By Megan Groh

Hy-Vee Dietitian

I have never been a fan of mushrooms, but a couple of years ago I started sneaking them into my diet by chopping them up finely and incorporating them into ground beef.

Adding mushrooms to your favorite dishes can add savory, meaty, rich flavor while slashing calories, fat and sodium intake. In addition, while I was sneaking them into my meals, I developed a tolerance to mushroom. Now, I crave the earthy and steak-like taste that mushrooms add to a dish.

With a similar texture to meat, mushrooms are hearty, filling, and satisfying, but unlike meat, mushrooms are a low-calorie, fat-free and cholesterol-free food, making them a great choice for those looking to manage their weight.

Preliminary research suggests increasing intake of low-calorie, high-volume foods, specifically mushrooms, in place of high-calorie, low-volume foods, like ground beef, can be an effective method for reducing daily calorie and fat intake while still feeling full and satiated.

Use mushrooms to transform your meals

•Simply chop mushrooms to match the texture of ground meat and use in place of some of the meat in recipes you love such as pot pie, shepherd’s pie and meatballs.

•Incorporating mushrooms into your favorite dishes can help reduce calorie and fat intake — in fact, research suggests that substituting mushrooms for lean ground beef in an entrée just once every week could save you almost 20,000 calories in one year.

•A recent study showed that combining meat with mushrooms actually enhances the flavor of iconic recipes.

•Mushrooms are naturally low in sodium plus their umami counterbalances saltiness so less salt can be used in a dish without compromising flavor.

Biscuits with Turkey

and Mushroom Sausage Gravy

Serves 4

All you need

•1 cup plus 2 tablespoon whole wheat pastry flour, divided

•2 teaspoon sugar

•2 teaspoon baking powder

•1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

•2 tablespoon unsalted butter, chilled

•1/2 cup buttermilk

•8 ounces 93 percent lean ground turkey

•8 oz white button mushrooms, finely chopped

•1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

•1/2 teaspoon sage

•1/4 tsp ground thyme

•1 tsp brown sugar

•1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

•Dash nutmeg

•1 tbsp canola oil

•2 cups skim milk

•Hot sauce, to taste, optional

For the biscuits

1. Preheat oven to 425. In a bowl, stir together 1 cup flour, sugar, baking powder, and 1/8 tsp salt until well-combined. Cut in butter until mixture resembles wet sand. Make a well in the center and add buttermilk, stirring swiftly with a fork just until batter comes together.

2. Pour dough onto counter and lightly knead a few times, then pat into a rectangle. Fold rectangle onto itself in thirds and press out once more into a square.

3. Cut four large biscuits and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.

For the gravy

In a bowl, combine ground turkey, chopped mushrooms, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, sage, thyme, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, and nutmeg.

2. Once well combined, transfer to a large skillet and cook over medium heat until browned and cooked through, 6-8 minutes. Transfer turkey and mushroom sausage to a plate, leaving juices in pan.

3. Add canola oil to the juices in the pan and bring to a simmer. Blend in 2 tbsp flour and 1/8 tsp salt and cook for 2-3 minutes until lightly brown. Remove from the heat and whisk in milk, stirring to blend. Return to the heat (some lumps will remain) and continue whisking while heating quickly to a full boil.

4. Boil for 1 minute while continuing to whisk; gravy will become smooth and thicken. Add the turkey and mushroom sausage to the gravy and season to taste with black pepper and hot sauce. Once heated through, serve over whole wheat biscuits.