Wow, it was hot today! A perfect day to eat something simple...something that did not require much cooking as the last thing I wanted was to heat up the house. A few days ago I decided to make chocolate chip cookies...yeah, cookies - not very Tita-like as I am not big on sweets, but I was experiencing a craving. Luckily I had all the ingredients at home to make them from scratch so I decided to break out the giant Kitchen Aid mixer and whip up some deliciousness. As I looked for all the ingredients I began looking at the rest of the stuff I had in my pantry...bread crumbs...oh, bread crumbs! What can I make with this? Wait, expiration date of 11/21/2010! I swear, sometimes I feel like I have ADD. I forgot about the cookies and began cleaning out my pantry, getting rid of everything that needed to be thrown away.
I hate being wasteful! I grew up with a mother that always reminded her kids of growing up poor in the slums of Guatemala City. "You know, we ate rice and beans every day of the week, we were lucky if we got some meat on Sundays!" Being born in Guatemala City and also living in the slums for the first 6 and a half years of my life, I never doubted her sad story...again, I hate being wasteful! After cleaning out the pantry I decided that my new goal was to use what I have at home, get creative with it before it goes to waste. As I cook more and more I am starting to understand what is essential in my house and what I don't need to stock up on. I actually have been following this rule for a while with my produce and with what I have in the fridge. I plan my meals around what I have; it has been working out great and it shows lovely in our finances. In case you are wondering, the cookies did get done.
I have been wanting to use the portobello mushrooms I had in the fridge; we usually have some as I love them in my salad. They looked too pretty to cut up so I decided to make burgers instead. The only thing I needed to get for this meal was some fresh Semifreddi's buns. Oh...since I did not have time to make some aioli, I mixed some leftover pesto with mayonnaise...yum, yum, yum! The cheese in the pesto eliminated any need to add cheese to the burger. Enjoy!
Portobello Mushroom Burgers
2 Portobello mushroom caps, stems removed
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
2 tablespoons of pesto (recipe to come)
2 hamburger buns, splited and toasted
1 tomato, sliced
1 avocado, sliced
1/2 cup of baby arugula
Preheat the grill to medium-high.
In a dish large enough to hold the mushrooms, mix olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add mushrooms and make sure both sides are coated well, use a brush if necessary. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Let mushrooms marinate for 5 minutes. Grill mushrooms, soft side down, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until tender.
In a small bowl combine mayonnaise and pesto. Spread mixture evenly over cut side of buns. Divide arugula evenly over bottom side of buns and add tomato slices. Place mushroom caps over tomatoes, top with avocado and cover with top of buns.
Makes two burgers.
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