One example is combining mushrooms with ground meat for flavorful, healthier and more environmentally friendly recipes. Earlier this year, more than 350 independent restaurants developed their mushroom-blended take on the classic burger in the James Beard Foundation's Blended Burger Project. Sonic Drive-In became the first fast food restaurant to serve a blended burger made with 35 percent mushrooms, resulting in a burger that's less than 350 calories and offers phytochemicals and antioxidants that could help reduce the risk of chronic disease. The Sonic Slinger was offered for a limited time in the spring and proved so popular it was served for a limited time in the fall and is back as part of a new promotion, according to Scott Uehlein, Sonic's vice president of product innovation and development. In 2019, expect to see more restaurants offering up mushroom-and-meat blends, as well as more recipes for the home cook that combine plant-based ingredients with meat.