I should start this post by admitting that I am not a fan of mushrooms. Something about knowing that they are fungi has always really freaked me out. Like A LOT. But when Jared and I were grocery shopping yesterday and I let him convince me to make him cheesesteaks for dinner, he did something I never expected; he said that he wanted to add mushrooms. As much as I wanted to say no, I couldn’t say no to the pretty much birthday boy (his 21st birthday was Sunday). So, I ran (literally) to the produce department, since Jared decided that he wanted them as we were walking into line, and had to figure out which to buy. Honestly, I was out of my element but I went with medium sized mushrooms that I don’t even really remember the name of (sorry, I will find it out ASAP).
When I got home, I decided to look up what exactly makes these little pieces of fungi so popular. And let me tell you, I am going to make them a more common ingredient in my cooking, even if I don’t necessarily like where they come from. So, here’s what I found out…
Mushrooms help with weight loss (I’m in) in a few different ways. They increase the level of nutrition in your body, including vitamin D, which have been found to help fight against cancer, autoimmune diseases, and many other diseases. Vitamin D also helps boost metabolism, which we all know is an important part of weight loss. Mushrooms also help with your immune system. Who doesn’t want a stronger immune system? I mean really, sick days from work are more fun when you’re not really sick, right ;)?
All of that being said, I’m still going to stick to cooking mushrooms and not eating them raw. That just freaks me out a little too much, and honestly, I don’t really know anyone who has suggested them raw, like ever. I’m always open to suggestions though!
Now, here is the recipe for the cheesesteaks that I made for Jared. They are a cheat night type of meal, or a special occasion. Jared only got them because it was his birthday and I can’t say no to him when it comes to his birthday. I just really love birthdays and like to make sure that people really enjoy their special day. So, these are really easy to make and you can really put whatever you want in them.
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 Green Bell Pepper
1/2 cup Diced Yellow Onion
4 or 5 mushrooms (again, I’ll figure out what type they were)
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 box of steakums. I buy the box with 12 pieces that way Jared can have it for lunch a few times.
8 slices of your favorite cheese. I like provolone or low-fat american.
sub rolls
Here are the instructions ( I will post pictures as soon as my camera cords turns up!)
When these start to cook, add the steakums. Let these brown completely. When they are completely cooked, drain them and make sure you get as much of the grease out as possible. Put your pan back on the heat and add the cheese to pan and let it melt a little bit. Add the meat back into the pan. Mix the two together until the meat is coated in cheese. Then, scoop about 1/4 a cup of the mixture into the sub roll and enjoy š They are really yummy with chips, we had Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips with ours and it was an amazing combination.
Shopping Healthy 