Portabella Mushroom Burgers with Vegan Scalloped Potatoes

In our house, it's just me and Tony, my husband.  We've been married all of three months. Newlywed bliss indeed!
Now, I usually spearhead the meals.  
But every once in a while, Tony will chime in with an idea.  
So when he does, I follow his lead.


Knowing and FULLY supporting my attempt at a lifestyle adjustment, Tony was, on his own, perusing through my copy of Veganomicon, my one and only vegan cookbook.


I purchased this book when I offered to cook a birthday meal for a friend of mine.  I don't use it often but this week, I had it out again.
Tony picked it up(!) and said, "Hey, I was thinking we could have portabella mushroom burgers and I found this recipe for vegan scalloped potatoes."


Um,YES!


He even went on to say that we had all of the ingredients already, which always makes life easier. 
I mean come on, people, this guy is a gem.


Here is what we made.

The recipe for the potatoes is in Veganomicon but it basically is potatoes, herbs, veg stock, some flour and garlic. 
Tony wanted it a bit crispier but the taste was all there.


The mushroom is super simple.  
Take two portabellas and scrape the bottom flakes, trim the stem, brush a little EVOO with a pinch of salt on top and bottom then stick them on a preheated grill pan.


To make it really tasty, I toasted the pretzel buns (usually I'm a stickler for whole wheat grains, but this was one of Tony's requests so...I mean he made VEGAN scalloped potatoes!).
  
Then I made some pesto (Basil, almonds, garlic, EVOO, salt, pepper and pulse in Food Processor or Blender).
Then for a little acid, I made some oven roasted cherry tomatoes (drizzle with EVOO, salt, sugar, pepper with garlic and fresh oregano and stick in the oven).


The big indulgence for me in this meal was the single slice of mozzarella cheese. I am trying to cut out dairy completely, but this was the first taste I've had in weeks which I am pretty proud about anyway.


This was just a good tasting meal and the fact that it was also pretty good for us, just makes it that much better.

Welcome to something new...for me.

So last year I was diagnosed with high cholesterol.

This didn't come as a shock.  I was told something similar in 1999.
They wanted me to go on Lipitor.
I said no.
I was in my twenties, with on again, off again health insurance so I opted out.
I didn't want my body to get used to drugs and then have to ween off of them if I had to be without benefits.
Health benefits are a luxury in my field of work as a freelance actor, writer and teacher.

And good for me, because two months later, I got a professional acting gig so I quit my job with health care benefits and crossed my fingers.

A year later, I landed another acting/writing job in Amsterdam.
The land of universal health care!
After I was settled in my new country, I ventured in and tried the medical offerings.
It was a modest doctors office right off a canal.  I met with a very kind older man who spoke little but was very direct.
They did some blood work.
He told me I was fine.

Hmmm.

I asked about my cholesterol.
"It's normal.  It's the high end of normal but your are fine."

I rode my bike home feeling like I had beat my life sentence of corroding arteries and heart disease.  Yay, me.  I did it.

See, my life in Amsterdam was full of bike rides, fresh produce, very little meat, and, believe it or not, nothing fried.  They love the fried foodstuff over there.
I was pretty much living a vegetarian lifestyle with blips of fish or chicken.
Exercising and eating healthy.
That was the ticket.
Problem solved.

But then I fell in love with cooking.  And all of a sudden, back in the USA I wanted to cook EVERYTHING!
Meats, rich sauces, desserts.

I was getting good at cooking too.  I had  a knack it seemed.
What I was less successful at was moderation and continuous exercise.
They don't bike ride as much in LA, Cleveland and Las Vegas (which was where I was living).

So cut to, February 2011, I once again have health insurance.
Blood work is taken.
Yep,  It's back.
My Total count is 281.
That is in the High sector, my friends.

Again, I wasn't interested in meds, so I looked back at my time in Amsterdam.  I was exercising and eating really healthy foods.  I wanted to go that route again.
I pulled out my bike and started riding it.
I let meat fall to the wayside.
I was living a pretty solid vegetarian lifestyle with the occasional fish.

Now it's February 2012 and my numbers are in...Total Cholesterol is 232.

Not bad.
Not great, mind you, but an improvement.
I looked closer at my life and indeed there was a hole where the meat left.
A space filled with cheese.

So here it goes.
I am not declaring myself a full vegan or vegetarian or pescatarian.  No labels.
But I am looking to loading my life up with fresh whole foods as much as possible.
Mostly fruits and vegetables in fun and new ways.
I am going to seek out new proteins and grains and venture out into a newer world where I am eating food that is not only good for me but tastes good...hell, I am hoping for great.