What about this?

Cooking for one is tough, but cooking for one while you are on a student budget is even more challenging. To make sure my daughter is eating a healthy diet while she is away at college, I’ll occasionally ask her what she’s cooking for dinner. Last week she told me she made a pasta dish with Portobello mushrooms. Thick and “meaty” Portobello mushrooms are good nutritious alternatives to eating meat and they cost less, too. She’s a smart cook who likes good food, but can still eat healthily on a budget.

Portobello or Portabella mushrooms are one and the same and are merely large (4-6 inches) brown crimini mushrooms. According to the Self Nutrition Data site, a Portobello mushroom ” . . . is low in Sodium, and very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Protein, Thiamin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Magnesium, Zinc and Manganese, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Selenium.”

When purchasing Portobello mushrooms, look for ones that are firm and without spots or discoloration. Avoid mushrooms that are broken, shriveled, or have a wet and slippery feeling. Whole mushrooms will remain fresh for 5-7 days if stored properly. Sliced mushrooms have a shorter shelf life. To prevent loss of flavor, avoid washing Portobello mushrooms in water before cooking them. Wiping them gently with a damp cloth or brushing them lightly with a cooking brush will remove any sand or debris.

Grilled Portobello Mushroom Salad
Adapted from a Gourmet Magazine recipe

Salad Ingredients:
4 large portobello mushrooms
6 oz. mixed salad greens

Sherry Vinaigrette Ingredients:
1/3 C medium-dry sherry
3 T balsamic vinegar
1 T minced garlic
1 T minced shallot
1 T sugar
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1/2 C olive oil
1/2 C vegetable oil
3 T finely chopped mixed herbs, such as parsley, basil, thyme, sage and chives

Directions:
1. In a very small pot, boil sherry until reduced by about half. Let cool.
2. In a bowl whisk together sherry reduction, balsamic vinegar, garlic, shalllot, sugar, salt and pepper.
3. Add oils in a stream, whisking until emulsified.
4. Whisk in herbs.
5. Reserve 1/4 cup vinaigrette for dressing salad greens.
6. Transfer remaining vinaigrette to a large sealable plastic bag.
7. Remove and discard stems from mushrooms. Add mushrooms to bag; remove air and seal bag.
8. Marinate mushrooms in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to 2 hours while occasionally turning the bag to redistribute marinade.
9. Remove mushrooms from bag, letting the excess vinaigrette drip off.
10. Grill on hot grill for about 5 minutes on each side or until done. Let set for a few minutes and then slice.
11. In a bowl toss salad greens with reserved vinaigrette and add salt and pepper to taste. Divide among 4 plates or or place in shallow serving bowl.
12. Transfer sliced mushrooms to plates or place slices on top of greens in the shallow serving bowl.

Serves 4.