Meatless Monday with Mini Portobello Burgers

Happy Meatless Monday and welcome (back) to our blog. Miratel Solutions took the Meatless Monday pledge at our contact centre as part of our CSR business initiatives in support of reducing meat consumption by 15% to improve personal health and the health of the planet. You can learn more about the positive impact of giving up meat just one day per week at www.meatlessmonday.com. Now let’s get to our recipe.

Now that the warm weather is finally here, we are going to be grilling for dinner tonight. We’re not just grilling any old vegetables or processed vegetarian meat product though. Tonight we are making fantastic mini Portobello mushroom burgers that are topped with eggplant, zucchini and Swiss cheese. The Swiss cheese can be omitted or substituted with a vegan option if desired. This dish is so full of flavour no one will be asking, “where’s the beef?” This recipe come courtesy of Country Living which is an incredibly reliable site for all things delicious, useful and beautiful. If you haven’t checked it out for yourself yet, stop by and have a look. Ok, now let’s get grilling.

Meatless Monday is a CSR Business initiative of Miratel – Mini Portobello Burger image courtesy of Charles Schiller via countryliving.com

Mini Portobello burger Ingredients:

• 12 medium portobello mushrooms
• 2 small Italian eggplant
• 2 yellow squash
• 2 zucchini
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) sea salt
• 12 mini brioche buns or dinner rolls
• 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) sesame seeds
• 9 ounce(s) Swiss cheese, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Heat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.
2. Trim the stems from the mushrooms. Slice the eggplant, squash, and zucchini into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Brush vegetables with canola oil, sprinkle with salt, and grill until softened and grill marks have formed — about 10 minutes each side. (Brush with oil as needed to prevent sticking.)
3. Transfer to a baking pan. Heat broiler to low. Split the buns, brush the tops with the sesame oil, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Layer the squash, zucchini, eggplant, and mushroom on the bottom bun halves. Top each with cheese and broil until cheese melts, about 1 minute. Top with remaining seeded bun tops and serve hot

This recipe for mini Portobello burger makes 12 and you should probably allow 1-3 burgers per person (depending on appetite). Finish them off with your favourite burger toppings. The mushroom provides a juicy thickness that is close to the texture of a traditional beef burger but so much better and healthier. Complete this meal with the salad(s) of your choice such as mixed greens, potatoe and/or pasta. You can also serve them along side the great grilled tomatoes or fireman’s corn recipes we featured on our last Meatless Monday post.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to visit www.meatlessmonday.com and join us in taking the Meatless Monday pledge today. Spread the word at home and at work to promote CSR business initiatives so you can make your green call centre, office, factory, shop or salon even greener.

Happy grilling!