Earth Friendly Mushroom Beef Combos

I love the grass fed beef, shiitake mushrooms, crisp carrots and spring onions from the local farmers market-tasty alone and "over-the-hill" when combined. The art of combining mushrooms and other vegetables with beef creates juicy, flavorful recipes that are more sustainable.

Utilize every bit of the caps and stems by chopping the washed mushrooms in the food processor. Saute these and other vegetables in olive oil and drain thoroughly before combining with raw beef, egg and seasonings.  The vegetable-beef blend can then be made into meatballs, burgers or meatloaf and cooked.

This meatloaf recipe utilizes equal parts of mushrooms and beef:

Mushroom Beef Meatloaf

(Serves 4)

Combine washed vegetables in food processor bowl.  Pulse until finely chopped.
8 ounce mushrooms, quartered
1/4 cup celery, cut in 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup carrots, peeled and cut in 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup onions, cut in 1 inch pieces
2 garlic clove, peeled and sliced

Saute vegetables in olive oil for 8-10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes.  Vegetable mixture will reduce in size by 1/2.  Drain thoroughly, squeezing to remove excess water.
2 teaspoon olive oil

Combine vegetables with beef, egg, cornmeal and seasoning.
1/2 pound ground beef (85-90% lean)
1 egg
1/4 cup whole grain cornmeal
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Form into meatloaf shape of choice.
Place in a greased baking pan that allows for draining. 

Cover with tomato sauce mixed with brown sugar.
6 ounce tomato sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Bake uncovered approximately 1 hour until internal temperature reaches 155 F.

September is National Mushroom Month and with mushrooms unique flavor and versatility, there's no reason not to eat these fungi.