Taco Salad

The trick to a delicious dinner salad is having a mixture of flavours and textures that will make each bite just a little different than the last.

 

Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

  • 8 oz fresh crimini mushrooms
  • 1 onion
  • 1 tbsp canola oil
  • 1/2 lb lean ground beef
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 2 tbsp Tex-Mex seasoning blend
  • Italian seasoning blend:
    • 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
    • 1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
    • 1/4 tsp dried minced garlic
    • 1/4 tsp dried minced onion
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 6 cups shredded lettuce
  • 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 1 avocado, chopped
  • 1/4 cup sour cream (optional)
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

  1. Place the mushrooms and onion in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until finely chopped. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. Crumble in the ground beef. Cook for 5 minutes or until browned.
  2. Add the mushroom mixture, red pepper, Tex-Mex seasoning blend and Italian seasoning blend. Cook for 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in the tomato paste; add the tomatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened. Divide the lettuce evenly between four dinner plates. Top with the meat mixture, cheese, avocado, sour cream (if using) and cilantro.

Tip: For traditional tacos reduce the lettuce to 2 cups and serve with flour or corn tortillas.

 

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Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy

These Salisbury steak patties are made with a blend of 50% beef and 50% diced mushrooms, the perfect combination for a healthy weeknight dinner that tastes great! This dish is so versatile it can be served as a hot sandwich, over mashed potatoes or over egg noodles for a dish your whole family will love.

Prep time: 20 minutes                
Cook time: 21 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp (5 mL) oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1/2 lb (8 oz) diced crimini mushrooms
  • 1/2 tsp (2 mL) each salt and pepper
  • 1/2 lb (8 oz) extra lean ground beef
  • 1/3 cup (80 mL) breadcrumbs
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) Italian seasoning

Gravy

  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) salted butter
  • 1/2 cup (125 mL) sliced onion
  • 1 cup (250 mL) sliced button mushrooms
  • Pinch each salt and pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups (175 mL) beef broth
  • 1/2 cup (125 mL) frozen peas
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp (30 mL) cold water
  • 1/4 cup (60 mL) sliced green onions

 

Directions

Salisbury Steaks

Heat oil in a medium sized skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion for 1 minute. Mix in mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes stirring. Take off heat and cool slightly.

In a large bowl, mix together beef, mushroom mixture, breadcrumbs, 1 egg and Italian seasoning until well combined. Form the meat mixture into 4 equal sized patties. Cook in a large skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Take skillet off heat and set patties aside on a plate.

Gravy

In the same skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes or until vegetables have softened. Whisk in the beef broth and bring to a simmer. Stir in peas and cook for 1 minute.

In a small bowl mix cornstarch with cold water. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the broth and continue until smooth. Cook for 1 minute or until sauce has just thickened. Add the meat back to the pan and spoon the gravy over the top. Sprinkle with green onions and serve.

Enjoy!

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BurgerPasta

One Pot Bacon Mushroom Swiss Burger Pasta

This Bacon Mushroom Swiss Burger Pasta is a perfect weekday meal the entire family will love!

It’s for Mushroom Canada’s “Blend and Extend” campaign. Which is brilliant. You take a ground protein and blend it with mushrooms to make the meal go further. More nutrition and costs less, which had me on board from the get go.

Recipe courtesy of Samantha from mykitchenlove 

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Serves: 6-8 dinner servings

Ingredients

4 cups white button mushrooms, ends trimmed
1 yellow (cooking) onion, halved and peel removed
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 slices bacon
225 grams / 1/2 lbs extra lean ground beef
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 lbs / 454 gr dried penne pasta
130 gr swiss cheese, cut into thin slices or grated
5 cups low sodium beef or vegetable broth
5 oz / 144 gr baby spinach leaves

