If I ever write a cookbook, I so want this recipe to be in it. There is a lot going on with this little salad and it’s all super delicious. For starters, I made my own BBQ sauce…without sugar, corn syrup, preservatives, additives, flavoring, coloring or any of the other junky junk that you’ll find on the labels of most store bought barbecue sauces. To sweeten the sauce, I used only a handful of medjool dates and the taste is amazing.
I stopped eating meat about ten years ago. In the beginning, just like a lot of transitioning vegetarians, I relied on meat alternatives, like frozen veggie burgers and “chicken” patties. I admit I still have a Morningstar Griller every now and then…gasp. They do seem to satisfy the primal cravings I occasionally have.
But, they really are processed food and I’d rather get my nutrition from whole foods. So when I’m looking for comfort food, I love grilled portobello mushrooms. I even season them with a steak rub (I use Penzey’s Mitchell Street Steak Seasoning) and serve them with mashed potatoes and a homemade steak sauce.
For this recipe, I roasted a head of garlic and steamed yukon gold potatoes. For an extra nutrition kick, you could use sweet potatoes. I mashed the garlic and potatoes with Earth Balance and almond milk. Then I made the steak sauce. You could use a store brought brand, but check the ingredients because it probably has high fructose corn syrup — which is just yuck. Next I seasoned the mushrooms and grilled them with the asparagus. I sauteed some spinach in olive oil and then arranged everything on a plate.
So, I think even my diehard meat-eating friends would be happy with this meal. I know I love it!
foodie yoga girl 