Recipe Mondays

As I mentioned before, one of my goals this year is to cook more and try new recipes. I will be the first to say I am not a gourmet chef, just your average person in the kitchen. Although I LOVE to eat good, I may not always cook it : ). I am also not a health guru, but I am always wanting to eat and cook healthier. To help me keep my cooking goal I am stealing "Recipe Mondays" from one of my favorite people in the world, Carly. I plan on sharing recipes that are obviously tasty, healthy, and hopefully a little different than what you are used to. I don't like spending hours in the kitchen, so most should be pretty easy too. Happy cooking!

Portabello Mushroom Burgers
Brendan and I are continually trying to incorporate more vegetables, and well, if you don't cook meat you tend to eat more veggies (duh!). So we have been trying more vegetarian meals. We are definitely not claiming to be vegetarians because I love a good hamburger, but for health (and environmental) reasons we are trying to eat less meat. If you've never had a portabello burger, they are delicious. It is really all about the toppings and the bun, since the mushroom doesn't have much flavor, but has a great meaty texture that you don't miss the meat.

So how do you do it...clean the mushrooms, brush on some olive oil, sprinkle some salt and pepper and cook. I prefer the BBQ, but broiling in the oven works well too. It only takes a few minutes each side, I start with the gills up. That's it. We prefer using bread or rolls from the bakery at the grocery store, lightly toasted and then topped with our favorite toppings. This time I roasted peppers and onions (I am really into roasting veggies right now) and I made a basil, garlic mayonnaise spread. (Not a fan of mayonnaise, pesto makes a good spread too). Serve with a side of sweet potato fries...Trader Joes has a delicious frozen option. Yum, yum.