As the NZ Rugby World Cup gains momentum and we spend hours sitting in front of TV avidly watching and snacking on meat pies, sausages, and potato chips - a national obesity epidemic may well be unfolding.
Junior rugby fans especially are at risk as so many New Zealand kids are already eating an unhealthy diet. Over two thirds of them don’t eat enough fruit and vegetables.
Persuading them to kick the junk food habit while the Games are on will be a challenge. The best form of attack is to serve them healthy food which is delicious, tasty and filling. And making those meat pies and potato chips a special treat rather than their staple diet.
Fortuitously, Canterbury based Meadow Mushroom is mounting a campaign to persuade people that mushrooms are not only healthy but delicious as well. They have declared 2011 to be the National Year of the Mushroom.
Their “Year of The Mushroom” campaign includes cartoon mushroom characters in a variety of sometimes startling poses – from reclining saucily in a bowl of mushroom soup to wearing cowboy boots while overseeing a barbecue. One is even shown cosying up to former All Black Tana Umaga, who admits mushroom soup, is his favourite.
Mushrooms are healthy. They’re low in calories, sodium and fat and are also a good source of B vitamins, potassium, selenium, copper, phosphorous & the antioxidant ergothioneine.
Kids who care about the environment will also be impressed by the fact Mushrooms are a very sustainable form of food production. They don’t take up much land, recycle waste from other food production industries and have a very small footprint.
The recipes which follow are easy ones which older kids can cook for themselves. The first is a quick mushroom soup. It’s a retro recipe based on a sachet of Maggi mushroom soup. With the addition of lots of finely sliced mushrooms and a garnish of parsley it has been transformed into a healthy snack.
Kids love pizza. The irresistible savoury smell of bacon sizzling in the pan should be enough to entice them off the couch and into kitchen to help assemble the topping. In this recipe I used Freedom Farm bacon which was lean so this further reduced the fat content. For the pizza base I used thin tortillas which crisped up quickly. While mozzarella is the stringy melting cheese traditionally used in pizzas I find that grated cheddar also tastes good.
The bacon mushroom mixture used in this recipe is very versatile. It can also be mixed into a salad or stirred into pasta or rice.
Quick Mushroom Soup
Recipe by Shirley Bradstock
Ingredients:
250g Meadows White Button or Swiss Brown Mushrooms
2 cloves Garlic
1 tbsp Butter
37g pkt Mushroom Soup Mix
1 cup Water
1 cup Low-Fat Milk
2 tbsp Chopped Parsley
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Wipe mushrooms and slice thinly. Crush, peel and finely chop garlic. Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Sauté mushrooms and garlic in butter for 2-3 minutes. Mix soup mix and water together. Pour into saucepan and bring to boil. Add milk, bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Serve garnished with chopped parsley and freshly ground black pepper.
Mushroom Bacon Pizza
Ingredients:
350g bacon
800g white button mushrooms, sliced 1 cup onions, chopped
1 ½ tablespoons garlic, minced
2 teaspoons oregano leaves, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 large (300g) Italian bread shell
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
½ cup plum tomatoes, sliced
METHOD
In a large pan over medium heat cook bacon until crisp (about 5 minutes). Transfer to a paper towel; crumble; set aside. Pour off all but 4 tablespoons bacon fat. Add mushroom, onions and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid evaporates (7 to 8 minutes). Stir in crumbled bacon, oregano, salt and black pepper.
Preheat oven to 230°C. Place bread shell on a pizza pan or baking tray. Sprinkle cheese over shell. Spoon 1 ¾ cups drained mushroom bacon mixture over cheese. Top with tomatoes. Bake until hot and cheese is melted, (about 10 minutes).
Additional Uses:
Wilted Greens with Mushroom Bacon Sauté
Serves: 4
Toss 1 ¾ cups hot mushroom bacon mixture with 4 cups mixed salad greens, ½ cup sliced tomatoes and a squeeze of lemon juice. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.
Pasta or Rice with Mushroom Bacon Sauté
Serves: 4
Toss 1 ¾ cups hot mushroom bacon mixture with 2 ½ cups cooked rice or pasta. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.