Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burgers with Spinach and Beet, Fennel, Lime Pate

I wanted to make this Monday special. I wanted mouth watering good, can’t wait to bite into it , want to feed it to my meat eating _________(insert friend, husband, wife, sister, etc…), so good and juicy there will be more than one napkin involved – good.

Tweet me here to let me know how I did!

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms Burgers with Spinach and Beet, Fennel, Lime Pate

There are two components to this dish.

The Pate which is super fast and then the mushrooms. You can whip up the pate in about 10 minutes and then it is best if you chill it for about 30 minutes. The mushrooms need to marinate for a while. The longer you let them soak the better they will be. I marinate mine for 5 hours. You could potentially marinate them before you go to work / school and let them do their thing all day.

I will put  the Pate recipe first and then then mushroom and assembly recipe recipe underneath it.

Yes, this will be a Monday to remember!

Beet, Fennel & Lime Pate

1/2 cup cashews

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

2 small carrots, chopped into pieces

1/4 of an average size beet, chopped

1 heaping tablespoon chopped fennel (use the bottom bulb part)

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons good quality olive oil

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon lime juice

• Place the cashews and sunflower seeds in a bowl and cover them with enough water so that they are completely covered. Set aside and soak for 10 minutes.

• Place the carrots, beets, fennel, water, olive oil, sea salt and lime juice in the food processor.

• Add the cashews and sunflower seeds to the food processor and process until smooth, about 5 minutes. You will need to stop the food processor and scrape down the sides intermittently so that the pate does not stick to the side of the food processor.

• Chill for at least 10 minutes.

Mushrooms and Assembly

 

4 portobello mushrooms

Marinade

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

Juice from half a lime

1 clove garlic, grated

• Take the stems off from the mushrooms and save for another time.

• Wash mushrooms and set in a colander to dry.

• Whisk all of the marinade ingredients together in a very large bowl.

• One at a time, dip the whole mushrooms in the marinade, making sure to coat the entire mushroom. Set aside and do this to the remaining 3 mushrooms.

• Place all 4 mushrooms back on the bowl and cover with a lid. Let mushrooms marinate for at least 1 hour (I marinate mine for up to 5 hours).

• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium / low heat.

• Place the mushrooms in the pan face down and place a lid on top.

• Cook for 3 minutes, flip the mushrooms, add 1/4 cup of water to the pan and place the lid back on.

• Steam the mushrooms for another 2 minutes and then flip them one more time, add a bit more water and steam them for 2 additional minutes. (you can flip them more often if you want and you can add a bit more water if all of the water evaporates. As long as they are cooked for 7 minutes and neither side gets burned, your good!)

Assemble

You can use burger buns, sprouted bread or stack it on romaine leaves for a gluten free option.

Stack it as such:

• Bread (or bun, romaine, etc..) – toasted or not

• Pate – spread a generous helping

• Handful of fresh spinach

• Grilled mushroom

• Top of bread (or bun)  – or not

Now devour and  feel good about eating a sustainable, healthy and kind dinner!

Molly Patrick has worked in the vegan food realm since 2003. She has done everything from opening vegan restaurants from the ground up to writing vegan cookbooks.  She is currently wrapping her up her second cookbook, due out summer 2013. Read her blog or sign up for her free emails.  Follow her on twitter Facebook

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