I admit it – I don’t like Tofu very much.
Neither (or possibly even less) do I like any vegetarian “meat” replacement product I have tasted to date – soyburgers? No, thanks. It’s… okay. I can eat it. But it has no specific taste, no texture, and seriously – I don’t miss meat. I don’t need anything to replace it because I didn’t like it that much to begin with. My diet is not incomplete if I can’t have the feeling of biting into a hotdog or a steak once in a while.
So what is a girl to do when barbecue time comes up and everyone else is being served burgers?
Why, make her own burger replacements, of course!
In the picture: Glazed champignon hats on mini-baguettes with tsatsiki and cherry tomatoes.
I bought a bunch of champignons, selecting those with very large hats. Don’t wash them – rub them off with a brush or a damp towel, but don’t wet them! I cut each hat in half horizontally and removed the stem (it will fall out if you cut it exactly in the middle anyway.
Then I marinated all the mushroom cutlets I got by spraying them with olive oil (I love my oil spray for reducing the amount of fat I use!) and rolling them in french herbs, crushed garlic, salt and pepper. While they marinated, I heated the grill and made my tsatsiki.
There won’t be a recipe for the tsatsiki. I find that instead of being adventurous, doing it the way your family has always done it is usually the right way. I do love the thick greek yoghurt you get here, though – it makes a really lovely tsatsiki!
After putting the marinated mushrooms on the grill, I let them brown a little on both sides. During that, I poured a splash of balsamico vinegar in the bowl they had marinated in and mixed it with the spices and garlic that had remained in there and some more salt. When the mushrooms were heated on both sides, I brushed them with balsamico marinade and grilled them until they were nice and glazed – it tastes delicious! Very sweet and tasty.
Since the budget variant already tasted so nice, I wonder how portobello or oyster mushrooms will taste with the same method? I shall try next time.
Eggplants and zucchini cutlets marinated the same way also taste delicious. And I already posted my recipe for couscous burgers…
I found a recipe for a red bean burger patty as well, but I’m skeptic… might be nice, but then the McDo bean burger always struck me as a bit boring… maybe I’ll try another day.
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