Today I’ll be sharing my recipe for portobello “steaks”. This is a great recipe for converting a carnivore and it dispels the myth that going vegan is expensive. 4 large portobello mushrooms at Sam’s club cost $5 and serves 4. Ask your meat-eating friends when was the last time they cooked a steak dinner for 4 for $1.25 each? Before trying these, I thought I hated mushrooms. To me, they were like chewing on a condom, I just didn’t like the texture.
Portobellos are nothing like their poor cousins, canned button mushrooms (bless their rubbery little hearts), they are just awesome! The secret is to marinate them, but not for too long. Mushrooms are very porous and only need to marinate for 1-2 hours. Always wash mushrooms just before using by wiping with a damp paper towel as washing them too soon makes them just plain nasty! I did a lot of experimenting and came up with this yet-to-be-named concoction. Like I said, mushrooms are very porous and thus absorb easily so it’s important to not use too much salty or sweet ingredients.
For the Marinade:
1/2 cup EVOO
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup Teriyaki sauce *
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tablespoon salt
1 Tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper
Juice and zest 1 lime
Emulsify all ingredients with an immersion (stick) blender.
For the Portobellos:
4 large portobellos
prepared marinade
2 Tablespoons EVOO and/or Earth Balance for frying
In a gallon size ziplock, add portobellos and marinade. Allow to marinate for at least 1, but no more than 2 hours, flipping the bag periodically(every 30 minutes should do it). Remove portobellos from bag, rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Heat oil and/or Earth Balance in skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook on each side for 2-3 minutes, until it starts to get some color. Season with salt and pepper and serve. These make great burgers as well. For burgers, serve on a toasted bun with caramelized onions and roasted garlic. You won’t even miss the cheese! As this recipe contains no animal products, feel free to marinate veggies as well. Asparagus is my favorite. You can also save left- over marinade and use for tofu the next day, just follow the same method as for the portobellos.
*check the label to make sure teriyaki sauce is vegan. I used Food Lion brand which contains mostly corn syrup and some spices.