Tropical Hawaiian Portobello Burgers

Last week I came home from work set to marinate some portobello mushrooms in olive oil and balsamic vinegar while I went tot the gym, grill them up when I returned, and enjoy some "burgers."  I was sadly disappointed when I poured my olive oil into my marinating dish- only to realize I was out of balsamic.

Crap.  What now?

So I opened up the fridge to see what I might possibly throw on these enormous mushrooms.  I saw my coveted bottle of ginger syrup (another story for another time- but I waited almost 3 months for it!).  I saw the soy sauce in the door of the refrigerator.  I had a can of pineapple in the cupboard.  Can you see where this is going?  I wasn't sure if these would be awesome or a disaster, but guess what- they were fantastic!!!

Burger Ingredients:
2 portobello mushrooms
2 Sandwich Rounds (the 80-100 calorie kind)
Spinach
Mayo (or other mayo-like spread)
Pineapple rings *optional
Garlic ginger wonton strips *optional.  feel free to sub something else if you can't find these.  Crispy onions straws would be super yummy as a sub!

Marinade:
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/2 tbsp ginger syrup *this may not be something widely available, feel free to use fresh ginger or ginger paste.  Adjust amount as needed
1 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce

1. De-gill mushrooms.  Sometimes I leave the gills if I'm feeling lazy, but I do prefer them without.

2. Mix the marinade ingredients in a shallow dish. Place mushrooms in mixture, cap side down.  With a basting brush, spread some of the marinade atop the previously gilled side.  Because this side is concave, simply flipping the mushrooms won't get all that yummy marinate on it.  Swirl the mushrooms around to get good marinade coverage.  Place dish in the refrigerator and let marinate for at least 15 min- I let mine sit for about an hour.   

3. After these have marinated for a bit, its time to grill!  Spray your grill pan with some olive oil cooking spray so they don't stick.  Transfer mushrooms to your grill pan and grill on medium.  I cooked mine about 4 minutes on each side, flipping a couple times.

4. When finished, transfer to a plate and let sit for a couple min.  If you want grilled pineapple rings, now is the perfect time to grill those up.  

5.  Assemble!  I put a bed a spinach on the bottom of my sandwich round, followed by the oh-so-delicious-looking mushroom, topped with some garlic ginger wonton crisps, and then the top of my sandwich round with just a tiny bit of mayo.

Doesn't that look good??  Who needs meat when we have this alternative?

Recipe Stats (per serving*):
Serves: 2
Calories-258
Carbs-41
Fat-8
Protein- 10
Sodium-529
Sugar-13
*does not include mayo

Portobello Fajitas

I recently discovered Portobello Mushrooms.  I love them.  How did I not know how amazing they are?! Last week I made Portobello Hawaiian Burgers- A-maz-ing.  I actually wasn't sure they'd turn out well at all because they were kind of a mistake, but they will be made again!

These fajitas are so yummy!  The mushrooms, when cooked, have a very meat-like texture and the guac is a perfect compliment!

Originally posted at Cookie+Kate, adapted by me

Marinade:
1/4 c. olive oil (this sounds like a lot, but you drain  most of it off)
2 limes, juiced
1 small jalapeno (optional) 
1 tbsp fajita seasoning *possibly more- depending on how strong your seasoning is

Fajitas:
2 large portobello mushrooms
1 medium yellow onion 
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
6 corn tortillas

Guacamole:
2 avocados
1/2 lime, juiced
2-3 tbsp water
2 tsp garlic powder
sea salt - to taste
black pepper - to taste

1. Clean and remove gills from mushrooms.

2. Slice mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions into 1/4-1/2 inch slices.  In my perfect world these babies would have had some red bell pepper too, but I only had green on hand.  (confession time:  I hate onions.  I do.  I want to like them because they smell so good, but I can't stand them.  So, instead of a whole medium onion I used about 1/3 of an onion.  Adjust to what you like!)

