Check this guy out! http://zachspuckler.com/vegan-hawaiian-portobello-burgers/

Okay – so this week I’m going to toot my own horn a little bit, my food pictures turned out AWESOME!  I’m FINALLY figuring out how to use my new camera!  I got the Cannon T3, which was a very entry level model, but it ended up taking some really gorgeous pictures!  I was actually really impressed with myself and how out they turned out!

I practiced taking a couple shots of food in my kitchen to see how they would turn out and they came out okay – but blurry once I put them on my computer so next time I’m going to be working on taking more pictures WHILE I cook, I think sharing the process with you guys could be really fun and exciting! But enough about me and my pictures, let’s jump into the FOOD!

A couple things I want to note before I jump right into the recipe is that for these burgers you will want to grill the mushroom caps and the pineapple.  I used a grill pan, but if you do that make sure your kitchen is WELL VENTILATED or you open a window, it can get REALLY smokey.  If you don’t have a grill pan, this is always a great addition to a barbecue and outdoor grill, just make the onions on the stovetop and keep them in foil on the grill to stay warm.

Now that you have this weeks backstory, let’s jump into the recipe!

Vegan Hawaiian Portobello Burgers

(Makes 2 Burgers)

Ingredients:

• 2 Portobello Caps
• 2-3 Cooking Onions or 1 Large Vadallia Onion, chopped or cut into rings
• 2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce + Extra for Seasoning
• 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup,
• 4 Pineapple Rings, Fresh or Canned
• Salt & Pepper Tasted
• Whole Wheat Buns
• Lettuce

Directions:

1. With a small spoon, remove the ribs from the mushroom caps, then wash the caps under cool running water and pat dry.
2. Spray a pan with cooking spray, I like the natural coconut oil spray from Trader Joe’s!  Place the onions and garlic in the pan and sauté the onions start to become translucent. As you cook then onions throughout the recipe the volume of the onions will decrease, so don’t be afraid to use a lot of onion to start!
3. Add the soy sauce and the maple syrup to the onions, mixing well and allowing the soy sauce and maple syrup to reduce down to a sauce that is thicker!
4. Once you add the maple syrup and the soy sauce to the pan, sprinkle the portobello caps with some soy sauce, the some salt and pepper.
5. Place the PortobelloPortobello caps on the grill and grill for about 3-4 minutes on each side!
6. For the last 3-4 minutes, place the pineapple rings on the grill to warm them up and caramelize slightly.
7. Remove everything from the heat, the onions, mushrooms, and pineapples.
8. Assemble the burgers on the buns with lettuce and serve immediately!  The mushrooms can get cold in just a few muinutes.  If the timing doesn’t match up and the mushrooms finish early, be sure to wrap them in foil to help them hold the heat!
9. After your burgers are assembled, serve and enjoy!

Tips:

• Don’t skip the lettuce, portobellos burgers are JUICY!  So they will make the bread soggy if you don’t create a barrier with some lettuce!
• I LOVE onions, feel free to double up the onions, garlic, soy sauce, and maple syrup to REALLY load up the burger with onions!
• Play with the ratio of soy sauce and maple syrup to make it more salty or savory!
• Feel free to marinade the mushroom before you cook it, the onion and pineapple provide enough flavor that you don’t have too!  But if you want to, do equal parts low-sodium soy sauce, pineapple juice, and water!

And for your viewing pleasure, here is one more picture of the final product!