Portobello Mushroom Burger

Have you ever tried to make vegan/vegetarian burgers? There are so many recipes out there that call for different ingredients, everything from quinoa, sweet potato, black beans ect. If you are adventurous you will try some of these recipes out and pray to the vegan gods that they turn out. If not then you will have a stir fry with the mixture instead. I have made a couple and they haven’t been that bad, nothing life changing but not a waste of ingredients. I know I haven’t tried all of the recipes out there, so there is still hope for finding that perfect vegan burger. But what happens when you are craving a BBQ burger but you don’t feel like making something up. Well Portobello Mushrooms to the rescue!

I have only ever cooked these in the oven like a pizza, but I know other people have tried this method before and it was successful for them, so why not me! I had two in my fridge and they were getting old so I wanted to use them up quick before they got moldy. I didn’t have any pizza sauce so I couldn’t make pizzas, so why not try something new like BBQing them like burgers. Devon was feeling a little adventurous and said he would give them a shot, seeing as I had two to eat up.

Result? Super delicious and very satisfactory. I had been craving something BBQ’d for a while because the weather had got so nice and I could smell other people BBQing in our neighborhood, thankfully this totally hit the spot. They only took 15 mins on the grill to prepare, so while those are cooking I cut up all of the veggies I wanted on the burger and BAM supper was ready with not a lot of mess or prep work to clean up.

 

Scrape out the insides of the mushroom and lightly coat with coconut oil. Season with salt, pepper, and Montreal Steak Spice. Cook hollow side down for 5 minutes, then 10 minutes on the other side. For the last 10 minutes, fill with Daiya cheese and let it melt! I put down tin foil on the BBQ to avoid cross contamination and the mushroom cooked just fine.

Top with your favorite toppings like tomato, lettuce, avocado, mustard, ketchup on a bun or in a lettuce wrap! Eat while hot and enjoy!

Thanks for reading!

Xoxo -N

Spring Fresh Rolls with Vegan Peanut Sauce :)

My Go-To Meal #1

When I came home this morning from my first job at the gym, I was wondering what to make for my breakfast/lunch. You see, I work at a gym from 6am-9am and then go to my other job at Conexus Credit Union from 10:45am-2:45pm. So I don’t get to eat my meals at what you would call 'normal times'. I always start my day off with three or four pieces of fruit at the gym after my workout. Then I come home and prepare my breakfast/lunch. And today, like most days, I make my awesome spring rolls! There was a time in September that I was eating these 4 days a week for lunch, that’s how much I love them. I have two other Go To Meals hence why this one is titled #1, numbers 2 and 3 will be coming soon!

Ingredients

Spring Rolls

1 pkg of 12' Rice Papers

1 pkg of Field Greens Mix

1 small zucchini

1 medium carrot

½ of a cucumber

½ cup of cilantro

Peanut Sauce

2 tbsp of Peanut Butter

1 tbsp of Hoisin

1 clove of Garlic

1 Lime, juiced

This recipe makes about 6 large spring rolls, if you had smaller sized rice papers this could make about 12-15. 

So I start out with my super amazing vegetable mandolin that I picked up at Costco for $30. Probably one of the best buys I ever made and not that expensive! First thing I do is julienne my carrots, cucumber and zucchini, throw them in a bowl and mix them together. Next I chop up the cilantro and wash my greens if needed. I listed field greens on the ingredients, but you can use any leafy greens you like. Such as spinach, kale, romaine, chard, ect. Today I used field green mix I picked up from Superstore and added in some Red Chard I had in my fridge.

Also, if you want to add different vegetables, go ahead! I have added yellow pepper, cabbage, avocado, and cooked beets to mine. I just find I always have cucumber, zucchini and carrots on hand, so those end up being my base.

Then I soak my rice paper in water for 1-2 minutes(depending how hot the water is), just until its pliable and easy to roll, and add my ingredients onto the center. I do my layers like this: Cilantro, greens, then veggie mix. I find the veggie mix weighs down the lettuce and makes it easier to roll. Finally roll it up like a burrito and you got yourself a super fresh spring roll.

The Sauce.

This is my all time favourite sauce, I could (and sometimes do, shhh) eat it by the spoon full. Its super easy to make and the ingredients are pretty basic.

All you have to do is: take the four ingredients, place them in a bowl and mix them together. DONE!

Now you can enjoy your spring rolls with peanut sauce! 


Thanks for reading! 

xoxo -N