BY TAYLOR BENDIG, EDMONTON JOURNAL
Kaila Hauck was never a fan of fungi. So when she and three other University of Alberta students chose mushrooms for a class assignment, it was more out of curiosity than affection.
“It was really just an interesting topic,” said Hauck, a fifth-year student in the school’s nutrition and food program. “I’d never personally heard of any health benefits about mushrooms.”
That would soon change. After reviewing about 60 scientific papers on the compounds found in edible fungi, her team found “so many health benefits, it was kind of astonishing.”
Hauck said researchers have found things in mushrooms that can prevent heart disease, reduce allergic reactions and fight viruses. For their research, her team focused on two kinds of compounds: antioxidants and cancer-fighting agents.
The potential for mushrooms to treat and prevent cancer is remarkable, Hauck said. Her research found numerous clinical trials aimed at fighting the disease using active fungi compounds, including selenium, which kills off tumour cells, and aromatase inhibitors, which stifle the excess estrogen production that can cause breast cancer.
To read the full story visit the Edmonton Journal website.
posted by Brittany
Onto the cooking! The agenda was pretty full with three great mushroom recipes; 
If you haven’t tried this recipe, I would highly suggest you do, it is fantastic! By the end of the shoot the room was filled with the aromatic sense of mushrooms and curry, yum!
So what’s our secret? It’s simple, bringing in a cooked version of the recipe and quickly switching it out for the uncooked. And with some simple camera magic, we have a fully cooked Mushroom, Walnut, and Barley Pilaf in 7 minutes flat. It’s a good thing to, we finished up the video with only 5 minutes to spare, just enough time to enjoy a bowl of fresh pilaf!
Curious to see how the videos turned out? Well stay tuned, because the finished cooking videos will be posted shortly!
The Food Network Cooking Stage was definitely the place to be, with great demonstrations by 
Thanks to all who stopped by the Mushrooms Canada booth and enjoyed a sample, asked questions, entered the draw, and took home some wonderful recipes. We hope to see you again next year!
