Easy Grilled Portaburgers [Portabella (Portobello) Mushroom Burgers]
(Serves 4) – Vegan/Gluten-Free option (GF Rolls)

I’m SO over winter. Would you believe last Friday on the first day of spring it snowed? Of course it was an all day event too, from about 7:30am until after 6:00pm – Snow! Our eldest daughter even had a minor car accident that day. Fortunately, no other cars were involved, but poor Megan on the first day of spring a snow related accident. Well, there are beautiful sunny days on the horizon. C’mon Seth, lets move out West and make those beautiful sunny days year-round, haha! A girl can wish or hope, right? In anticipation of warm weather – spring and summer, I’ve been craving something grilled and fresh. These burgers are so simple and take no time at all to make. I used my indoor stovetop grill pan. A must try and I’ll add that I never saw food disappear so quickly. After making the burgers I toasted the bread on the grill and served them up along side an easy rainbow carrot pasta salad.

Ingredients:
4 Portabella Mushrooms, cleaned/stems removed
3 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbsp Tamari Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tsp course Black Pepper
1 Tsp Dried Oregano
4 Rolls – Kaiser or Buns for Serving

Directions:
-Heat Grill or Grill pan over medium heat.
-In a small bowl, whisk to combine: Balsamic, Tamari, Olive Oil, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper and Oregano.

-Clean mushrooms – wipe clean with damp paper towel, remove stem and I like to remove the black gills also-they scrape out easy with a spoon.
-Marinate mushrooms. Place them in a large platter/glass dish, first with gill side down then flip and marinate on the opposite side. 10 minutes on each side was enough – I left it out on the counter at room temp. If you want to marinate for a longer period of time, just cover and refrigerate; but I found that 20 minutes was plenty.

-When your grill is hot and ready – grill on each side for about 5-7 minutes. I grilled gill side up (top down) to start, then flipped after 5-7 minutes. No need to push, mash or mess with them; just place them on the grill and let them cook they’ll develop some nice grill marks too.

-Top with your favorite burger toppings. We topped with sliced avocado, tomatoes, grilled red onions and butter lettuce. Dress your bun with this amazing aioli sauce, incredible. Enjoy!

Easy Rainbow Carrot Pasta Salad:
These Portoburgers were served along side an easy Pasta Salad: (1-2lb) Mini Penne; (12oz) baby Rainbow carrots; Diced tomatoes; (16oz) Corn; Celery (2) stalks/ribs-chopped finely; ½ Red Onion-Diced; 2 Tbsp Capers; 1 Tsp Dried Oregano; ½ Tsp Salt; 1 Tsp course Black pepper – Tossed in a zesty Italian vinaigrette. –This is a simple recipe and the little ones enjoyed the leftovers as a side/snack in their lunch bags for a couple days too! Just a quick note, if the pasta seems dry the next day – just freshen it up with additional dressing or add some Vegenaise (Vegan Mayo).