Let's Taco 'Bout Mushrooms

Mushrooms are little powerhouses of flavour and good nutrition. Surprisingly, they contain protein along with many other nutritional goodies. Mushrooms are rich in B vitamins like niacin, riboflavin, and pantothenic acid - all good nutrients for maintaining energy levels. They are also a good source of selenium, a nutrient deficient in NZ soils, and important to help build a healthy immune system.

Whether you are looking to cut down your meat intake or up your veggies, the Big Blend by Meadow Mushrooms is a simple technique that helps you achieve both at the same time.

By simply blending finely chopped mushrooms in with your mince you can create better value meals while also delivering more nutritious, more delicious and more sustainable versions of your everyday favourites.

You can transform even the simplest dish, like the humble Taco, by swapping out just mince for a 50/50 blend of mince and mushrooms.

Sarah Hanrahan, CEO of the NZ Nutrition Foundation says learning to blend your mince and mushrooms means you can have your meat and eat it too, as you reduce your red meat intake without eliminating it completely.

Hanrahan says when you blend meat and mushrooms you are also ticking the box on increasing your vegetables. That’s something most Kiwis don’t get enough of. Recent NZ Health Surveys show the number of people eating at least three serves of vegetables each day is decreasing.

The benefit of eating more vegetables, particularly the non-starchy ones, are many and varied -they add fibre, reduce kilojoules (as most are low in energy) and help protect the body against non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke and some types of cancers.

For those watching their weight, mushrooms will also reduce calories when blended with mince as they have a much lower kilojoule count than meat. They contain little fat or sodium so that’s also good news for those concerned about heart disease or blood pressure.

So don’t just Taco’ bout mushrooms, start blending them with meat for a great new way to achieve multiple health benefits in one easy move.

Blended Chilli Tacos Recipe

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, peeled and diced

1 capsicum, chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1-2 teaspoons minced chilli, optional

500g 50/50 Meadow Mushrooms & beef mince blend

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon paprika

1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

1 x 400g can kidney or pinto beans, drained

12 small soft flour or corn tortillas, or 12 taco shells

To serve: a selection of fillings such as shredded lettuce, sliced avocado, coleslaw, pickles, jalapenos and sour cream

Method:

1. Heat the oil in frying pan over a medium heat and stir fry the onion, capsicum, garlic and chilli with a sprinkle of salt for 5 minutes.

2. Finely chop the mushrooms (or blitz in the blender) to replicate mince, then add to the pan with the mince, cumin, coriander and paprika and raise the heat a little, cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

3. Stir in the tomatoes, rinsing the can with half a can of water and adding this, bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes then add the beans and simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Spoon into warmed soft tortillas or taco shells and add fillings to taste.

Top Tip: Instead of flour or corn tortillas as Tacos, serve the Big Blend Mexican Mince on corn chips to make Nachos. Find these recipes and more here.