I do not know what the weather is like in your area. But here in the Midwest, it is finally starting to cooperate and it actually feels like Spring! In fact, there are rumors that it could very well get up to 92 degrees on Tuesday. I definitely did not see that one coming, but I am absolutely not going to complain! All of this warm weather indicates one thing to me: it is now officially grilling season and the season for “Summer foods.” So what are “Summer foods?” Well, in my book, anything grilled, involving corn on the cob, that is centered around fresh fruit (especially melons and berries), or that is surrounded by a hamburger or hot dog bun is considered to be a Summertime food. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt to throw a beer or a margarita in there, either ;).
Sometimes, though, eating “Summer foods” as a vegetarian can be a bit more challenging and requires a little extra creativity. I can handle corn on the cob and fresh fruit just fine, but the “meaty” part of the meal takes a little extra imagination. Trust me, I love a good veggie burger or vegetarian “hot dog,” but I also try to only eat these processed foods in moderation. Enter: the Portobello Mushroom Burger!
Portobello Mushroom Burgers (Vegan)
Servings: Makes 3 burgers
Ingredients
3 Portobello mushroom caps, stems removed
3 TB balsamic vinaigrette dressing (1 TB per mushroom)
olive oil cooking spray
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
whole wheat hamburger buns or thin buns
Optional toppings:
lettuce or spinach
sprouts
tomato slices
onions
pickles
hummus*
Vegenaise vegan mayo
ketchup
mustard
*I used Trader Joe’s Chipotle Hummus, which was amazing on these burgers!
Directions
1. Place mushrooms into a large Ziploc bag with balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Seal the bag and shake gently until all of the mushrooms are coated well with the dressing. Place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. Place the mushrooms into the skillet, along with the remaining dressing from the bag.
3. Cook the mushrooms for approximately 7 to 8 minutes on each side, or until tender.
4. Assemble your Portobello Mushrooms Burgers using buns and your favorite toppings.
You can also follow the same marinating steps, but grill these burgers. I am not sure on the exact time for how long each mushroom would cook for, though, because I am unfortunately without a grill at the moment. If you try the grilling method, please let me know how they turn out!
My burger toppings included spinach, red onions, tomatoes, bread and butter pickles, sprouts, and chipotle hummus on a whole wheat thin bun.
And, keeping with the Summertime theme, I served my Portobello Mushroom Burger with corn on the cob, which tasted surprisingly good for it not being at its peak season.
This was a humongous burger (it probably would have been funny watching me attempt to eat it gracefully), but an absolutely fantastic tasting Summertime sandwich. The perfect texture and flavoring of the mushroom combined with the crunchy veggies and the slightly spicy and creamy hummus really hit the spot. This will definitely be one of my “go-to” Summer burgers. Who needs the meat when you have mushrooms, anyways? 😉 Wow…my former mushroom hating self cannot believe that I just wrote that!
Larabar Giveaway!
And because Summer weather is finally making an arrival in the Midwest, I have a giveaway to help us all celebrate!
The wonderful folks at Larabar have offered to give one lucky reader a box of 16 assorted Larabar bars! Awesome, right?!? I am a huge fan of Larabars (for their delicious flavors and impeccable ingredient lists). Some of my favorite flavors (so far) include Peanut Butter and Jelly, Blueberry Muffin, Cherry Pie, Chocolate Chip Cherry Torte, and Peanut Butter Cookie.
Larabar sent me several flavors to try out for myself, and using the Tropical Fruit Tart bar as an example, take a look at what their ingredient lists looks like:
The best part is that I would actually consider this ingredient list to be a “long” list. Some of their bars only contain 3 simple ingredients! I love this company for that reason. Oh, and the bars actually taste REALLY good, too! 🙂
To enter to win a box of 16 assorted Larabar bars, leave a comment on this post answering one of the following two questions:
1. What is your favorite Larabar flavor, or which flavor are you most excited to try?
2. What is your favorite “Summertime food?”
This giveaway is open to residents of the United States and Canada only. The giveaway will close on Friday, May 17th at 11:59 p.m. CST. I will announce the winner on Sunday, May 19th! Good luck :).
And finally…I would like to wish a very Happy Mother’s Day to my mom and to all of the moms out there!!!
