Portobello Burgers

I love a good mushroom. That sounds a bit odd, I know. But really, I love any kind of mushroom as long as it is cooked right. When it comes to portobellos, I believe grilling is the most amazing way.

Unfortunately, I live in an apartment complex, and I don't trust the community grills. So I opted for baking them, which has never failed me in the past. I rank it as the best second option for cooking portobellos.

It was actually Justin's idea. We were sweeping through the grocery store and wondering what to eat. As we passed the mushroom section, he simply stated, "How about portobello burgers?" It made me happy to hear him opt for a vegan meal without me persuading him.

So we got home and I got started!

I prepared a marinade of olive oil, soy sauce, and pepper. Feel free to add cayenne as well.

Put the mushrooms in the marinade. Make sure they get covered in it if you accidentally used a bowl that was too small. Cover with aluminum foil (plastic wrap is okay too) and let it marinade for a while. I let it go for about 45 minutes but it would probably be best to leave it for about two hours.

Now, while those are marinating, go ahead and pull the seeds out of that pomegranate you got and talk to your sister on the phone because she may have a job opportunity for you!

Yum. Yum yum yum yum yum.

Okay so now you have pomegranate seeds to snack on, and you've talked to your sister about a possible job opportunity. Pull out your marinating mushrooms!

Line a pan with parchment paper and place the mushroom caps on it, bottom side up. Drizzle with the marinade.

Since I forgot to take a before photo, I took one while they were in the oven. Because I am brave like that. Okay! So, now chop some onion and garlic. Snack on 'em raw if you want. Or not. I'm not weird and love the taste of raw garlic/onion or anything. Nope...Not me...

Sautee them up. Leave them on low until the mushrooms are done.

I love how the second one held the marinade like soup.

So we ended up having to cut one in half because we only had really tiny slices of bread, but it was pretty damn filling. We topped it with the onions and garlic, and some spinach. Delicious. Filling. Hearty. Awesome for this time of year. The cons are that they are a bit difficult to eat but honestly, it's so good it doesn't even matter.

Bon appetite! And stay tuned for...something else in the future!

Mock Tuna

I miss tuna. It took me forever to like it. I used to hate it as a child, and then one day in college, ALL I wanted was a tuna sandwich. I mean, it was a terrible craving. It hurt. So I got one of my friends to come with me between classes and we got tuna sandwiches from Panera. I felt complete.

So, I miss tuna. I came across this recipe  and got super excited. The main ingredients are things I keep in my kitchen all the time. I didn't use every single ingredient listed (I don't even know where to get kelp around here) but I'm really happy with the result.

Ingredients:

1 can Garbanzo beans
Green onion, sliced
One celery stalk, sliced
1/2 cup vegan mayo
Salt
Pepper
Dill

Slice the green onion and celery stalk as shown. If you're making more than this recipe makes, use more as necessary.

Try to slice the celery pretty thin, or dice it.

Mash up the garbanzo beans with a fork. It's not that easy. It will take some elbow grease! 

After they are mashed, mix in the other ingredients.

I know it doesn't look too appetizing, but the tast is very very much like tuna. Obviously it's beans and not fish so it doesn't taste exact, but the end result left me satisfied. 

I served it on toasted whole wheat bread with some spinach. If I weren't super full I'd probably go make another one. 

So, if you're craving tuna, I advise you to try this recipe!