Portabella Mushroom Burgers - (VG)

A lot of people say that when you go veggie, you should strive to think outside of the box regarding your meals - that they don't have to resemble what you're used to: a plate with a protein, a vegetable, and a grain. But for me, I need to make this transition as easy, step-by-step as possible. So, I decided to start out by trying to make vegetarian versions of meals I once would have eaten. I am trying to eat "vegan" as much as possible, so I will also denote which meals are vegan vs. vegetarian only.

As a disclaimer, I want to say that I don't identify as a "vegan." I feel that it is rude and disrespectful to refer to myself in those terms - I still do many things that true vegans would frown upon. Maybe one day, I will be able to go as far as to limit my usage of animal products beyond my food, but again, I need to do this one step at a time. I see myself growing into things such as changing up my soap and shampoo, and I for sure won't be able to buy that Louis Vuitton bag I sought after for so long...but I need to make sure this is a change I can sustain, first. Baby steps though.

The natural first meal seemed to be some sort of veggie burger. I love mushrooms, and we had used portabella before, so I decided to give it a shot.

Before starting in making the burger, we used our mandoline, which is probably the most used thing in our kitchen, to slice a potato into extra thin strips. We put the potato slices on a cookie sheet with some season salt and olive oil and started baking them at 375 degrees.

We cooked the portabella and seasoned it with Montreal Steak Seasoning. It is McCormick's brand and I have used it on our steaks and burgers ever since I can remember. I love the stuff. I was hoping that using the seasoning on the mushroom would make me envision eating meat. It did. We basically cooked the mushroom in our griddle pan over medium on the stove with a bit of olive oil, some onions, and the Montreal Steak Seasoning. While it was cooking, we sliced up some heirloom cherry tomatoes from Trader Joe's. These are $2.99 every day! I use them in everything now - from sauces, to sandwiches, to salads. Phenomenal. We also sliced up some avocado, and washed some arugula. All from Trader Joes. I need to write a seperate post proclaiming my love for Trader Joes now that I am going veg. Seriously, amazing. I will get to that at a later point.

Next, we toasted our rye bread up in the griddle pan. After that we were ready to assemble our sandwiches.

Finally, we mixed up a balsamic vinaigrette with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and an italian herb spice mix, and made a small side salad with some arugula, freshly cracked black pepper, and a little of the leftover heirlooms and avocado.

The only mistake in this meal was the portion size. I assumed because I was eating veggies that I needed to eat more food, but the potatoes and the side salad were too much. We were stuffed. Next time, one or the other with the sandwich.

To this date, this is one of the most tasty vegetarian dishes we have made. Simply fantastic - I didn't miss the meat at all, and neither did Jeff, which says a lot since he has not joined the meat free bandwagon yet. We have had this a few times - its a meal we are comfortable with. We usually use one half of the avocado between us, and I put the other half in some tupperware in the fridge, after putting a little lemon juice on it to perserve it. I take it to work the next day, and make a sandwich with some toasted rye, Trader Joe's "This is not a cream cheese tub" spread, heirlooms, and arugula. Tastes like a vegan BLT, minus the B.

Things you will need:
Portebella Mushrooms
Seasoning of your choice
Sandwich Toppings - We prefer onions, avocado, arugula and tomatoes
Rye Bread

This is as easy as it comes my friends.