Grilled Portabella Mushroom Sandwiches

I am ashamed to admit that while I was making these, I didn't take any pictures.  I actually didn't really plan on adding the recipe to my blog!  The whole thing began like this:

My friend Symphony and I are both teachers, and the end of our coveted summer break is looming.  She hadn't been over yet to check out the new pool, so we decided that on Wednesday, she would come over to hang out and we would swim.  Symphony is a fellow clean eater, but she is ALSO a vegetarian.  Now, there are about a billion things I love about Symf, but one of them is that she challenges me to be healthier (honestly, there aren't many people in my life who do that!).  I am NOT a vegetarian, but I DO love food, and I do not discriminate!  So I thought that since she was coming over, we could also make lunch.  I didn't want to JUST make a salad; that's BORING, and probably typical fare that meat-a-tarians feed vegetarians.  I had been kicking around the idea of making some grilled Portabella Mushroom Sandwiches.  Way back in the day when I worked at Llywelyn's Pub, they featured a pretty amazing one on their menu.  I had been craving one for awhile, but my handsome husband would have been less than enthusiastic about a meal like this one.  Making these glorious sandwiches with Symf seemed like a natural solution, and it gave me the chance to take our new Weber Kettle for a spin.

My friend, Symphony.  She seriously brings a little ray of sunshine everywhere she goes!  She is pretty incredible.

They turned out pretty amazing, if I do say so myself!  Symphony provided the excellent salad as accompaniment, and I had made some red wine vinaigrette dressing that morning.  I also did a foil pack of grilled onions and red bell peppers, and we put those on our sandwiches, too!  It really was the perfect pool-date lunch!

Here is what you will need:
5-6 large Portabella mushroom caps, wiped clean

Marinade:
1/2 c. Bragg's Liquid Aminos (you can use soy sauce if you need to; Bragg's can be hard to find in some grocery stores)
1/3 c. water
1 T honey
3 cloves minced garlic
3 tsp dried basil (fresh could work, too)
2 T olive oil
Pepper to taste

Whole wheat hamburger buns (or, if you are lucky enough to find them, Ezekiel bread English muffins)
5-6 slices clean Provolone

What to do:
Mix together the marinade ingredients in a large container.  Add the mushroom caps and refrigerate for 1 hour, turning after 30 minutes.
Pre-heat grill of your choice (charcoal, gas, or indoor)
Place the mushroom caps on the grill and grill for about four minutes per side.  Before taking mushrooms off the grill, top with  slice of Provolone and allow to melt.
You can also toast your buns on the grill, if you like.
Place mushroom on sandwich; add toppings you desire (I used Dijon mustard and the grilled onions and peppers).
So good!

Don't be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone, especially when it comes to food.  You might be missing out on something amazing!  And like my mother said, you have to try it, but if you don't like it, you don't have to eat it.

"I like being a woman in a man's world.  After all, men can't wear dresses, but we can wear the pants." - Whitney Houston

Be FIERCE!