As a lover of a traditional hamburger, it was hard for me to imagine that I could find a healthy, equally satisfying alternative. Especially if it meant eating mushrooms!!! I was raised on basic recipes with meat and potatoes. I thought I was adventurous when I tried broccoli for the first time at 20 years of age!! Mushrooms were from another planet in my mind.
Like many, with age I became more inclined to try new things. This should be encouraging to any parents out there who have finicky eaters!! They won't be like this forever.
I've been trying to be healthier by eating healthier for the past year. One of my favorite discoveries was leaving the 890 calorie cheeseburger and replacing it with the 235 calorie portabella mushroom burger. Not only is chocked full of flavor, it also has approx. 12 grams of protein!!! Filling and delicious!! Easy to make, too!!
First, a money saving tip....I love giving at least one great way to save with every recipe!! Do NOT buy your mushrooms prepackaged in the produce section of the grocery store! Most stores sell them individually in bulk. The difference will make your jaw drop!! $9.31 lb vs. $4.99 lb. Crazy!!!!!
Back to the burgers, take a damp (not soaking wet) napkin and wipe off the mushrooms. Turn them over and scoop out the gills and the stem. Some may want to leave the gills, but I find that makes them a little too muddy tasting for me. I finish them by taking a paring knife and cutting off any ragged edges. The ragged edges can be used for something else simply by putting them aside in their own separate container.
Using a pan lined with a paper towel, place the cleaned mushrooms and pour worcestershire sauce on the tops generously without drowning them.Salt and pepper, too. Mushrooms absorb like a sponge, too much liquid and you'll have just that...a soggy sponge!! That would be nasty!!
While the mushrooms are getting acquainted with the worcestershire sauce, start cutting your vegetables and heating your grill or frying pan.
My favorite toppings for this burger are grilled onions, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, and spring mix greens. The combo is awesome, but use whatever your taste buds cry out for.
Grill the mushrooms for 6 minutes on each side. At this time, place your cheese (my favorite is swiss 1/2 slice) and put the bun on the grill. I use a whole wheat roll that is 160 calories. The cheese is about 60 and then I allow a 15 calorie allowance for the canola oil spray I surface my grill with. The biggest mistake I've seen people make with these types of burgers is saturating the veggies in oil which totally defeats the purpose of the healthy alternative to a beef burger!! A little spray of canola will allow everything to taste great!! If you choose to add mustard, ketchup, or mayo but remember that will be added calories. I find you don't really need them.
I'm not going to lie, if you are not accustomed to eating mushrooms, the texture will take a little getting used to. I have a friend, Amber, who would never try these because of the word 'mushroom'!! If you have that type of a friend or family member, just avoid using that 'word' and tell them it's a veggie burger!! You aren't lying that way!! Plus, with all of the other yummy things under the bun, I doubt they would even notice.
In closing, who would ever believe that this fist full of satisfaction is only 235 calories and good for you???
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