Elevate Your Winter Meals with Nutrient-Rich Mushrooms

With the holidays just weeks away and months of Canadian winter around the corner, there’s never been a better time to boost your cold-weather diet. One simple Canadian-grown ingredient can take your winter meals up a notch, making them healthier, heartier, and tastier: mushrooms!

Delicious and nutritious, mushrooms are bonafide nutritional powerhouses. Low in calories, sodium, and fat, your favourite fungi are a guilt-free addition to any meal. They are cholesterol-free and serve as an excellent source of selenium and B vitamins, essential for maintaining a healthy body and mind. Mushrooms are also the only source of vitamin D in the produce aisle—a must-have for the cold and dark winter months.

Thanks to their unique blend of nutrients, antioxidants, and immune-supporting properties, mushrooms can also play a role in managing a range of health issues, from blood pressure to arthritis.

Mushrooms are a great way to add a healthy boost while spicing up your favourite hearty recipes. But did you know that each mushroom variety comes with a unique flavour profile? White mushrooms, the most popular mushrooms nationwide, have a woodsy flavour that blends well with almost anything, making them a perfect addition to a weeknight dinner. On the other hand, Shiitake mushrooms are known for their savoury umami flavour and truly shine in stir-fry, stew, and soup recipes—all great ways to maximize the nutritional value of your winter meals. From large to small, earthy to woodsy, delicate to meaty, and everything in between, there’s a mushroom for everyone.

SMALL BUT MIGHTY

Canadian mushrooms truly shine when it comes to sustainable and nutritious food choices. These remarkable fungi are grown from coast to coast, ensuring they never travel far to reach your local grocery store. Even better, while many crops rely on particular weather patterns, mushrooms thrive regardless of the season because they're grown indoors. Year-round, fresh mushrooms remain a valuable, affordable, and reliable food source for consumers, from the sunniest summer days to the frostiest winter nights. With inflation on the rise, these small-but-mighty fungi are an incredible way to stretch your grocery budget without compromising on flavour or nutritional value. There are countless ways to use mushrooms to stretch your grocery budget, beef up your portions, and add heartiness to your meals! Visit mushrooms.ca for recipes, tips, and to get the dirt on Canadian mushrooms. If you need another reason to love mushrooms, try adding them to this Mushroom Stuffed Pork Tenderloin—delicious, nutritious, and sure to be a staple in your holiday meals.

Mushroom Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Prep Time: 20 min • Cook Time: 35 min • Serves: 8

The beauty of cooking with mushrooms is that they can easily be incorporated into your favourite meals! In this mouth-watering recipe, a moist and flavourful mushroom-based stuffing makes an impressive but simple meat dish. Take advantage of seasonal flavours with an apple or calvados drizzle on top, if desired, and refrigerate any leftovers—it slices beautifully the next day.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided

• 8 oz fresh mushrooms (crimini, shiitake, oyster), finely chopped

• 1/4 cup each finely diced red pepper and onion

• 1 tsp each dried savoury and sage leaves

• 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper

• 4 tsp Dijon mustard

• 1 cup fresh whole wheat bread crumbs

• 2 pork tenderloin (about 1 lb/500g each)

• 1 cup apple juice

• 1 tbsp cornstarch

Directions

Pork Tenderloin:

1. In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; sauté mushrooms, red pepper, and onion; sauté 3-4 minutes or until moisture is released from mushrooms and evaporated. Add savoury, sage, salt and pepper, and sauté 1 minute; remove from heat and stir in mustard and breadcrumbs.

2. Cut tenderloins almost in half lengthwise so they open like a book; pound to flatten slightly. Spread and lightly pack stuffing down the centre of each, leaving 1”(2.5 cm) border around the edges. Fold long edges over stuffing, overlapping as necessary, and fold in the narrow end; secure with skewers or string.

3. In a large skillet, heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat and sear both sides of the tenderloins for about 5 minutes. If skillet handles are not oven-proof, cover with foil or transfer pork to baking pan and place in 400°F (200°C) oven; roast for 20-25 minutes or until juices run clear or when an instant-read thermometer reads 155°F (75°C).

4. Let stand covered with foil for 5-10 minutes; remove skewers or string, slice and serve fanned out on serving plates.

5. Drizzle with pan juices or apple drizzle.

Apple Drizzle:

1. In a small saucepan, mix 1 cup (250 mL) apple juice with 1tbsp (15 mL) cornstarch until smooth; bring to boil, stirring constantly and boil 1-2 minutes or until thickened and clear; stir in pan juices from the skillet.

2. Drizzle over sliced tenderloin.

Notes

• 8 oz/250g mushrooms is about 3 cups (750 g) finely chopped.

• Pork may be slightly pink inside when sliced; don’t overcook.

• Switch it up and add ¼ cup (50 mL) diced apple with the onion and red pepper, reduce mustard to 2 tsp (10 mL)

• For special occasions, reduce apple juice to 3/4 cup (175 mL) and add ¼ cup (50 mL) calvados after it has thickened.