Cremini and Pork Meatballs

I have never been a big vegetable person. But, as I said Monday, I have grown to love some new vegetables since starting my Medifast journey. There was always one vegetable I swore I would never eat: mushrooms. I have wanted to like mushrooms and I have tried them before but I really think it’s a texture problem. However, when I started Medifast, I told myself I would try new things. I would eat things that I haven’t eaten before. And that includes mushrooms.

Perfect timing. The Mushroom Council, a group of U.S. mushroom growers, is celebrating National Nutrition Month this month as the perfect time to “get your plate in shape” with mushrooms.

Increasing the intake of lower calorie foods, specifically mushrooms, in place of those higher in calories, like ground beef, can be an effective method for reducing calories and fat while still feeling full and satisfied after a meal. This approach of replacing some ground beef, turkey or other meat with mushrooms is known as “swapability.” It works because mushrooms’ hearty texture and rich flavor allow them to blend seamlessly with meats. The mushroom and meat “swapability” technique is an economical way to make family meals more nutritious and works great in family favorites like lasagna, burgers, tacos or chili.

I headed over to the Mushroom Council website in search of a recipe using mushrooms that I would possibly like. And I found it.

Source

Cremini and Pork Meatballs

• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 ½ pounds whole cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 1 cup white onion, small dice
• ½ cup roasted poblano peppers, small dice
• 1 pound raw pork
• 3 tablespoons Lawry’s Salt Free Mexican Seasoning
• ½ teaspoon McCormick Culinary Coarse Mediterranean Sea Salt
• 1 oz. thinly sliced green onion
• 1 ½ cups Panko bread crumbs
• 2 large eggs

Preheat a convection oven to 350°F. Heat oil in sauté pan and cook mushrooms until browned, approximately 6-8 minutes. Remove mushrooms from pan. Add onions and cook until lightly caramelized, approximately 6-8 minutes.

Combine mushrooms, onions and roasted peppers in a food processor and pulse until mixture is finely minced. Allow mixture to completely cool in fridge.

Combine cooled vegetable mixture with pork, seasoning, salt, panko crumbs and eggs. Mix well to evenly combine. Scoop out 30 meat balls and round by hand. Place meatballs on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake meatballs for 15 minutes or until an internal temperature of 155°F is reached.

You can find other great recipes on the Mushroom Council website!

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Want to learn more about mushrooms? Join the twitter party on Monday, March 12th at 8:00 PM EST for your chance to learn all about mushrooms and win some prizes {US and Canada, 18+}! Use the event hashtag #Mushrooms.  RSVP is available HERE.

Disclosure: I was compensated for this post. However, I do really want to try mushrooms!