recipe here.

Rich in the savory flavor sense known as umami, mushrooms are neither plant nor animal--they're classified in the fungi kingdom and offer much more than just good taste.

With only 20 calories per cup, mushrooms are rich in a type of fiber called beta-glucans, as well as other beneficial plant compounds, such as sterols and terpenoids, which have been linked to cholesterol-lowering effects and antioxidant activity. What's more, mushrooms exposed to ultraviolet light during cultivation can be an excellent source of vitamin D, which is important for bone and immune health.

Mushrooms have been prized for thousands of years in traditional medicine for their antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, and now they're gaining attention in modern medicine for their role in immune function and cancer protection.

In Japan and China, mushrooms are used for cancer treatment; human clinical studies on mushrooms' anti-cancer potential are underway at City of Hope, a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in Duarte, California. In particular, researchers are intrigued by mushroom's possible protection against breast and prostate cancer.

Our Game Day Turkey Chili, loaded with the goodness of mushrooms. Recipe here.
Photo courtesy of Damn Delicious.

Low Calorie Mushroom-Swap

Substituting mushrooms--rich in savory flavor and "meaty" texture--for meat in recipes can be a useful strategy for health promotion and weight loss. According to findings from a 2013 study published in The FASEB Journal, substituting white button mushrooms for red meat in three meals a week over one year resulted in an average weight loss of seven pounds, as well as improvements in total body fat and waist circumference, compared to participants eating the standard meat diet.

You can use mushrooms to replace some of the meat in stir-fries, taco fillings, meatloaves and more. In addition, mushrooms add flavor and health to a number of dishes, including stir-fries, soups, sauces, casseroles and salads.

Our Power Green Lean Lasagna, made with crimini mushrooms. Recipe here.

While 90 percent of the mushrooms used in the U.S. are of the white variety, there are many mushrooms worth sampling, such as those listed below:

Mushroom Varieties
Mushroom	Description
White (or Button)	The most popular variety in the U.S., this mushroom has a mild flavor that intensifies when cooked. Sauté as a side dish; include in pizza, pasta, burgers, soups and casseroles; or enjoy raw in salads.
Crimini	Similar in appearance to white mushrooms, with a deeper, earthier flavor, their full-bodied taste is an excellent addition to wild game and vegetable dishes.
Portabella	A larger variety with a deep, meaty texture and flavor. Grill, broil and roast as an entrée, or a flavorful vegetarian alternative to a hamburger.
Maitake	Fan-shaped, without caps, these mushrooms offer a distinctive woodsy taste and aroma. Simply sauté in olive oil for a flavorful side dish or enhance the richness of any recipe calling for mushrooms with this variety.
Shittake	These tan-to-dark brown mushrooms have umbrella-shaped caps, and stems that should be removed. With a meaty texture and rich flavor, shiitake are excellent in bold stir-fries, pastas, soups, entrees, and grain dishes.
Enoki	These tiny, button-capped mushrooms with long spindly stems are mild tasting and crunchy. Try them raw in salads and sandwiches.
Oyster	Delicately flavored with a velvety texture, oyster mushrooms can be gray, pale yellow or blue. Sauté them with a small amount of olive oil and onions to bring out their flavor, and slice into flavorful pasta dishes.

This article was written by McKenzie for the November 2014 issue of Environmental Nurition.

Power Green Lean Lasagna

By posting this recipe I am entering a contest sponsored by The Mushroom Council and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.


I went through a stage in second grade when my ponytails had to be perfect. And I don't mean just "nice looking," I mean I didn't have a stray hair out of place and there was not a bump to be seen. It's a phase my mom and I laugh about to this day because my ponytails look nothing like that anymore.

In eighth grade, I discovered the "messy ponytail." And that's when I realized that the occasional bump, stray hair, and imperfection not only looked and felt better, it made my life so much easier.


So what does this have to do with my favorite Mushroom and Spinach Lasagna? I’m getting to it, I promise.

When I first started cooking, I was so terrified of making mistakes. As someone who is a self-proclaimed people pleaser and perfectionist, I was so worried about my end result coming out messy, burnt, too bland, too spicy, too sweet, or too salty. Thankfully, I’ve made so much peace with this reality. I’ve made all of those mistakes (and way more), but I always learn from them and always have fun making the mistakes. I truly enjoy my time in the kitchen creating my masterpieces and disaster-pieces.