 

3. Whisk together olive oil, lime juice, jalapeno, and fajita seasoning.  Dump your marinate and veggies in a plastic bag, seal, and shake to coat.  Refrigerate for at least 30 min- but not much longer than and hour.  If you leave this sitting too long your mushrooms will get slimy.

4. While your veggies are marinating, make your guac.  If you have a favorite guac recipe- make that!  Mine's very simple.  Slice the avocados and remove pits.  Scoop avocado into food processor.  Add lime juice, 2 tablespoons of water (you can always add more to get the right consistency- but you can't remove it- start small) and garlic powder.  Whip it up, and do a taste test.  Add more water, garlic powered, sea salt, and pepper as needed. 

5. When the veggies are finished marinating, dump contents of bag into a strainer, let most of the excess marinate drain off- a little is ok!  Transfer to a large skillet and saute on medium-high heat until peppers and onions are tender.

Serve with corn tortillas, guac, sour cream, or whatever else you like! 

Recipe Stats (per serving*):
Serves: 3
Calories- 170
Carbs-30
Fat-6
Protein-4
Sodium-182
Sugar-8
 *Guacomole, cheese, sour cream, etc. not included in these totals

Guiltless "Bacon" Mac

So, I purchased a big box of Miracle Noodles through Groupon a few months ago.  They've been sitting in a box, on a cart, in my kitchen since I received them.  Unfortunately, I also tend to throw a package or 2 of Shirataki noodles in my cart whenever I go to Sprouts.  So, needless to say, I have a surplus of these bad boys- and I need to start experimenting with them.

Shirataki noodles are Japanese noodles made from yam root.  They are very low calorie/carb and are actually quite filling.  The traditional kind have a slightly strange texture- they won't hold up in, say, a red sauce pasta dish.  But they are a really great substitute in any Asian style dish.  House Foods brand mixes a bit of tofu with the yam root- which makes for a more traditional pasta-like texture.

Now, I am a cheese lover.  Probably one of the main reasons I will never be able to convert to vegan-ism.  That, and I can not give up my Greek yogurt.  Can't do it.  I found this recipe for "Guilt-Free Mac and Cheese."  I made a few adjustments for flavoring, and it actually turned out really good.

Recipe adapted from original, posted by Electra at VanillaBeanLean

Ingredients:
2 packages of Shirataki Noodles (I like House Foods brand, mixed with tofu- I prefer their consistency)
4 oz. reduced-fat cheese of choice (I used Lifetime Fat Free Cheddar Cheese)
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Non-stick cooking spray
2 pieces of bacon- regular or fake (I use Morning Star- LOVE these!)
Nutritional Yeast* (optional)
Sea salt
Black pepper

1. Dump your Shirataki Noodles in a strainer and rinse well with cold water- at least a couple min.  These might smell a little bit fishy from sitting in liquid.  They don't taste fishy- I promise!  Spray a microwave-safe bowl with non-stick spray.  After rinsing, put all the noodles in the bowl, and spray them with non-stick spray.  Stir the noodles to coat.

2. Microwave your noodles for 1-2 minutes

3. Meanwhile, grate 4 oz of your cheese.  Once the noodles are finished in the microwave, mix the noodles with the cheese, mustard, salt, and pepper. (couldn't find my grater, so I just chopped it thinly)

4. Microwave for 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, or so.

5. Once finished melting, top with extra black pepper, sea salt, and nutritional yeast to taste

6. Finally, crumble up some of your favorite bacon and enjoy!

Recipe Stats (per serving):
Serves: 2
Calories- 196
Carbs- 9
Fat- 5
Protein- 22
Sodium- 657
Sugar- 2

*Nutritional yeast is completely optional.  This might not be a product you can easily find, depending on where you live.  I get mine at Sprouts- most health food stores carry it, but I haven't had much luck finding it in a regular grocery store.  Despite the name, nutritional yeast is not like baking yeast at all.  It is deactivated yeast.  "Nooch" is a complete protein and a great source of B12.  I love it because it adds a cheesy, creamy, nutty flavor to dishes.  I love to sprinkle it on popcorn or on pizza if I don't have an Parmesan on hand!*