Pressed, spice-crusted portobellos seared in vegan butter and sliced thin, piled into warm pitas with lemony mint tzatziki, crisp vegetables and a swipe of harissa.
25m prep · 45m cook · 4 servings
Ingredients Instructions
5 whole Portobello Mushrooms 3 tbsp Olive Oil 2 tbsp Vegan Butter 1 tbsp Ground Cumin 1 tbsp Paprika 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon 1 tbsp Granulated Onion 2 tsp Dried Oregano 2 tsp Salt ½ tsp Black Pepper 1 tbsp Ground Ginger 1 cup Unsweetened Plain Vegan Yogurt 2 tbsp Fresh Mint 2 cloves Garlic 2 tbsp Lemon Zest 1 tbsp Lemon Juice 1 whole Cucumber 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes 2 tbsp Fresh Parsley 2 cups Arugula 4 whole Pita Bread 2 tbsp Harissa Paste
Instructions 1 Make the tzatziki: in a bowl stir together the yogurt, mint, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and 1/4 tsp of the salt. Cover and refrigerate while you cook the mushrooms so the garlic and mint flavor the yogurt. 2 Prep the toppings: thinly slice the cucumber, halve the cherry tomatoes and chop the parsley. Set aside with the arugula. 3 Prep the mushrooms: lay the stemmed portobello caps on a rimmed baking sheet and brush both sides with 2 tbsp of the olive oil. Keep the baking sheet handy; the pressed mushrooms go back onto it. 4 Make the spice rub: in a small bowl mix the cumin, paprika, cayenne, cinnamon, granulated onion, oregano, the remaining 1 3/4 tsp salt, black pepper and ginger (if using). You will have about 1/3 cup, enough for roughly 1 tbsp per mushroom. 5 Heat a 12-inch cast-iron or heavy skillet over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes until a drop of water sizzles away instantly, then add 1/2 tbsp of the olive oil. Place 3 mushrooms in the pan gill side up. Set a second heavy skillet (or a smaller pan weighted with 2 food cans) directly on top of them. Cook 3-4 minutes, letting the weight alone press them, until they soften and you see water releasing. 6 Lift off the top pan, flip the mushrooms gill side down and set the pan back on top. Lay a folded tea towel over the top pan to protect your hand and press down firmly and evenly for 4-5 minutes, until the mushrooms are about half their original thickness and browned at the edges (about 8-10 minutes of pressing in total). If they crack, ease the pressure. Transfer to the baking sheet. Repeat steps 5-6 with the remaining 2 mushrooms and remaining 1/2 tbsp olive oil. 7 Season the mushrooms: sprinkle about 1/2 tbsp of the spice rub over the gill side of each pressed mushroom and push it into the surface with the back of a spoon. Flip and repeat on the other side, using all of the rub divided evenly between the 5 mushrooms. 8 Wipe out the skillet and set it over medium heat. Melt 1 tbsp of the vegan butter, add 3 seasoned mushrooms and sear 2-3 minutes per side, until the spice crust turns deep brick red, smells toasty and the edges crisp. If the butter smokes or the spices start turning black, lower the heat; burnt spices taste bitter. Transfer to a cutting board and repeat with the remaining 1 tbsp vegan butter and 2 mushrooms. 9 Warm the pitas: in the same dry skillet over medium heat, warm each pita about 30 seconds per side until soft and pliable, then stack them in a tea towel to keep warm. 10 Slice the mushrooms into thin strips, like shawarma meat. Divide everything evenly between the 4 pitas: spread each with tzatziki, then top with 1/2 cup arugula, a quarter of the sliced mushrooms (about 1 1/4 caps), tomatoes, cucumber, parsley and 1/2 tbsp harissa. Serve right away. Estimated nutrition (per serving) Calories 420 kcal
Protein 12g
Carbs 47g
Fat 21g
Fiber 6g
Sodium 1605mg
Sugar 6g
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