It’s almost time to fire up the grill, and your taste buds are tingling to the thought of biting into your favorite burger recipe. This summer, amp up your go-to burger and wow others by adding a delicious, secret ingredient to the meat – mushrooms.

Thanks to their hearty taste and meaty texture, mushrooms can help make any burger better when combined with ground meat – beef, turkey or lamb. By substituting some of the meat with finely chopped mushrooms, this mighty blend can:

·       Enhance Taste. The umami in mushrooms and beef creates a mouth-watering, flavor-multiplying effect.

·       Trim calories and fat. Research suggests substituting mushrooms for meat can be an effective method for reducing calorie and fat intake while still feeling full.1

·       Extend portion sizes of your patties. Mushrooms help bulk up volume without sacrificing your bottom line.

·       Add vegetables to the plate. By adding mushrooms to the meat, you’re bringing an extra serving of vegetables to your meal. Plus, mushrooms deliver important nutrients like vitamin D, B vitamins and antioxidants like selenium and ergothioneine that help maintain a healthy immune system.

This summer, change up your traditional burger recipe and try the Mushroom Fiesta Burger (full recipe below) which combines fresh mushrooms with meat and will infuse bold flavors into your next backyard get together.

Looking for more ways to add pizazz to summertime dishes? Appetizer, main course or side – the options are endless when it comes to versatile mushrooms.

·         Pizza: Trade the oven for the grill and throw your uncooked pizza over the coals. Layer it with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms and spinach and watch guests grab a slice or two.

·         Portabella Burger: A meatless burger option. Finish off a grilled portabella cap with Asiago cheese, roasted red peppers and a balsamic glaze for a decadent meal.

·         Grilled Side: Whole, sliced, chopped or halved, toss mushrooms in a grill pan with olive oil, seasoning, and onions to serve up a delicious side.

Mushroom Fiesta Burger

Yield: 4 servings

Serving Size: 1 burger

 

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

6 ounces white button mushrooms

6 ounces crimini mushrooms

½ cup onion, diced

8 ounces 90% lean ground beef

1 large egg, lightly beaten

½ cup seasoned breadcrumbs

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat grill. While grill heats, finely chop mushrooms and toss with oil and season with black pepper. Cook mushrooms and onions in a grill basket or skillet, in batches if necessary. Sauté until mushrooms are fully cooked, onions lightly browned and most of the liquid has evaporated. Cooking times may vary. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the cooked mushroom mix, ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, spices and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Refrigerate mix until chilled and then form into 4 equal patties.

Grill burgers over direct heat (or in a cast-iron skillet) for about 5 to 7 minutes on each side, or until done.

Tips: Top burgers with pepper jack or cheddar cheese, lettuce and sliced tomato and onion. Or for more festive fiesta flavors, top with salsa, queso fresco and guacamole.

For more than 100 years, Ortega has offered distinctive Mexican foods inspired by Mama Ortega's traditional cooking. Today, the family-friendly brand continues to uphold the same standards and tradition that Mama Ortega brought to her cooking years ago. Ortega boasts a full line of high quality, great tasting Mexican food products that can transform an ordinary meal into a festive, fun and memorable occasion. 

When a family picks up a box of Ortega taco shells or Ortega taco kit, they know they are getting the very best in ingredients, quality and taste. Only Ortega Taco Shells are carefully placed in a proprietary freshness pack to cushion and protect them from breaking. Each freshness pack is then vacuum sealed to keep the shells fresh and crisp.

Ortega offers a variety of delicious taco shell and taco kit options for all to enjoy including these new comers: 

• NEW! Ortega Value Pack Taco Shells available in Yellow Corn, White Corn and Whole Grain Corn varieties, offering more great Ortega flavor per box. All Ortega Taco Shells are made the traditional way, with 100% whole kernel corn, not corn flour, which gives them their distinctive and authentic flavor, aroma and texture.

• NEW and IMPROVED! Ortega Grande Dinner Kit now includes 20 Hard and Soft Tacos to go along with Ortega Taco Seasoning, and 33% more of America’s #1 Taco Sauce in every box!

The next time your family is in the mood for a Mexican fiesta, try a twist on the typical meal with this Pork Tenderloin Tacos recipe made using all of elements within the Ortega Grande Kit including: tantalizing Ortega taco sauce and taco seasoning, along with crunchy Ortega Taco Shells and delicious Ortega Flour Soft Tortillas.

