Mushroom Bun Burgers w/ Basil & Beef Rissoles

Serves 2

Ingredients:

4 large portabello mushrooms (stalks removed & chopped finely)

1 avocado, mashed with a touch of lemon juice

1/2 large red onion, sauteed until browned

8 cherry tomatoes

2 handfuls of rocket 

Soft goat's cheese for sprinkling (can use other cheese of choice)

Rissoles:

1 packet organic lean beef mince 

1/2 head basil leaves, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

Chopped mushroom stalks (used from your mushroom buns)

4tbsp 100% tomato puree (can use tomato paste)

Pinch of himalyan salt

Cracked pepper, as you like

Method:

• Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Line a baking tray with baking paper and place all 4 mushrooms, bums down (so that the stalk side is facing up, even though you have removed the stalk). 

• To make the beef rissoles: grab a mixing bowl & add your beef mince. Break the mince apart with your hands or a mixing spoon. Add tomato puree, mix through. Add all other ingredients & mix until evenly combined.

• Grab a large plate out and set beside your mixing bowl. Using your hands, take a medium handful of the beef mixture and roll into a ball. Press the ball in between your palms to flatten slightly (still keeping it fat & rounded on the edges). Repeat this until all your mixture has been rolled into rissoles.

• Decide how many rissoles you will use for your meal & if you won't be using them all, freeze some by placing squares of baking paper between them & into a ziplock bag, or glad-wrapped. 

• Place your mushrooms in the oven to begin. They will need roughly 20 minutes to become soft. At around 15 minutes, throw your cherry tomatoes in with the mushrooms so that they can bake too.

• Heat a fry-pan on medium heat & add a tsp of coconut oil or ghee. Sautee your red onion until brown & set aside until ready to assemble burger.

• Add a touch more ghee or oil & you can begin to cook your rissoles. Depending on the size you have made will determine their cooking time, but roughly you could do 3 minutes on each side or the rissole, then set them aside on a plate to rest. Test one of the burgers to see that it has cooked through.

• Once you're mushroom buns have been baking for 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven. They may have formed a mushroom-juice-puddle whilst cooking. If so you can pour it off into the sink or drink it.

To assemble your burgers:

• Set out 2 plates. Lay one mushroom on each plate, bum side down.

• Add one handful on rocket, half the mashed avocado on top of the rocket. The cherry tomatoes can be sliced or pressed with fingers to flatten. Place your beef rissole on top of those, add half of the sauteed onion & then crumble the soft feta over the top.

• Place the other two halves of the mushroom burgers onto the top of the pile, bum side up & push down softly.

• Option to add a sprinkle of white or black sesame seeds on top, to get the real bread roll effect.

Sides:

Sweet Potato Chippies!:

1 small-medium sweet potato

• Slice the sweet potato into thin, hot chip sized pieces. Scatter on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

• Place in the oven at 200 degrees celsius & bake for 20-30 minutes.

*Can do this at the same time you're baking your mushroom buns. If choosing to make chips, your oven will be at a higher temperature, therefore your mushrooms may need a little less time.

Vegetarian rissole option:

Pumpkin, Cauliflower rissoles:

1/4-1/2 raw chopped pumpkin

1/4 head raw cauliflower

2 cloves garlic

1tbsp cumin, or any other herbs or spices desired

1 egg or a flaxseed egg (3tbsp flaxseed meal + 3tbsp water)

1tbsp psyllium husks (or buckwheat, chickpea or quinoa flour)

• Add pumpkin & cauliflower into the blender or food processor & blend until rice consistency.

• Add cumin, egg & psyllium husks and blend until well combined.

• If you think you need another egg you can add.

• Grab a medium sized handful of the mixture & role into a ball. In between both palms, flatten out so that it forms a rissole. 

• You can either bake these in the oven for 20 minutes at 180 degrees celcius (with your mushroom buns). Or you can pan fry these in a touch of coconut oil or ghee for roughly 5 minutes each side.

Enjoy, enjoy!