STUFFED PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM BURGER

I’ve had my fair share of veggie and portobello mushroom burgers throughout seven years of being a pescatarian. I chose the pescatarian route for mainly two reasons. As far as the source of meat, poultry, and seafood goes, I researched and researched and concluded that if the USDA is regulating it and a company is selling it, at the end of the day you just have to be skeptical, regardless of how many seemingly great labels are slapped on a product, “free range,” “hormone-free,” “antibiotics-free,” etc. So, I took the better safe than sorry route and decided to reduce my intake as much as possible, and also tried to always buy the best quality seafood products (while still maintaining a healthy level of skepticism). Also, I learned that my body thrives when I lean on a plant-based diet. I feel lighter, have more energy, better skin, and a tendency to consume more nutrients in general. Though I still mostly eat plant-based, I have recently introduced chicken back into my diet. After a nightmare journey with H. pylori over the past year, I really needed a more straightforward source of protein, and seafood can sometimes be…fishy (pun intended) for the stomach/digestive system. I still don’t eat red meat, and I don’t see myself going back to it since both my taste buds and body have adapted, and it’s the riskiest of meats as far as long-term health effects go. What my future diet is going to look like, I’m not sure, but for now this is what works for my body. I think it’s important that each person eat according to what their body needs given all the different factors life can bring.

Now, let’s talk veggie burgers. Back in the day I used to buy boxed veggie patties from time to time for the sake of convenience, and strategically avoided looking at the ingredients list. But the stuff is terrible for you. Full of empty carbs and bad oils, which is a huge problem with a lot of vegetarian products out there. So for a long time now, I’ve avoided both buying processed vegetarian products and ordering them at restaurants since I don’t know what’s in there. My solution has been to make my own patties at home, or throw portobello mushrooms on the grill, which led to this recipe. Recently I was thinking, we’ve got portobello mushroom burgers, and we’ve got stuffed portobello mushrooms, but rarely do you see a stuffed portobello mushroom burger, so here we are!

My goal with this recipe was to keep it clean, low carb, use healthy fats, and keep it higher in protein, iron, and FLAVA! The beauty of a stuffed portobello mushroom is that it gives you more flexibility with ingredients, since you don’t have to worry about a patty holding together thanks to its naturally glorious bowl shape. Plus, the mushroom really helps achieve a burger-like flavor and texture. A lot of veggie patty recipes include ingredients like brown rice, oats, and other starches to help keep it together, but it’s unnecessary for this recipe, and frankly a burger bun is carbs enough, don’t need it inside too. Another ingredient I wanted to avoid was soy. I hate soy, it makes me feel terrible, and tastes terrible. Also, most veggie burgers tend to have a chipotle, black bean flavor profile and I’m kinda over it. So instead of beans, I’ve used lentils as a base for this recipe, which has the added benefit of providing higher amounts of iron.

Try out this recipe next time you fire up the grill!

Yield: 4 burgers

Ingredients:

4 portobello mushrooms

1½ cup cooked lentils (I like to cook my own)

1 medium green bell pepper, diced

1 medium red bell pepper, diced

1 medium onion, diced

½ cup pitted black olives, chopped (important for both texture and taste)

¾ cup grated carrots (about 1 large carrot)

2 cloves minced garlic

1-2 tbsp. coconut oil

1 tbsp. yellow mustard

1 tbsp. coconut aminos (good substitute for worcestershire sauce)

½ tsp. onion powder

½ tsp. garlic powder

1-2 tbsp. salt

pinch of black pepper

(Burger Stuff):

healthy burger buns of your choice

sliced tomatoes

lettuce

whatever toppings you’d like

(Quick Guacamole):

3 ripe avocados

1 lime

½ tsp. onion powder

pinch of salt and pepper

Other Stuff You’ll Need:

grill

large pan

bowl

Directions:

1. If you’re cooking your own lentils, this would be the time to get ‘em going.
2. Clean the portobello mushrooms, shorten or remove the stems, and set aside.
3. Dice the bell peppers, onion, olives, and grate the carrots. Throw them in your pan.
4. Into the pan, add the garlic, coconut oil, mustard, coconut aminos, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
5. Close the lid and turn the stove on to medium heat for about 2-3 minutes. You don’t want the vegetables to cook, but slightly soften while still having bite to them, since the grill will cook them more later.
6. Add the lentils into the pan and mix with the vegetables.
7. In a bowl, mash the avocados with the lime, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
8. Pour equal amounts of the vegetable and lentil mixture into each portobello mushroom and place them on the grill. Grill them on low-to-medium heat for about 10 minutes or until they’re tender. Some mushrooms are thicker and take longer to cook through. Grill the burger buns during the last minute or so.
9. Take them off the grill, build your burger, and enjoy!

Tips:

• There’s always flexibility with any recipe. Add/subtract vegetables or seasonings how you like!
• I like to add mustard as a dressing, because it works with the flavors and is the healthiest store-bought dressing option, usually containing mustard seed, vinegar, turmeric and salt. Read the ingredients and be selective with the store-bought dressing you prefer, or make your own. I like to make a quick homemade ranch with greek yogurt.
• Grill some sliced red onion and to throw on the burger. So good!