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!!!
Comments on this entry are closed.
My fav summer food is watermelon 🙂 🙂 and ice cream! And I’d like to try the cookie dough Lara bar! Haha I may or may not have a sweet tooth ;$
I love the cherry pie larabars. Actually I love all the larabars! They get me through my long road rides.
I’ve always been interested in making a portobello burger because they just sound so good! I like the simple recipe. Thanks!
I would have to say that my favorite summertime food is fresh fruit, like strawberries!
Portobello burgers! Yum! Looks fab. I’m always looking for veggie burger ideas!
OMG that burger looks HUGE and so GOOD! !What a great veggie idea!!
My favorite summerfood are grillsed prawns on top of a huge green salad with avocado. hmmmmm….
I LOVE the blueberry Larabar…it tastes just like a “healthy” poptart! I also really like peanut butter cookie…pop it in the microwave for a few seconds, and it’s BETTER than the actual cookie 🙂
My favorite summer food = ANY kind of fresh fruit, namely PINEAPPLE!! Mmmmmm.
Looove Larabars! The cookie dough is my fav!
Love the idea of putting sprouts on a burger, good idea 🙂 and I’d love a Larabar variety pack! The pecan pie flavor is one of my faves!
My favorite summertime food is fresh veggies from my grandma’s garden.
Oh Lara Bars the snack that pulls me through long classes and busy days at work! My absolute favorite is PEANUTBUTTER AND JELLY! Yum yum yum. Which goes along with the fact that peanutbutter and jelly sandwiches are my favorite ANY season food <3
Oo I actually bought some portobello mushrooms yesterday. I should use them to give this a try this week as it looks yum 🙂
I love the blueberry larabar. I’ve never seen the tropical fruit, so I’d love to try that one!
Watermelon is so refreshing in the summertime.
i’ll have to try these burgers too!
That portobello burger looks so yummy! 🙂
I love the peanut butter chocolate chip larabars! (Who am I kidding, I love everything that involves peanut butter and chocolate… lol.)
Those burgers looks delish. I really want to try a Larabar! Especially the pb&j. 🙂
my favorite summer time fruit is watermelon hands down
i actually haven’t had a larabar before….
I’ve never actually had a larabar before! I’d love to try the peanut butter cookie flavor 🙂
I love the chocolate chip cookie dough ones..sooo good!
I would have never thought to put hummus on a veggie burger, or sprouts even! I bet it tastes super fresh and flavorful, that hummus is one of my faves from TJ’s
Those burgers look yummy! My favorite larabar flavor is the blueberry!
Favorite summertime food: Frozen yogurttt
I LOVE portobello mushroom burgers! Yours looks and sounds fantastic–especially with the addition of hummus. Yum!
My favorite Larabar flavor is definitely Peanut Butter Cookie. 🙂 I also love their new ALT bars. Have you tried them?!
I have too many favorite summertime foods to pick just one, so I’m going to list a few: ice cream, watermelon, grilled corn, grilled veggies (anything on the grill, really), and fruity cocktails. 🙂
my fav summertime food is fresh blueberries….I can’t wait until they are in season (which lasts an all too short time 🙁
My favorite summer time food is corn on the cob, grilled in the husks. YUM! I also like to cut it off the cob and make a vegan creamed corn. I’ve never actually tried a larabar, but looking at the list there’s some great flavors! Lemon and coconut cream pie sound amazing but so do cappuccino and PB&J. How have I not tried these before? (I think I live under a rock).
Also, do you scrape the gills out of your portobellas? For some reason, the texture really weirds me out when they’re in there.
My favorite Lara Bar is the Pineapple Upside Down Cake flavor. Oh man, it’s good!
We’re going to be near 90s early this week too which I’m definitely not complaining about after getting snow every week in April!
I love most Larabar flavors that I’ve tried, but I still haven’t found that tropical fruit tart one yet and it sounds so delicious!
LOVE LOVE Larabars! Apple Pie is my favourite and for no specific reason other than I’ve never had it, would be excited to try Blueberry Muffin!
