Portabella mushroom caps were on sale at the grocery store this week, so I thought that making burgers with them would be awesome.  Here’s my first attempt:

Grilled Portabella Cap “Burgers” with Veggie Compote
Time to table: 20-60 minutes marinating time, 25 minutes cooking
Ingredients:
2 medium portabella mushroom caps.
5 stalks asparagus.
1 thin slice of red onion.
1/2 a small yellow tomato.
1/2 tsp garlic powder.
1 crusty bun (I used a ciabatta roll).
Olive oil.
Balsamic vinegar.
Red pepper flakes.
Salt & pepper.

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1. Clean portabella caps top and bottom with a damp paper towel.

2. Mix balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and garlic powder in a shallow dish; brush caps on both sides with this marinade.  Put in fridge for 20-60 minutes, depending on how hungry you are.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

4. Dice your tomato, red onion, and asparagus.  I used a yellow tomato for a colour contrast and red onion for its flavour, but a red tomato and a white or yellow onion would work just fine.

5. Season the veggies with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes before wrapping them in tinfoil and putting in oven to roast for 20 minutes.

6.  5 minutes before the vegetables are done, put portabella caps on a hot grill.  I used our George Foreman one.  Also, slice your roll and put on the oven rack, cut side facing up, and swap oven to broil.

7. Remove everything from oven.  Open the foil vegetable packet, being careful of the escaping steam, and place your mushrooms on the bun.

8. Top mushrooms with veggie compote, and the top half of the bun.  Slice in half and serve!

This would be awesome with a thick, melty slice of mozzarella but alas, we did not have any.

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After being awake for about an hour in the morning, Maia takes a nap.  I use that nap to make and eat breakfast.  Here’s the quick, verrry tasty dish I had today, inspired by The Amateur Gourmet:

Fried Eggs with warm Spring Asparagus, Mushroom, and Bacon Salad
Time to table: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
5 stalks of asparagus.  It’s in season right now; look for firm stalks with tightly closed, purplish tips.
3-5 mushrooms.  Your choice on variety/amount; I used white button mushrooms.
2 eggs.
1 strip of bacon.
Grated parmesan cheese.
Butter.
Olive oil.
Black pepper.

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1. If your mushrooms are not already washed & sliced, do so now.  I slice my mushrooms (and onions) after trips to the grocery store so I always have some on hand and ready to go. Mushrooms should be cleaned with a damp paper towel & stored in an airtight container (or Ziploc baggie!) with a paper towel in it.

2. Start heating your skillet, dry, over medium heat.

3.  Wash & prep the asparagus.  Asparagus has a natural breaking point in its lower third; hold the stalk loosely and bend until it naturally snaps.  The bottom of the stalk can be discarded; the rest is tender and good for eating.  I went for thin, long slices.

3.  Add butter to your hot skillet, followed quickly by your asparagus.  Toss to coat.

4. While the asparagus cooks, slice your strip of bacon in half.  After about a minute, add the bacon to the pan.

5.  When the asparagus has begun to brown, mix it around and make room in the pan to add your mushrooms.

6. When all of the items in your skillet are done, heap the veggies on your serving plate.  Set the bacon aside to drain.

7.  Add olive oil to pan, crack eggs into it.  Pepper the eggs.  I did not use salt at all in this dish because the bacon and parmesan are both naturally salty flavours.

8.  While the eggs cook, crumble the bacon.  Along with a generous amount of parmesan cheese,  mix with your vegetables.

9.  Top with eggs.  ENJOY!

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