Prep time: 30 minutes

Start to finish: 45 minutes

Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients:

·         2 pork tenderloins, about 1-1/4 lb each

·         1 packet ORTEGA® taco seasoning (included)

·         1/2 cup water

·         2 tbsp olive oil

·         4 large red and/or green peppers, thinly sliced

·         2 large onions, thinly sliced

·         2 cans (4 oz ea.) ORTEGA® Diced Green Chiles

·         1 lime, juiced

·         8 ORTEGA® Flour Tortillas (included), warmed

·         12 ORTEGA® Yellow Corn Taco Shells (included)

·         1 twin-pack ORTEGA® taco sauced (included)

Directions:

1.       Slice pork tenderloins lengthwise in half almost completely through, but not severed.

2.       Combine Taco Seasoning and water and pour over pork.

3.       Marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

4.       Heat oil in a large skillet and cook peppers and onions over medium heat for 10 minutes or until tender. Add Diced Green Chilies and cook until hot.

5.       Grill pork 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until pork is cooked through.

6.       Pour lime juice over pork and let rest for 5 minutes then slice.

7.       Serve pork and vegetables with tortillas and taco shells. Top with taco sauce.

It's time to get that grill out and fire it up for the upcoming seasons! Get ready for summer cooking by attending the Taste of Home Cooking School & Expo on April 20 at the Hardy Performing Arts Center in Cambridge. The Expo runs from 10:30am to 1:00pm with 25+ vendors, sales and free samples. The Cooking School begins at 1:00pm and is sure to be the usual high-energy event filled with door prizes, music, cooking tips and recipes, and more.

All attendees get a free one-year magazine subscription, and a gift bag full of sponsor and vendor surprises.

Tickets start at $20 General Seating, with Silver VIP at $40, or Gold VIP at $60.  All ticket levels may be ordered on-line at www.ichs.ws, by US Mail with a SASE envelope to ICHS, 1700 E. Rum River Dr. So, Suite K, Cambridge, MN 55008, or in person at the ICHS office. The $20 General Seating tickets are also available at Cub Foods in Cambridge.

Everybody is a winner at the Taste of Home Cooking School & Expo! For additional information regarding the Taste of Home Cooking School & Expo visit www.TasteofHome.com, www.ichs.ws, or call 763-689-4229. Get your tickets early before they sell out!  Seasons come and seasons go, so why not jump start your cooking season and attend the Taste of Home Cooking School & Expo on April 20 to learn new recipes, such as the following provided by National Sponsor Johnsonville.   

JOHNSONVILLE ITALIAN SAUSAGE

AND TASTE OF HOME BRING NEW FLAVOR TO TRADITIONAL DISHES

Johnsonville Italian Sausage Meatballs Featured in Taste of Home Cooking Schools Nationwide

Johnsonville Sausage today announced it will team up with the Taste of Home Cooking Schools to bring  confident cooks new and delicious ways to add flavor to family meals throughout the year.


Johnsonville Italian Sausage – available in traditional sausage links and ground sausage – is a versatile ingredient that can add delicious flavor to a host of different recipes.  While other meats require sauces and spices to flavor a dish, Italian Sausage brings the flavor all on its own.

Made with only premium cuts of pork and the perfect blend of spices since 1945, Johnsonville Italian Sausage brings the level of quality  confident cooks are looking for when  creating their families’ favorite “keeper” recipes.  Whether it’s elevating the flavor in your family’s traditional lasagna, or  adding some kick to traditional sausage stuffing at the holidays, Johnsonville Italian Sausage is the perfect choice.

Try Johnsonville’s Italian Meatballs recipe with your family tonight.  This delicious dish is sure to bring everyone in your house together for some quality family time.

Johnsonville Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Prep Time: 40 min

Cook Time: 15 min

Makes: 48 servings

Ingredients:

·         48 large fresh mushrooms

·         1 pkg. (19 oz.) Johnsonville® Italian Mild Sausage Links

·         1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

·         1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

·         2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped

·         1 Tbsp. lemon juice

·         3 garlic cloves, minced

·         1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 400ºF.

2.       Remove mushroom stems and discard; set caps aside.

3.       Place mushroom caps on foil-lined baking sheets; set aside.

4.       Remove sausage casings.

5.       In a skillet, cook and crumble sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.

6.       Remove from heat. Stir in bread crumbs and set aside.

7.       In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, parsley, lemon juice, and garlic until smooth.

8.       Combine cream cheese mixture and sausage.

9.       Fill each cap with sausage and cream cheese mixture.

10.    Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

11.    Bake for 14-16 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and lightly browned.