The Blended Burger Project™, promoted by The James Beard Foundation, is a movement to improve the iconic burger by blending ground meat with chopped mushrooms to show that you can serve a more nutritious, sustainable burger.
More than 350 operations competed in this year’s Blended Burger Project™, including healthcare facilities, business-dining operations and foodservice-management companies. Even colleges and universities, which were not in session at the time of the promotion, were active in the contest. It’s no wonder, since this segment has been a leader in menuing and promoting The Blend to showcase the synergistic relationship between meat and mushrooms. Plus, this segment is focused on food literacy, where food comes from and healthier dining.
Thank you to all the colleges and universities that took this as an opportunity to educate today’s young adults about sustainable food.
Here are some of the Blended Burger Project™ participants:
- Frostburg State University, Frostburg, Md.
Chipotle Mushroom Burger topped with bacon hash and mustard barbecue sauce - The University Club and Restaurant, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Mass.
Authentic Kimchi Burger with gochujang ketchup, local smoked cheddar and teriyaki mushrooms - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.
The Asian Mushroom Burger - Kennesaw State University Dining, Kennesaw, Ga.
Bannock bread layered with potatoes and a porcini-scented patty, topped with loaded mushroom brown sauce, smoked bacon, cheese curds and crispy onion straws - Missouri State Dining Chartwells, Springfield, Mo.
Grass-fed Missouri beef mashed with wild chanterelles and caramelized onions, topped with heirloom tomatoes and blue cheese, and drizzled with cabernet demiglace and frizzled shallots - Montclair State Dining, Montclair, N.J.
YUM-ami Burger stuffed with shiitake and cremini mushrooms and applewood-smoked bacon, topped with napa cabbage, jalapeno slawand ginger-hoisin aioli, served on a toasted brioche bun - Princeton University Campus Dining, Princeton, N.J.
Short rib and skirt steak with farro, roasted corn, kale, mushroom trio and white miso paste, set on a base of crispy radish chips and topped with spicy pickled carrot, daikon, fennel and leek, and tossed with micro-greens and cilantro leaves on a garlic-butter toasted bun - University Medical Center Brackenridge, Austin, Texas
A beef patty with fresh field mushrooms and boursin cheese - Clyde's Gastropub at UCCS, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Local, antibiotic-free ground beef, mushrooms and Pueblo green chilies, served on a sweet potato bun and topped with local Monterey Jack cheese, and special seasoning - Moreton Fig, University of California, Los Angeles, Calif.
Champignon Burger on a challah bun, with housemade garlic aioli, arugula grown in USC's Teaching Garden, local mushrooms and grass-fed angus beef from California - The Lab Gastropub, University of California, Los Angeles, Calif.
The Oaxaca Burger with achiote-marinated pork, Oaxaca cheese, lime-pickled red onions and avocado-tomatillo salsa
To find out more information and to join the Blended Burger Project™, go to: www.jamesbeard.org/blendedburgerproject
This post is sponsored by Blended Burger Project™