The Mushroom Council Joins Inaugural PHA Summit as Key Sponsor

WASHINGTON, DC (November 17, 2011) – The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) today announced that the Mushroom Council has joined PHA’s inaugural Building a Healthier Future Summit as a key sponsor. PHA works with the private sector to ensure the health of our nation’s youth by solving the childhood obesity crisis. The Summit will bring together philanthropic, government and private sector leaders to focus on where each can work together, ultimately leading to a coordinated national agenda focused on ending childhood obesity.

“We are proud to partner with PHA to help identify new solutions to the obesity epidemic affecting so many American children,” said Bart Minor, president of the Mushroom Council. “Mushrooms can help in a unique way because they are compatible with meats in texture and flavor and therefore more seamlessly reduce calories and add a vegetable serving in kid favorites like spaghetti, tacos, and sloppy Joes. Replacing some of the higher-calorie items in a recipe with finely diced mushrooms cuts calories but also keeps kids, and moms, happy. A simple swap can make a difference.”

Mushrooms can help Americans meet the recommendations for increased fruit and vegetable consumption set forth in USDA’s 2010 Dietary Guidelines. Mushrooms are low in calories, fat-free, cholesterol-free and very low in sodium, yet provide a meaty, satisfying texture. They’re the only source of vitamin D in the produce aisle, and offer additional key nutrients including selenium, potassium, and riboflavin.

“We’re delighted the Mushroom Council is supporting the Building a Healthier Future Summit,” said PHA CEO Lawrence A. Soler. “Fresh fruits and vegetables are essential to a healthy diet, which is why it is so important to have organizations like the Mushroom Council at the table when we talk about how to help our kids live healthier lives. We’re pleased they are on board.”

The Building a Healthier Future summit, which takes place November 29 to 30 at the Omni Shoreham in Washington, D.C., brings leaders together to find new opportunities and new solutions to make the healthy choice the easy choice. The full agenda and registration information are available at www.ahealthieramerica.org/summit.

Members of the media who are interested in attending the summit should contact news@ahealthieramerica.org.

Recipes:

Mushroom and Egg Wrap

Recipe courtesy of the Mushroom Council and mushroominfo.com

Yield: 1 serving

Serving size: 1 wrap

• ¼ cup frozen potato, pepper and onion blend, diced Pinch of kosher salt

• ½ cup sliced white button mushrooms

• 1 egg, beaten

• 2 tablespoons (½ ounce) shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded

• Pinch of freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

• 1 8-inch flour tortilla

• 2 tablespoons prepared salsa (optional)

Directions

• Place potato, peppers and onion blend in a 2-cup microwavable measuring cup, add salt, loosely cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 1 minute, stirring once at the 30-second mark.

• Add mushrooms and microwave on high for another minute, stirring at the 30-second mark. Drain off excess liquid before stirring in the egg, then cover. Place tortilla in the microwave too and heat on high for 30 seconds.

• Remove from microwave and stir in cheese and pepper.

• Spoon mixture into warm tortilla and, if using, add the salsa on top. Fold the bottom of the wrap up over the eggs, and then roll the remaining sides around.

• Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate until ready to eat.

• When ready to serve, place wrap in microwave on high for 45-60 seconds, just until heated through. Grab it and go!

• Individually, these wraps will hold in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

Super Mushroom Veggie Pasta

Recipe courtesy of the Mushroom Council and mushroominfo.com

Yield: 6 servings

Serving size: 2 cups prepared recipe

• 1 14.5-ounce box Barilla Plus spaghetti

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 pound white button mushrooms, sliced

• 1 red bell pepper, diced

• 1 large onion, diced

• 1 cup bite-size broccolini pieces

• 1 pint grape tomatoes

• ½ cup vegetable broth

• ½ cup prepared pesto

• 1 cup baby spinach leaves

• Freshly grated Parmesan (for garnish)

Directions

• Bring a large pot of water to boil and prepare pasta according to package directions.

• While water comes to a boil, heat olive oil in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add a single layer of mushrooms, red bell pepper and onions and cook, without stirring, for about 5 minutes or until mushrooms become red-brown on one side. Stir and cook about 5 minutes more to brown mushrooms. Stir in broccolini, tomatoes, broth and pesto. Bring to a simmer, and then stir in spinach and cooked pasta.

• Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with Parmesan. Serve.

Mushroom Tacos with Salsa Verde

Recipe courtesy of the Mushroom Council

Yield: 8 servings

Serving size: 1 taco

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• ¼ pound 85% lean ground beef

• ¾ pound white button mushrooms

• ¾ pound crimini mushrooms

• 2 cups julienne of sweet onions

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

• 4 tablespoons ground chili powder

• Salt and pepper if necessary

• Lime juice to taste

• 8 corn tortillas

• 1 cup shredded green cabbage

• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

• 4 tablespoons Cotija cheese, grated

Avocado Salsa Verde:

• 1 large, ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and cut in ½-inch dice

• 1/3 cup diced tomato

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

• ½ teaspoon seeded and minced Serrano chile

• ½ teaspoon minced garlic

• 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice

• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

• ¼ teaspoon sugar

Directions

• Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Place ground beef in pan and cook; season with salt and pepper. Saute for 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown. Chop mushrooms to approximately the size and texture of ground beef and sauté in a separate pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil for 3 to 5 minutes. Combine mushrooms and meat and set aside.

• Heat sauté pan used for ground beef over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until golden brown. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the mushroom/beef mixture and ground chili pepper. Saute 2 to 3 minutes, stirring.

• Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and lime juice.

• To serve, toss shredded cabbage with salt, pepper, lime juice and cilantro. Please 2 tablespoons of shredded cabbage on a tortilla, and top with 2 tablespoons of mushroom and beef mixture. Top with a generous tablespoon of avocado salsa, and sprinkle with Cotija cheese to taste.

• To make Avocado Salsa Verde: Combine all salsa ingredients and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Grilled Portabella Pizzas

Recipe courtesy of the Mushroom Council and Foodie Tots

Yield: 4 servings

Serving size: 1 portabella cap

• 4 large portabella mushrooms

• ½ cup marinara sauce

• ½ cup part-skim shredded mozzarella (or 2 ounces crumbled feta)

• Optional ingredients for seasoning and toppings: fresh basil leaves, sea salt, black pepper; and preferred pizza toppings (black olives, green peppers, pepperoni, etc.)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

• Gently clean portabellas with a damp paper towel. Trim the stems with a paring knife and use a spoon to scrape the dark brown gills from the underside of the cap. (Tip: Save the stems and gills to make mushroom stock.)

• Arrange the sauce, cheeses and topping in small bowls and line them up on a work surface.

• Brush the underside of the caps with olive oil and grill, oiled side down, for 3 to 4 minutes over a medium-high flame.

• Place the caps on the work surface, cooked side facing up, and if desired season with salt and pepper. Spread 1 to 2 tablespoons of sauce around the cap. Go easy on the sauce as the mushrooms will give off liquid when they cook, and too much sauce can make them soggy. Sprinkle with cheese to cover, then add optional toppings if desired such as black olives, fresh basil leaves and green pepper. Gently place back on the grill (toppings facing up) and cook another 3 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

The Mushroom Council is composed of fresh market producers or importers who average more than 500,000 pounds of mushrooms produced or imported annually. The mushroom program is authorized by the Mushroom Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act of 1990 and is administered by the Mushroom Council under the supervision of the Agricultural Marketing Service. Research and promotion programs help to expand, maintain and develop markets for individual agricultural commodities in the United States and abroad. These industry self-help programs are requested and funded by the industry groups that they serve. For more information on the Mushroom Council, visit mushroomcouncil.org.

The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) is devoted to working with the private sector to ensure the health of our nation’s youth by solving the childhood obesity crisis. In 2010, PHA was created in conjunction with – but independent from – First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! effort. PHA is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that is led by some of the nation’s most respected health and childhood obesity experts. PHA brings together public, private and nonprofit leaders to broker meaningful commitments and develop strategies to end childhood obesity. Most important, PHA ensures that commitments made are commitments kept by working with unbiased, third parties to monitor and publicly report on the progress our partners are making. For more information about PHA, please visit www.aHealthierAmerica.org and follow PHA on Twitter @PHAnews.