Phase 1 friendly Portabella Mushroom Cap Burger with Eggplant Fries

I promised a burger and fries, and I'm delivering.  This is not just any burger and fries, but a very low carb version.  There is not a "bun" per say, but instead two grilled portabella mushroom caps used as the bun.  And my fries are made from eggplant instead of potatoes.  My husband, who swears he does not like eggplant, finished eating the ones left on my plate after declaring that they were "ok".

For the fries, first I salted the eggplant to get the moisture out.  To do this you just sprinkle salt on both sides of a sliced piece of eggplant, let sit 30 minutes in a colander, then rinse off and pat dry.  Cut into fries. Drizzled with olive oil, half salt and pepper, the eggplant fries were fried in a non-stick pan until crispy.  I used Walden Farms Chipotle Ranch dressing to dip them in.

This is how I made the burger patties. Adding a bit of water to the mixture ensures that the patties stay moist as they cook to well done.

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) water
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) dry bread crumbs (I used the mix for the phase 1 friendly Flax Rye bread mix
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1/2 tsp half salt
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 lb extra lean ground beef, chicken, turkey...
• 8 portabella mushroom caps
• 
  

Preparation

In bowl, beat egg and water with fork; mix in bread crumbs, onion powder, mustard, half salt, Worcestershire and pepper. Mix in ground meat. Shape into four 1/2-inch (1 cm) thick patties. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 6 hours. Or layer between waxed paper in airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month; thaw in refrigerator.)

Place patties on greased grill over medium-high heat; close lid and cook, turning patties once, for about 10 minutes or until no longer pink inside (I used and indoor grill). Place on portabella mushroom caps.

These were my toppings.  Mustard Ketchup and roasted green onion sprigs.

To roast portabella mushroom caps:

1. Wash your Portabella mushrooms in a colander. Since they grow in dirt, it usually takes several washings to remove all of the silt. Give them a good rinsing once you get them home from the grocery store, and pat them dry with a paper towel.
2. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees on the "bake" setting.
3. Spread a layer of foil over your baking sheet. (This will save you a messy clean-up when the Portabella mushrooms are cooked.)
4. Scatter your Portabella mushrooms over your foil. 
5. Drizzle olive oil over your mushrooms. 
6. Add salt and pepper to on your Portabella mushrooms.
7. Place the mushrooms in the oven, and allow them to roast for 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven, let them cool for a few minutes, and they are ready to serve.

What I did was make a couple of burgers and used the rest of the ground meat to make meat balls. I made a double batch, using 2 pounds of ground meat so I could make enough meatballs to freeze and use as I need them for another meal.

I did not miss using a traditional burger bun for this burger.  Be inventive and add your own favourite toppings.  I love mustard, ketchup and onion on a burger. That's it.  You could also grate some Allegro Cheese and make a cheese burger.  Hope you enjoy:)