I developed this recipe a few years ago when I was craving lasagna, but didn’t want to have to go through the process of layering everything perfectly. This version is so easy to make, so satisfying, and so perfectly imperfect. The combination of the sautéed mushrooms with ground beef blend together to create a lighter version of lasagna compared to the typical super meat-heavy recipes. I’ve served this to many of the people I love and because of that, it’s one of my all-time favorite imperfect creations.

Power Green Lean Lasagna

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ cup onion, chopped
½ pound pasture-raised lean ground beef
3 cups tomato sauce
2 teaspoons oregano
2 cups crimini mushrooms, thinly chopped
4 cups of dark leafy greens of your choice (i.e. spinach, chard, kale)
2 cups reduced-fat Ricotta cheese
2 cups whole wheat pasta, cooked
½ cup freshly grated mozzarella

Instructions

1.      Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

2.      Place a large pot of water on high heat on the stove. Once the water begins to boil, add the whole grain pasta and cook according to the directions on the package. Drain and rinse with cold water.

3.      Meanwhile, in a large pan, sauté the garlic and chopped onions over medium heat in the olive oil until slightly golden.

4.      Add the mushrooms, sautéing until the mushrooms soften.

5.      Add the ground beef to the onions and garlic mixture, separating the meat with your spoon, until cooked (about 7 minutes).

6.      Add the tomato sauce and oregano, stirring occasionally.  Reduce the sauce to a simmer on the stove.

7.      While the sauce is simmering, in a separate large bowl, combine the leafy greens with the ricotta cheese.

8.      Time to assemble! In a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish, place the cooked pasta on the bottom, top with the ricotta and green leafy mixture, and then top with the mushroom, beef and tomato sauce. Top with the mozzarella cheese.

9.      Bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes.

Serves 6-8

Enjoy, preferably with those you love.

If you want to share your own love of mushrooms, The Mushroom Council is hosting a fun contest this summer called “Swap It or Top It.” The grand prize winner will receive $5000! How great is that?           

An InLinkz Link-up

Game Day Turkey Chili

I love sporting events. For the most part, I don’t really understand the rules or know any players (with the exception of hockey), but I always love an excuse to get a group of people together and enjoy good food.

Photo courtesy of our friends at NatureBox

When most people gather around for Superbowl Sunday, it’s typical to coincide the event with nachos, burgers, traditional chili, deep dish pizza – typically anything that piles on the cheese and meat and skimps on the plant-based proteins, veggies, healthy fats, and whole grains. But there certainly is a way you can have your pizza and eat it, too. We've talked about this before here.


What most people may not realize is that it’s actually quite easy to serve up nutritious versions of these classic football favorites while also satisfying even the heartiest of appetites. All it takes is simply "shifting the plate" to give the plant-based foods more of a starring role. A lot of these good-for-you ingredients add tons of flavor while also dishing out some beneficial nutrition. Take this chili recipe (below), for example, which features mushrooms, beans, and avocado. We think it's a winner!

Photo courtesy of our friends at NatureBox

Superbowl Turkey Chili

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 large bell peppers, chopped

3 medium carrots, finely chopped

10 oz mushrooms, chopped

5 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon oregano

1 ½  teaspoons cumin

1 pound ground turkey

12 oz Lager beer

2 14.5oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes

1 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 15oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

1.    Heat olive oil in large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell peppers, carrots, and mushrooms until the onions turn golden brown and the carrots begin to soften – about 8 to 10 minutes.

2.     Add the garlic, chili powder, oregano, and cumin and stir 1 minute.

3.     Add the turkey, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until meat loses its raw color – about 3 minutes.

4.    Add the beer. Cover pan; reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes. 

5.     Add tomatoes with their juices and the three kinds of beans. Simmer uncovered and stir occasionally until chili thickens – about 20 minutes.

Garnish chili with shredded cheddar cheese, non-fat plain Greek yogurt, avocado, guacamole, or our Avocado YogurtDip.

These seasonal tips &recipe were featured in the January 18th issue of Health & Family Guide for The Santa Clarita Valley Signal. For more “In Season” tips & recipes (I'm talking Valentine's Day next!), pick up the next issue of The Health & Family Guide on February 8th.