Surprise Mac’n’Beef (THM-S)

What’s the surprise in this recipe? It’s mushrooms! Before you say “gross” and look away, I’m begging you to hear me out!

The mushrooms are processed and mixed into the ground beef…and I promise, you can’t tell there’s mushrooms there! This is picky little boy approved…I’m not lying; he gobbled it up without any complaints!

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s get to the recipe. See the end of the post for why mushrooms are so good for you.

Ingredients For the Beef:

1 lb ground beef

8 oz baby bella mushrooms, processed until chopped very finely, almost to a paste, but not quite. They have to be tiny enough to be undetectable.

1 tsp onion and garlic powder

1 tsp mineral salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp paprika (smoked or regular)

Brown the ground beef in a skillet, then when it is browned, add the mushrooms that have been processed well. Add all the seasonings, and cook for five to ten more minutes, and while it’s finishing, prepare the Mac.

Ingredients for the Mac:

Dreamfield’s Pasta (a higher protein pasta that is THM-approved), cooked

¼ cup butter

½ cup Greek yogurt

6-8 oz cheese (I used Aldi’s shredded Gouda)

1 tsp mineral salt

Dash of black pepper

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp garlic powder

2 tbsp heavy cream

Mix all the above ingredients into the noodles that have just been drained from their boiling water. The butter and cheese will melt. Stir everything together until all the cheese is melted, and then combine with the beef mixture.

Serve with a side salad, and you have a quick, hearty, healthy dinner.

THM: This is a heavy S. The mushrooms are a hidden veggie, and the addition of the side salad with an S-friendly dressing rounds it out perfectly.

The scoop on the ‘shrooms:

Mushrooms are one of those veggies that you either love or hate, in my limited experience, of course. Now technically, they are in the fungus family…which doesn’t help them sound very appetizing. But here are the benefits of mushrooms: (info taken from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.)

They contain:

· Protein

· Phosphorus

· Calcium

· Iron

· Biotin, a B-complex vitamin

· Selenium, necessary for heart health and the circulatory system

They also boost the immune system and fight cancer cells. That’s a good reason to be eating them!

I’ve seen several articles recently about mushroom teas, mushroom extracts, and mushroom coffees. It seems that mushrooms are gaining popularity! So make use of nature’s medicine, and incorporate more mushrooms in your diet! (And don’t tell picky husbands or kids!)

You may also want to try Surprise Burritos.