Swapability Makes Family Meals More Nutritious and Saves Money! Recipe: Mushroom Burger Wrap! Twitter Party Alert – 3/12 8PM EST #Mushrooms

Yesterday I made a Mushroom Burger Wrap for the first time.  It’s not a mushroom burger in the traditional sense, with mushrooms on top of the burger.  Rather the mushrooms are chopped and put into the ground beef to be an actual part of the patty.  “Swapability”is a technique to switch out high fat or high calorie foods without sacrificing flavor.  Choose a food high in nutrition, but low in fat and calories and switch it for a less healthy food.  Or rather than switch out the original food completely, blend in the healthy choice along with it!  That’s what I did with the Mushroom Burger Wrap.  Here’s the recipe:

Mushroom Burger Wrap

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces white button mushrooms
• 6 ounces cremini*  mushrooms
• 2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/2 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
• 8 ounces 93% lean ground beef
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
• 2  teaspoons dried basil or 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 4 2-ounce whole-wheat tortillas
• freshly ground black pepper

1. Chop mushrooms into ¼-inch pieces.  Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 2 teaspoons canola oil.  Place mushrooms in pan and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes.  Drain. Return mushrooms to pan and season with freshly ground black pepper.

2. In a large bowl, combine the mushrooms, ricotta cheese, ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, and basil. Form mixture into 4 burgers.

I added swiss cheese - love the combination of swiss cheese and mushroom flavors.

3. Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons canola oil. Cook burgers for about 5 to 7 minutes on each side, or until done. (Or grill burgers.) Serve in tortilla.

This is the month to focus on making healthy food choices!  March is National Nutrition Month® – a nutrition education and information campaign sponsored annually by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

What is a healthy food choice?  It’s choosing a food that is rich in nutrition, low in calories and low in fat.  Use that “Swapability”!

One of the great ingredients to use as a meat substitute is mushrooms!  Mushrooms have the perfect texture to blend seamlessly with meat.  And, since mushrooms are less expensive, Swapability is also a way to save money.  But how do you do it?  Three simple steps!

1. Chop.  A key to ensuring a good texture match is in chopping the mushrooms to a size that is comparable to the texture of the meat.  In burgers, for example, cutting the mushrooms into 1/4″ pieces and then sauteing will make them the consistency and texture of ground beef.
2. Cook and season.  Use the same cooking methods on the mushrooms, as you do on the meat.  So if you would pan fry a hamburger, do the same with a mushroom/ground beef mixture.  If you put salt and pepper on your hamburger patties, use those same spices on a mushroom burger.
3. Combine the cooked meat and mushrooms and use the mix to complete your recipe.

Why Mushrooms?

·         Mushrooms are not only low in calories and fat-free, but their flavorful umami content allows for less salt to be used in a dish, without compromising taste.  Umami  is one of the five basic tastes together with sweet, sour, bitter, and salty.  It can be described as a “brothy” or “meaty” taste.

·         Mushrooms are the only fresh fruit or vegetable with vitamin D.

·         Within the produce aisle, mushrooms are a leading source of the antioxidants selenium and ergothioneine; these antioxidants help maintain a healthy immune system

·         Mushrooms provide B vitamins, including riboflavin, niacin, and pantothenic acid; B vitamins help to provide energy by breaking down proteins, fats and carbohydrates

Ready to try it?  Here are some more mushroom recipes!

Crab and Mushroom Cakes with Chipotle Aioli

Cremini and Pork Meatballs

Chocolate Chili

Mushroom Flatbread

Almost Lasagna

Mushroom and Beef Bulgogi Tacos

Want to learn more and chat about mushrooms?

Come to the Mushroom Channel Twitter Party!

When: Monday, March 12^th from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. ET

Where: #Mushrooms tag on Twitter

How:  RSVP and Learn More at Resourceful Mommy.com

Prizes:

• 9 (nine) winners will each receive the following (valued at $80 each):
• MyPlate for Moms by Liz Ward
• Mushroom slicer
• $50 Visa gift card for grocery shopping

• 1 (one)  Grand Prize winner will receive the following  (valued at $150):
• MyPlate for Moms by Liz Ward
• Mushroom slicer
• Stainless steel sauté pan
• $100 Visa gift card for grocery shopping

Disclosure of Material Connection:  All opinions are my own unless otherwise stated.  I was compensated for cooking and writing this post.