brussels sprouts

A few moons ago, The Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program and Alexia Foods sent me a really cool package containing a stylish black apron and a coupon to try a free sample of an Alexia product. I chose the Crinkle Cut Sweet Potato Fries with Sea Salt and Black Pepper.

The crisp Fall weather begs for sweet potatoes, so now was the perfect time to try these out. I love making meatless meals, especially burgers! Yum. Using portobello mushroom caps as my burger has been on my to-make list for a long time. I had one a few years back, but not since then. Why… I don’t know. Just one of those things. One of those things you find yourself asking: “Why didn’t I make this sooner?”

Imagine a mushroom Swiss cheese burger with caramelized onions, a dab of mayo and a bit of mustard. Now imagine there’s no meat, just the great big mushroom. Let me tell you something: You won’t miss the meat one bit. Really? Really! In fact, if there was a burger underneath the mushroom it would only get lost in the mushroom and onion flavors, rendering it irrelevant. Save a cow, save a few hundred calories, everybody wins.

Swiss Portobello Mushroom Cap Burgers for Two

Ingredients:

• 2 portobello mushroom caps, stem removed
• 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
• 1 TBSP A-1 steak sauce (vegan, according to PETA)
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 TBSP balsamic vinegar
• 1 medium vidalia onion, sliced
• 1 TBSP organic palm shortening or extra virgin olive oil
• 1-2 TBSP mayo or to preference
• 2 teaspoons mustard or to preference
• 2 slices Swiss cheese
• 2 large buns

Method:

1. Rub mushroom caps with olive oil, A-1 steak sauce, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and balsamic vinegar. Place in plastic baggie or covered container and let marinade in refrigerator for 3-8 hours; the longer the better.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
3. Loosely wrap (with slight ventilation) marinated mushroom caps in (nonstick) foil or greased foil. Bake on 425 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and juicy.
4. While mushrooms are roasting, add oil of choice to frying pan and saute onion slices until soft and caramelized.
5. The last few minutes the mushrooms are in the oven, remove foil, put cheese on top and toast your buns.
6. Spread mayo and mustard on one side of bun, then add mushroom cap and caramelized onions.

Makes 2 vegetarian-friendly burgers

Suggested sides: Alexia sweet potato fries and something green, like my favorite: roasted Brussels sprouts!

Prefer to keep it vegan? No problemo! Just swap the Swiss cheese for a vegan cheese, like my homemade smoky vegan cheese.

Dinner was deeeelish!!! I really liked the Alexia sweet potato fries. I baked them on 425 degrees F for about 23 minutes. They held their shape really well; a bit crispy on the outside and soft and pillow-y in the center. The black pepper was a little bit spicy! But I’m on a black pepper kick, so I dig it.

Don’t know how to roast Brussels sprouts? Check out my new simple tutorial and learn how!

I only slept 1.5 hours last night. That’s what happens when I try to go to sleep earlier; I’m just not tired enough for a full night’s sleep. But we have a business appointment with our attorney this morning, so in an effort to be on time and not look like totally incompetent ninnies with shares in a private corporation, we gave ourselves ample time to get ready. Any bets on how late we’ll still be with a 6-hour head start? ha!

I’m going to be tired by the afternoon. Bedtime is at 4:30 pm, right? Mine might be.

Time to go shower, I only have 3 hours left before we have to leave!

Tagged as: Alexia sweet potato fries, brussels sprouts, burgers, fries, gluten-free, mushroom burgers, mushrooms, recipes, sweet potatoes, vegetarian, vegetarian meals, veggie burgers

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