One of the perks about living out in California is that the weather tends to be quite warm and sunny around this time of year. Last weekend the temperature rose as high as 80 something (it was uncomfortably and abnormally hot). My dad therefore planned a barbecue for this Sunday, which us “kids” all agreed to the weekend before. With our fridge stocked up on fresh vegetables, we were ready to grill away our beets, tomatoes, zucchinis, and portobello mushrooms. Unfortunately, this weekend’s California weather wasn’t as ideal for grilling as last weekend’s.
Yet in spite of the wind ripping through our backyard and knocking over our chairs, my mom and I lugged out our grill to the front yard and fired it up. Whenever we have portobello mushrooms, I love making my ‘famous’ Brown Chicken Brown Cow knock off burgers (Brown Chicken Brown Cow is a restaurant in Campbell, CA that I absolutely recommend to any burger lover-vegetarian or otherwise). This vegetarian burger with a side of hot off the grill veggies makes for the world’s greatest meal.
With my portobello goat cheese burgers, you can hardly tell that meat is missing. Sandwiched between two crispy whole wheat buns, nestled on a bed of baby spinach and kale tossed in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, is a juicy piece of deliciously marinated mushroom. Resting on the mushroom is a creamy goat cheese spread, made by yours truly, ready to be smeared.
Ingredients:
- Whole wheat buns
- Portobello Mushrooms
- Baby spinach and kale (or just any green leafy vegetable)
- Goat cheese chabis or log (I got the garlic flavored one)
- 4-6 blades of fresh chives (chopped)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 6 Tbsp olive oil
- 4-5 cloves of garlic (minced)
Instructions:
- In a large bowl, toss the portobello mushrooms with minced garlic, 5 Tbsp olive oil, and salt and pepper (about 1 Tbsp of salt) so that they’re all evenly coated. Let them marinate for at least 20 minutes.
- While they marinate, get a small bowl and mix the goat cheese (garlic chabis) with the chives and pepper. If you didn’t get the garlic chabis, mix in 2 cloves of finely minced garlic into the goat cheese as well.
- Turn on the grill at the highest possible heat (about 400 degrees Fahrenheit) place the portobello mushrooms onto the grill, put bricks or something heavy onto the mushrooms to flatten them, close the cover, and let them grill for about 10 minutes.
- After 1o minutes, remove the bricks, flip the mushrooms over, cook with the grill closed for another 5 minutes.
- Toast the whole wheat buns.
- Toss the mixed greens with 1 Tbsp of olive oil and 1 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar in a small bowl. Sprinkle some pepper in for taste.
- On the bottom bun, pile on some of the greens, place the grilled mushroom over it, add as much goat cheese spread as you’d like on top of the mushroom, place the top bun over it, and then voila! You have the perfect veggie burger filled with all natural ingredients.
Bricks to flatten the portobello mushrooms
The more goat cheese for me, the better. The reason why I love this burger so much is because of the variety of flavors. It’s tangy, creamy, savory, and extremely satisfying. I almost went for a second burger, but remember, everything in moderation! Yesterday I over indulged on french fries after the 5K, and so today I definitely tried to go for a more nutritious meal. Anyhow, I can’t wait until the next time I get to fire up the grill to whip up one of these burgers again. With a side of colorfully roasted veggies, I couldn’t have asked for a more well-balanced dinner.
Give this recipe a try the next time you have a barbecue. I guarantee that it won’t disappoint!
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