WOW this is such a great giveaway! I love love love Larabars, but have only tried about 5 flavors for some odd reason. I didn’t even know they had a tropical fruit tart flavor, so I would be super excited to try that one! Thanks again 🙂
I love portobella mushrooms, and will often use them as the BUN part of my burger. 🙂 My favorite Larabar flavor is Coconut Creme!
I’ve never thought of putting hummus on a burger but sounds delicious! I have always wanted to try the key lime pie or PB cookie larabars!
Those burgers look really good! I saw a post on another blog for portabello burgers and I am tempted to give it a shot. Seems like a good alternative (and easier) than home made black bean burgers. 🙂 I take ease over flavor sometimes, shoot me!
My favorite Lara Bar is either cashew cookie or apple pie. I love them because some of them are Paleo so my Paleo roomie doesn’t mind if I keep them around the apartment!
I love portobello mushrooms! These burgers sound fantastic!
I LOVE Larabars! I eat them all the time. My favorite flavor is the chocolate chip cookie dough. Yum!
I’ve only tried the Peanut Butter Cookie flavor because that’s all my store carries. I love them and so does my almost 2 year old. I love that they are healthy, and that they actually fill you up unlike other granola bars.
Omg I LOVE larabars! I want to try the blueberry one pretty badly because I’ve never had it before, but I think cherry tart is my fav
I love portabello mushroom burgers! So simple and delish. My favorite larabar flavor are any of the ones with chocolate chips 🙂 Love them!
I love portabello burgers! They can be such a fake-out, especially to my meat-loving friends :P!
OMG BEST GIVEAWAY EVER!! My fav Larabar is the chocolate chip cookie dough AND summertime foods are anything BBQ’d!!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE larabars!!! Oh the coconut one is so good! And that is so my kind of burger! Looks amazing! 🙂 I had a field roast sausage off the grill last night!
That burger looks amazing- i love portobello’s!
I also love grilling food – it always seems to taste so much better! I don’t think I have a favorite lara, but I definitely haven’t tried them all yet 🙂
My favorite summertime food is watermelon! I would love to try the brownie Larabar! 🙂
My favorite summer time food is grilled corn on the cob and my favorite flavor of lara bars in chocolate chip cookie dough!
I just tried Portobello mushrooms for the first time ever this weekend. It wasn’t as bad as I thought. I really dislike mushrooms because of consistency but the Portobello mushroom had a much more meaty texture than I would have thought!
My favorite summer time food is grilled corn on the cob and my favorite flavor of lara bars in chocolate chip cookie dough!
I just tried Portobello mushrooms for the first time ever this weekend. It wasn’t as bad as I thought. I really dislike mushrooms because of consistency but the Portobello mushroom had a much more meaty texture than I would have thought!
I love the apple pie larabar. I could eat one everyday! I’ve been looking for the PB&J bar but haven’t found it yet, I’m dying to try it!
Mmmm I LOVE Larabars! I think my favorite is probably peanut butter chocolate chip!
I love Larabars! I’ve made them at home but they never turn out quite like the real thing. I’d be most excited to try the chocolate chip cookie dough flavor. 😉 Such a great snack to have on the go! And I’m a big fan of that shorter ingredients list too!
My favorite lara bar is peanut butter cookie!
And my favorite summertime food is any cold salad, like pasta salad or corn and black bean salad!
I like the chocolate chip cookie dough bars!
Carrot cake is my fav larabar 😀 and grilled corn on the cob is my fav summer food!
My favorite flavor is Key Lime Pie. I love how it has coconut in it! The short ingredient lists are my favorite thing about Lara Bars.
I’ve tried every kind I think is available, Pretty nice when they send you dietician at work 2 huge sample boxes!!! Key lime or coconut
I love the jocolate flavors! And my fav summer food is any grilled veggie:)
I love ALL of the Larabar flavors! I seriously have not come across a Larabar I haven’t taken a fancy to.
