It’s that time again…Happy Meat-Free Monday! As today is Memorial Day, many people have cookouts to celebrate. So I thought it would be a great idea to share this portabella mushroom burger recipe.

Portabella mushrooms are the “steaks” of the vegetarian/vegan world. They are so delish! A versatile dish, you can either eat them grilled, fried (which I often do) or even raw.

This marinade is a combination of one from nutritionist and blogger Gena Hamshaw published in VegNews (one of my fave magazines!) and one from Donna Meadows published in Vegetarian Times. For a more upscale meal, serve as is with a side of mashed potatoes (I could eat mashed potatoes every day). For a cookout, serve like a burger on a bun with your favorite fixings.

However you choose to eat them, enjoy and Happy Memorial Day!

Portabella Mushroom Burgers

4 portabella mushrooms, destemmed
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon rosemary, dried
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. Destem portabella mushrooms with a fork or spoon, being careful to keep heads intact.  Place in a large bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, combine all of the ingredients.  Then pour marinade over mushrooms.  Let the marinade sit for 1-2 hours.

3. Preheat grill.  Remove mushrooms from marinade and discard liquid.  Grill mushrooms 5 minutes on each side or until browned.

4. Either serve as is or on buns with favorite toppings.

Bon appetit!

Image by Meal Makeover Moms via Flickr and the Creative Commons License.