Portobello Mushroom Burgers with Avocado

Portobellos (also spelt Portabellas) are fully grown crimini mushrooms. They are an excellent choice for veggie burgers, not only due to their meaty taste and texture, but also due to their health benefits. Of course, heat affects their nutritional value, but I know that many people eat them raw, marinated, and enjoy their full benefits. On a side note, some types of mushrooms are toxic for pets.

Portobellos are a low calorie food, packed with vitamins and minerals, with no cholesterol and very low levels of fat and sodium, making them a great addition to any weight loss diet, although mushroom consumption should be moderate. They are an excellent source of B vitamins (notably B2, B3 and B5), phosphorus, potassium, copper, selenium, and provide a good amount of folate, iron, magnesium, zinc and manganese, along with protein and fiber.

I've previously used portobello mushrooms as burgers and pizza base and loved them. Avocados are commonly used in veggie burgers for their creaminess and exceptional nutritional value (I listed the health benefits of avocados, tomatoes, garlic and lemon in my notes on Green Salad with Roasted Peppers and Avocado and Ajvar). With avocados, I wanted to add more healthy fats and calories to these burgers. The amounts below are for 5 burgers.


Portobello Mushroom Burgers with Avocado

Preparation

Buns: I used my homemade sweet and salty Whole Wheat Burger Buns. If you lack the time, you can obviously use store-bought ones. Cut the buns in half and place them cut side down on a pan on medium heath. Remove them when they're crispy and slightly browned. Place them on a plate cut side up, to prevent moisture from softening them.

Mushrooms: Wash the mushrooms and pat them dry. Place them on a baking tray. Sprinkle them with a little salt and drizzle a little soy sauce (or red wine). Bake at 350°F (180°C) for about 20 minutes. Halfway through, drain the liquid that forms inside (you can let them cook until the liquid evaporates, but the mushrooms will shrink too much).

Avocado paste: Cut and remove the seed from 2 ripe avocados. Scoop the flesh out into a blender. Add 2 mashed cloves of garlic, a pinch of salt and 1-2 tsp lemon juice (adjust the taste to your liking). Blend for a few seconds until smooth (I used a hand blender).

Lettuce: Wash a few leaves of iceberg lettuce and pat them dry with paper towels. Cut into thin strips.

Tomatoes: Wash 2 medium tomatoes and thinly slice them.


Assemble the burgers

Place a handful of lettuce on the bottom half of the buns.

Place the mushrooms on top of the lettuce and sprinkle them with 1/2 - 1 tsp nutritional yeast (I use the B12 fortified one).

Divide the avocado paste between the 5 burgers and spread it over the mushrooms.

Place 2 slices of tomatoes on top.

Cover with the other half of the bun and voilà, delicious, healthy burgers ready to serve.

If you're not a big fan of mushrooms, you may want to try my extra crispy potato-based Veggie Burgers.

Enjoy and spread the magic:)

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