Summer time and burgers just go together. I always crave them in the summer time. But I have two challenges – finding buns and burgers with minimal crap in them. As you may know by now if you’ve been following me, all my recipes are vegan and gluten free. But they’re also crap free. Which means I don’t add a lot of excess sugar, I don’t cook with vegan butter – I use ingredients that come from the earth. Simple. If you share the same values, then you know that finding a vegan, gluten and crap free bun is a challenge.
I scoured the internet for recipes on how to make vegan, gf buns with minimal crap, and honestly – they’re exhausting. Like, sometimes I’m in the mood to experiment and create new things – but truthfully i’m mostly lazy. Then it dawned on me – sweet potato rounds as the bun. Genius.
My original intention was that this recipe be a portobello mushroom burger recipe. It’s one of the simplest burgers I know how to make, they’re tried and tested, and delicious. But way too big to fit on sweet potato rounds. These burgers were gonna need to be sliders. Then it dawned on me again – SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS!
First of all, let me tell you a little somethin’ somethin’ about shiitake mushrooms…
First of all they are delicious, and totally underrated in cooking. I feel like I don’t see that many recipes with shiitake mushrooms in them? Second of all, they are a powerhouse of nutrition.
Benefits of Shiitake Mushrooms:
- Support immune function
- Have anti-cancer properties
- Helps to balance hormones and reduce brain fog
- High in vitamin-D
- Anti-inflammatory properties
- One of the most potent sources of copper
They’re pretty much one of the most bad-ass foods out there. So when I got the idea to use them in this recipe I was super excited! I also think they taste amazing. They’re also ridiculously easy to make.
The easiest part is probably the “bun” – you literally just chop up the sweet potato as shown above. Throw on a little olive or coconut oil, and bake. Easy peasy. The shiitake burger is basically a washed and de-stemmed shiitake mushroom coated with a walnut crust (that truthfully works best if you focus on just coating the underside). While they’re baking saute some onions, chop up your veggies, mash your avocado and you’re in business.
Super easy.
Super simple.
Ridiculously delicious.
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 20 minutes |
| Servings |
Slider
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- 6-8 medium/large Shiitake mushrooms washed and de-stemmed
- 3/4 cup walnuts
- 2 cloves garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1-2 large/fat sweet potatoes fat is important so they are big enough for the sliders
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1-2 medium avocados mashed (mix with salt and pepper)
- 1 medium tomatoe sliced to fit on burgers
- lettuce to top
- 1-2 tbsp coconut oil
Ingredients
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- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Wash your sweet potatoes, and slice them into rounds about a half an inch thick. Light coat them with olive or coconut oil and place them on a baking sheet. Place in the oven for approx. 20 minutes (checking throughout, and flipping once). You want the potatoes to be soft enough to eat, but firm enough to hold up a burger. Cook for a little longer than 20 minutes if needed.
- Lather your washed, de-stemmed shiitake mushrooms with coconut oil - you may need more than the 1-2 tbsp I suggested, so use more as needed. These mushrooms really soak up the oil. Make sure they're covered well and set aside.
- Place the walnuts, garlic, and salt/pepper to taste in a food processor or high speed blender, and blend until you have created a bread crumb consistency.
- First coat the underside of the mushrooms well with the walnut crumbs. Press the walnut crumbs into the mushroom so that it sticks. Do this for all mushrooms and place on a baking sheet. If you have some walnut left over, place on the top of the mushroom - if not, that's ok! Now place them in the oven for 20 - 30 minutes, flipping once around the 15 minute mark. You want to walnuts to be golden brown on the one side.
- While these are baking, slice your onion into whatever size you prefer for sautéed onions. I did a bit of a thicker cut with mine for this recipe, and it turned out well. Add to a pain with coconut oil over medium heat, and sauté until brown.
- Place 1-2 avocados in a bowl, and mash together with salt and pepper. Set aside. Cut up your tomatoes, lettuce, and any other toppings you wish!
- Once your burgers and sweet potatoes are done, take them out of the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes. Now top them however you want 'em and enjoy!
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