Portobello mushrooms are a healthy substitute for red meat in a burger and a great way to get even the heartiest meat eater to try eating a vegetarian recipe.

These portobello mushroom burgers are great for people on a diet as one portobello mushroom has approximately 30 calories. The portobello mushroom also has no fat or cholesterol as opposed to a normal a 3 ounce hamburger patty which has 235 calories, 16 grams of fat and 76 milligrams of cholesterol.


Ingredients

4 large portobello mushroom caps
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 clove of garlic (minced)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 whole wheat hamburger buns, toasted
4 slices tomato
4 slices red onion
2 lettuce leaves cut in half

Directions

Clean mushrooms with a damp cloth and remove their stems. Place in a glass dish, stem (gill) side up.

To prepare the marinade, in a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, water, sugar, garlic, cayenne pepper and olive oil. Drizzle the marinade over the mushrooms. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for about 1 hour, turning mushrooms once.

Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill or broiler. Away from the heat source, lightly coat the grill rack or broiler pan with cooking spray. Position the cooking rack 4 to 6 inches from the heat source.

Grill or broil the mushrooms on medium heat, turning often, until tender, about 5 minutes on each side. Baste with marinade to keep from drying out. Using tongs, transfer the mushrooms to a plate.

Place each mushroom on a bun and top with 1 tomato slice, 1 onion slice and 1/2 lettuce leaf. Serve immediately.

Serves 4