Italian Style Shiitake Pecan Burger

You won't miss the meat. Seasoned pecans, onions and shiitake mushrooms make the best burger ever!

Yield: 4 burger patties

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped
• 1/4 cup Parmesan, shredded
• Sprig of rosemary, chopped fine
• 1 onion, sliced fine
• 2 cups diced shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
• 2 tablespoons diced sun dried tomatoes (oil preserved)
• 1/2 tablespoon tamari soy sauce, low sodium
• 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tablespoon olive, walnut or grapeseed oil
• Pepper

Instructions

1. In a bowl, combine breadcrumbs, toasted pecans, Parmesan and rosemary.
2. Caramelize the onion in a skillet with olive oil and add to bowl with dry ingredients.
3. In the same pan the onions were in, cook the shiitake on high heat until the mushroom liquid has been reabsorbed. Let cool and add to rest of ingredients.
4. Mix until evenly distributed. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes, tamari, Worcestershire and oil until consistency is moist enough to hold together. Add vegetable broth if additional moisture is needed. Let sit for half an hour in the refrigerator.
5. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
6. Using a metal round, press out 4 equal patties.
7. Bake the patties for about 15 minutes or until the edges appear golden but not too dry.
8. Pepper after baked. Salt shouldn’t be needed due to the tamari.
9. Serve on whole wheat bun with 1/2 cup of arugula, a few sun-dried tomatoes and/or more caramelized onions.

Attribution

Recipe and photo used with permission from: The Mushroom Council
Recipe courtesy of Nicolette Matt, 2nd place winner of Swap It or Top It 2014.