If you’ve been following the blog for some time or if you’ve read my book, you’ll know that I eat a mostly Paleo-inspired diet. This changed for a couple of months during the first trimester of my pregnancy when my body just couldn’t get enough of bread – I was scoffing down 6-7 slices of sourdough a day. Must have been an increased need of folate, and interestingly, I had none of the regular symptoms of slight IBS during this time – it’s amazing how our bodies can quickly adapt to digest foods we actually need. Just another hint to listen to our bodies instead of following a certain diet blindly.
However, with the baby’s increasing size I have found that now that we are about 3 weeks out from welcoming the new addition to the Angell tribe, any type of grain – be it rice or bread especially, brings on an almost immediate and extreme heartburn (it does not happen for me with any other food type). So, bread is out and alternatives are in. Hence, the need for a bun-less mushroom burger!
Besides, we can all benefit from adding extra serving of veggies and ‘shrooms into our daily meals. Doing so not only boosts our nutrient and fibre intake, it is also more sustainable and beneficial for the planet.
Mushrooms – used here instead of the bun – are a great source of Vitamin D, especially if you let them sunbake in noon winter sun for 60 minutes before using! Sweet potatoes work wonders in helping to keep you regular and are nutritionally at their best when consumed with a little fat, they are great for the skin, too.
Leftover fritters, and there will be about 6, can be stored in the fridge, enjoyed with a poached egg or eaten as a snack straight out of the fridge. If you can’t find pomegranate seeds, something like the Confetti Salad would also work a treat as a topping.
The recipe recently appeared in Nourish Magazine as part of a Healthier Burger feature. Yum!
Paleo Mushroom and Sweet Potato Burgers
Ingredients
- 200 g (1 small) sweet potato
- 1 egg
- 3 stems fresh coriander
- 50 g goat's cheese, optional
- olive oil
- 4 palm-sized flat Portobello mushrooms
- sea salt flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese or thick coconut yoghurt
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
Instructions
- Grate the sweet potato or process in a small bowl of a food processor until finely chopped. Add egg finely chopped coriander stalks and half the leaves, reserve the remaining leaves for serving. Add goat’s cheese, if using, and mix well.
- Preheat oven-grill to hot.
- Heat a little oil in a large pan set over medium heat, spoon about 1/4 cup per fritter into the pan, flatten lightly with a spatula and cook, in batches, for 4-5 minutes on each side.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place mushrooms stem side up on the tray. Drizzle each with 1 teaspoon olive oil, sprinkle with salt and thyme. Grill for 5-7 minutes.
- Remove the mushrooms from the oven. Transfer two to two plates. Top each with a tablespoon of cream cheese or yoghurt, 1-2 corn fritters, coriander leaves and pomegranate seeds. Serve with the remaining mushroom placed stem-side down on top.
