Portobello Mushroom Burgers

My sister likes to make fun of me for planning meals days in advance.  But sometimes that's what you've got to do if the ingredients are not already sitting in your cupboard.  I have this wonderful cookbook given to me by a dear friend titled The Whole Foods Market Cookbook.  Amost eveything I have tried making from it has been a delicious success.  This book is filled with mouth-watering recipes and has a section on burgers, patties, and griddlecakes that makes me giddy with anticipation when I think about trying them.  The burgers and patties are made with such wonderful things as quinoa, barley, dried beans, couscous, and spicy smashed potatoes.  Tonight I tried out the portobello mushroom burgers with caramelized onions and goat cheese, and they turned out fantastic!

The burgers were quite fragile so I was glad the recipe called for baking them in the oven as opposed to pan frying them or (the horror) grilling them.  But with a little careful attention, they were easily removed from the baking pan and placed on the bun.  The burgers had a great big taste with a deliciously chewy texture and bits of crunch.  The meltingly sweet caramelized onions were perfectly off-set by the tangy goat cheese.

The reason I had to plan a day in advance is because the grocery list required a quick trip to our food co-op as some of the ingredients are not available in my regular grocery store, ie white miso and raw cashews.

If you'd like to try these burgers yourself, here is my modified version of the recipe:

2 large portobello mushroom caps

2 cups button mushrooms

1 T olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 small carrot, grated

2 cloves garlic, mashed

1 c. raw cashews

1/3 c. sunflower seeds (I used roasted, salted)

2 T white miso

2 t lemon juice

1 T sherry

1/2 t freshly ground pepper

1 c cooked brown rice (I used a brown/wild rice mix)

1 c dried bread crumbs

Finely chop the mushrooms (this can be done in a food processor).  Heat the olive oil and saute the mushrooms, onion, carrot and garlic until wilted (2 to 3 minutes). 

Process the cashews, sunflower seeds, miso, lemon juice, sherry and ground pepper in the food processor until a light paste is formed. 

Blend all the ingredients together.

(At this point, you can bake the burgers, but it is best if you can let them sit for at least 6 hours in the fridge.)

Lightly oil a baking sheet and place mounds of the mixture on the pan, pressing into the size and shape of a regular burger.  Bake at 375 for 25 to 30 minutes.

Serve on a bun with caramelized onions and goat cheese.  YUM!