My favorite summer food (great question, BTW) is wild blackberries, and all the awesome things you can do with them!
I love ALL Larabar flavors! (I seriously have never met a Larabar I didn’t like.)
My favorite summertime food (great question, btw) is wild blackberries and all the awesome things you can do with them.
I like the Lemon Bar flavor.
Oh goodness! 16 Larabars?! Thanks so much for this giveaway! <3
I'd have to say my favorite are the Coconut Cream! I've always really enjoyed the Cashew Cookie and Apple Pie, too!
xo.
The coconut cream pie for sure! I LOVE zucchini!
What a fun giveaway! I’ve never had a Laurabar before, but I’ve been wanting to try one. The Peanut Butter Cookie one sounds especially good to me. As far as my favorite summertime food, I go bananas over frozen chocolate bananas on a stick. Celeste:)
Omg I love larabars!!!! I want to try coconut cream pie!
I’m a big fan of Larabars!! My FAV has to be the cherry pie! My favourite summertime food is vegan strawberry shortcake, with fresh strawberries and coconut cream ofcourse! yum!
My favorite Larabar flavor is Chocolate Chip Cherry Torte.
I LOVE coconut cream pie and my favorite summertime food has got to be watermelon. I eat it in smoothies, salads or just by itself…so good!
favorite summertime food is grilled veggies!! and grilled pineapple
I want to make that mushroom sandwich asap. I love cashew cookie larabar. and sweet corn is my favorite summertime food
I have never tried Larabars, but I’ve been wanting to for awhile. I love dessert, so the chocolate chip cookie dough and key lime pie flavors sound amazing! I love all the fresh fruits and veggies that are available during the summer, but my favorite summertime food is probably grilled bell peppers, onion and pineapple. Amazing!!!
I like the peanut butter one! So good!
I like the peanut butter and jelly one! They are so good! My favorite summer time food is any veggie cooked over the grill!
I love Peanut Butter!!!
I LOVE grilled portabellos. Balsamic is my go-to dressing, but Newman’s Own Sesame Ginger is FANTASTIC as well. 🙂 My favorite summertime food, however, is probably WATERMELON. I can’t get enough.
As for the Larabars, I love Cashew Cookie…and I want to try Key Lime Pie or Blueberry Muffin!
My favorite larabar is the cashew cookie or coconut cream pie. I would be most excited to try the carrot cake!
I’d like to try the Tropical Fruit. My favorite summertime food is Honeydew.
The cherry pie sounds good. My favorite summertime food is garden fresh tomatoes.
i love the carrot cake larabars! yum!
Key Lime Pie is my absolute favourite larabar. And my favorite summertime food is… fresh corn on the cob on the bbq. I love it!
I love chocolate chip cookie dough yum!! I love avocado and corn on the cob lately! 🙂
That mushroom burger looks AMAZING! I haven’t found a larabar I don’t love! I especially love the tartness of the cherry pie one!
I really like the coconut cream pie. I have been wanting to try the pb&j for a long time. During the summer I pretty much drink a smoothie every day:)
My favorite larabar is peanut butter cookie and I’m excited to try chocolate chip cherry torte! My favorite summertime meal is a huge salad with avocado, spinach, strawberries and other goodies on top.
I love the Key Lime Pie Larabar! I believe it has only five ingredients and it is a perfect balance on tart and sweet!!
I love love love the peanut butter cookie flavor. In my opinio it tastes better than the real thing!
One day I will become brave enough to try their new line of “Pea Protein” bars, but for now I am curious to try their Lemon, Carot Cake, Cappuchino or Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. 🙂 Nom, there were too many great flavours to choose just ONE.
As for my summertime food, Watermelon. It’s a seasonal fruit and as soon as I see one, I grab my spoon and go straight for the middle. 🙂
Thanks for this great opportunity, I’ll cross my fingers and hope to win.
My favourite summertime food is fresh peaches.
Love Larabars cherry pie… and summer is great for all the fresh food but corn on the cob will always be summer to me 🙂