A Look at Food Trends in 2010 – Plus a Recipe Makeover Using Hokto Mushrooms

Despite the abundance of convenience foods and drive-thrus, in today’s economy, families are beginning to cook more at home. According to research published by the Food Channel, CNN and others, quick, simple meals expressing individuality, flavor delivery, and sprinkled with a dash of ethnicity are a few of the latest trends in 2010. Home cooked meals in minutes. Hokto mushrooms can certainly contribute to that!

Also, more and more people are moving away from a “meat and potatoes” diet to include more vegetables and less meat in their home-cooked meals. According to USDA statistics, consumption for meat has been decreasing over the last three years. In fact, this trend has created a new word, “flexitarian”. While not true vegetarians and not quite fulltime carnivores (meat-eaters), flexitarians tend to eat a mostly plant-based diet composed of grains, vegetables, and fruits, but they occasionally obtain protein from lean meat, fish, poultry, or dairy. A quarter of Americans fit the description, consuming meatless meals at least four days a week, according to the American Dietetic Association.

Either way, the need for quick, easy meals are in demand. Stir fry meals made with seasonal vegetables are extremely popular. Today, I’d like to prepare a recipe makeover, transforming a traditional chicken stir-fry into a delicious Flexitarian Stir Fry that highlights Hokto mushrooms. Any of the Hokto varieties can be used (White or Brown Beech, Maitake or King Trumpet) as perfect substitutes for a flavor-enhanced, meatless dish. From my previous posts (San Diego County Fair), you’ll recall how surprised audience participants were when they tasted the mushroom dishes and realized how “meaty” the mushroom sauce was using only vegetable oil, salt and pepper for seasoning.

The Vegetarian Resource Group estimates that 4.7 million adults are vegetarians. Below is a recipe that can be modified depending on your personal tastes. Substituting mushrooms for the chicken eliminated all the cholesterol and significantly increased the phytochemical punch- special compounds found in plant food that offer special health benefits.

Be a part of the flexitarian trend and express your individuality with cooking quick, simple, delicious meals prepared in minutes with Hokto mushrooms!