“Hey Mia, are we making burgers tonight?”
My stomach grumbled. I did not want to wait for another hour for dinner. I was already tired and…hungry. I could feel my hangry mode kicking in. Zoe pulled out a bag of portobello mushrooms. I stopped in my tracks. I had forgotten, I had agreed to make “mushroom” burgers for Zoe’s sake.
Oh gosh. I HATE mushrooms. I couldn’t stand the texture. Most of my mushrooms always found its way onto Zoe’s plate because I didn’t want to be scolded for leaving my “vegetables” behind.
We had flown back to Utah just a few days earlier and we were running low on ingredients. I stared at our empty fridge. There was really no other option for dinner.
Surprisingly, despite my lack of enthusiasm, the next 60 minutes flew by. After sticking the thick slabs of portobello mushrooms into a mixture of soy sauce and balsamic vinegar, we worked on prepping the toppings. It was such an interesting experience, because I rarely eat burgers ever. I rarely even make sandwiches for myself, so this felt so refreshing and new.
The smell of fresh garlic and soy sauce drifted in the air as the mushrooms hit the fiery hot grill pan. It was like magic was happening. Sizzling in its beautiful juices, the mushrooms slightly softened, leaving beautiful char marks on the tops. Seeing the juicy mushrooms, my doubts about this burger started to fade. I was even more excited because we had subbed the oil in the marinade with vegetable stock instead, the flavor of the mushrooms was still incredible!
Removing the mushrooms from the pan, we placed the buns on the grill to soak up all the leftover marinade. As I flipped the bun over to reveal the gorgeous char marks, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement. They were gorgeous. It turned out to be soft and moist on the inside; smoky and crispy on the outside.
Assembling was easy – Slather on the avocado, pieces of kimchi, lettuce and tomatoes with slices of juicy thick portobello mushrooms. Eating, however, was hard. Trying to not get my church clothes dirty, I grabbed the burger between my hands. I opened my mouth as wide as possible and took a huge bite. Zoe watched in amusement as my burger fell apart in front of me. I turned to her to watch her try to take a huge bite of the burger as pieces of avocado fell onto her skirt. Who said eating burgers would be graceful?
With dirty hands, portobello mushrooms, kimchi juice all over our fingers, skirt and the table, we found ourselves giggling and laughing. Not because it was funny, but because it was SO delicious. I still can’t believe I’m saying this. PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM burgers are amazing!
This burger WAS OUT of the world kinda “good”. It was so delicious, we decided that we had to take pictures and post it immediately. I guess I can’t claim to be a mushroom hater anymore?
- 2 Portobello Mushrooms, stems removed
- Marinade:
- 1 tbsp GF Soy sauce
- 1.5 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- ¼ cup GF vegetable stock
- Toppings:
- 1 lRomaine Lettuce Leaf
- ½ Avocado, Mashed
- 2 Slices Tomato
- Kimchi
- 2 GF Vegan Soft Rolls (B free)
- Wash the mushrooms. Pat dry! (This is key)
- Combine the marinade ingredients. Add in the portobello mushrooms and spoon over the marinade. Set it aside for 30 minutes. Every 10 minutes, you can spoon the marinade over the mushrooms.
- Prepare the toppings. Slice each bun into half.
- Grab your best nonstick pan/grill (If you can't find then please brush a little oil). Heat up a mini grill pan/barbecue OR you can do this on a frying pan. Place your portobello mushrooms in the hot pan. Cover and allow it to cook for 5 minutes. Baste with marinade about half way through. (Note: time will differ depending on what pan you use)
- Turn over and cook the other side for 3 minutes. Baste with remaining marinade.
- Set aside for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to develop even more. Slice into thick strips.
- In the same pan, put your buns cut side down. Grill for 2-3 minutes. Flip and grill for another 2-3 minutes.
- Assemble your burger!
LOVE,
Zoe & Mia
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