Method

  1. Blend spinach in a food processor until shredded. Remove and set aside.
  2. Add onion, bacon, garlic, salt, pepper and mushrooms to the food processor pulse until all ingredients are ground. Add beef and pulse until combined.
  3. Preheat a large pot or pan to medium-high heat and add beef mixture from the food processor. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally until meat has browned.
  4. Add thyme, pasta and broth to pan. Bring to a boil and cook for 11 minutes at a strong simmer (over medium heat) or until pasta is cooked al dente. Add spinach, stirring to fully combine and remove from heat.
  5. Preheat oven boiler to high. Top pasta with swiss cheese and place under broiler for 2-4 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to brown.
  6. Allow pasta to cool for about 5 minutes before serving.
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Blended Lamb Harissa Burgers

Lamb is actually a perfect candidate for Blend and Extend, because it’s a bit fattier than ground beef and has a heftier price tag, which means that substituting part of the meat with finely chopped crimini mushrooms is good for both your waistline and your budget.

Recipe and photo by Isabelle of Crumb: A Food Blog

Prep Time: 10 mins. | Cook Time: 10 mins. | Serves: 4

Ingredients

200g crimini mushrooms, roughly chopped
400g ground lamb
¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup finely diced red onion
1 tbsp harissa paste
½ tsp salt
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
4 pita buns (or regular hamburger buns)
Arugula sprouts, for garnish
Garlic-Yogurt Sauce:
½ cup full-fat plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
½ tsp salt

Method

1. Using a food processor, pulse the mushrooms until very finely chopped.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground lamb, chopped mushrooms, cilantro, onion, harissa paste, salt and pepper. Using your hands, mix until well combined, then shape into four large patties. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, make the garlic-yogurt sauce by whisking together the yogurt, garlic and salt in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. Preheat a lightly oiled gas or charcoal grill (or, if you prefer, you can use a lightly-oiled cast-iron grill pan or a countertop griddle on medium-high heat).
5. Once the grill is good and hot, cook the burgers for 4-5 minutes per side, or until they’re well-browned on the outside and an instant-read thermometer registers an internal temperature of 160F.
6. Serve the burgers in pita buns topped with a dollop of garlic-yogurt sauce and a generous pinch of arugula sprouts.Note: These patties are a little more fragile than a more traditional burger patty, so handle them gently when flipping. I find you get the best results if you only flip them once, halfway through the cook time.

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Chipotle Turkey & Mushroom Zucchini Boats

One great way to lighten up the comfort food we crave is by blending mushrooms into your dinners. You can chop them up fine with a knife or food processor and mix them in with ground meat like beef, chicken or, in the case of this recipe, turkey! They’ll lighten up your meal, add an extra serving of veggies to your dish and, they’ll make your grocery dollar stretch further.

Recipe and photo by Denise of Sweet Peas and Saffron

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Serves: 6

Ingredients

200g/7 oz white button mushrooms, cleaned and ends trimmed
6 medium-sized zucchinis
1 tablespoon olive oil
0.5 lb ground turkey
1 onion, diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup corn kernels
Juice of 1 lime
1 chipotle pepper, finely diced
1 tablespoon adobo sauce
1.5 cups shredded cheese

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
2. Add the mushrooms to a large food processor and pulse until they are small uniform pieces.
3. Slice zucchinis in half lengthwise. Using a teaspoon, scoop the insides out of the zucchini, leaving about half a centimeter around the skin. Chop the zucchini insides into small pieces and set aside.
4. In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and ground turkey, and cook for 5 or so minutes, until no pink remains in the turkey.
5. Add the mushrooms, chopped zucchini flesh, cumin, chili powder and salt. Cook for 5 or so minutes, until mushrooms are cooked through.
6. Add the corn kernels, lime juice, adobo sauce and chipotle pepper. Stir to combine. Remove the pan from heat.
7. In a 9×13 inch baking dish, arrange the scooped-out zucchinis.
8. Spoon the turkey/mushroom mixture in. Top with cheese.
9. Bake, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and zucchinis are cooked through.

Notes

For a non-spicy version, omit the chipotle pepper.
Filling can be made a day ahead of time.

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