Grilled Portabella Mushrooms

 Yesterday as we were driving home from the dog park, I got that cook-out feeling. You know, the one where the weekend is winding down but it's still beautiful out, the smell of spring is in the air, and you just feel good. That's my cookout feeling. For the last couple years, we haven't been having cookouts for obvious reasons. I know, I know, we could grill out black bean burgers, but really? They just get dry on the grill. It's not the same. 

Well last night, with all of his infinitely great ideas, The Boyfriend pulls out this one: Lets grill portabella mushrooms. I knew it was a winner right away.

We also got to thinking about veggie skewers, so we picked up some wooden skewers at the store. Those are next. First up: portabella mushrooms!

I washed and marinated the mushrooms 

When I think of cookouts, I think of chips. But thinking of store bought potato chips gave me a bad feeling. The grease, the fat, the stomachache. Then we remembered we had sweet potatoes, and we could make our own homemade potato chips! I sliced a sweet potato and spread on a cookie sheet. Top with a little oil, salt, and the secret ingredient: cinnamon. I guess it's not too much of a secret since cinnamon goes great with sweet potatoes! 

While I was busy in the kitchen, The Boyfriend was outside with the smallest, cutest little charcoal grill I have ever seen! 

We used to have a nice, larger, red grill in Ohio. It sat on our back patio, and when I moved I forgot to put it in the Uhaul. Oops. Out of sight, out of mind. I then called and gifted it to my roomate, who stayed in Ohio. I hope she's getting some use out of it and enjoying it! 

The homemade potato chips turned out magnificent. 

I've made these before but this was my favorite they have ever tasted.

Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes, flip the ones that are ready and bake after 20 minutes. Keep an eye on them, some burn faster than others. I like how some are softer than others. My favorite are the crisp ones!

I went downstairs to see how my mushies were doing

They were getting really soft and perfect looking.

Of course we had to top with cheddar daiya cheese

At the store we found these great flatbread "sandwich-makers" that just fold over. You can make them into pizzas, you can tear and dip them into dips, or you can fold them over to make a sandwich. We sliced up tomatoes and lettuce, and used vegan mayonnaise and spicy brown mustard on the bread.

These were great! We will def make them again. Portabella mushroom burgers are sometimes served in restaurants as a meat alternative because the mushroom is thick and meaty. Although, they are mostly coated in batter and fried, which is counter-productive to the healthy-eating movement. These were just as tasty because of the 10-minute marinade, and they weren't even fried. Healthy and delicious? Yes, please! The chips were a perfect compliment.

What's your favorite non-meat meal to grill out with? Do cook-outs remind you of summer, the 4th of July, Spring, or anything else in particular? For me, cook-outs remind me of my Grandpa's house on the 4th of July, with lots of relatives and hot, sticky summer air.