Shroom "Steak" Dinner

Who says vegans can't have steak? Grilled portabella mushrooms are just as hearty and way better for your heart than nasty old, bloody cow flesh. Even though it's not totally Southern, I wanted to include a Mushroom Steak recipe in my vegan Southern cookbook since folks down here love their steak.

This was my first attempt:


Yea, yea. I know it looks like a big round turd. But portabellas don't photograph well. I tried to cut a piece out to make it less, um, round. But it still looks weird. The taste, however, was quite nice.

But I could use a little help. It was my first attempt marinating and grilling a portabella. I've eaten my share, and I've cooked with baby bellas. But never a whole giant shroom. The taste was yummy, but something was missing. It needed more of a chargrilled steak flavor.

Here's what I used in my marinade: 2 Tbsp. balsalmic vinegar, 1/4 cup red wine, 1 cup veggie stock, 1 tsp. thyme, 1 tsp. Liquid Smoke, 2 Tbsp. vegan Worcestershire, 1 Tbsp. oil, and 1/8 tsp. garlic powder.

I was thinking about adding some bottled steak sauce to the mix next time. What do you guys think? Any tips?

On the side, I made some super-yummy Fried Cucumbers:


These are sooooo going in the cookbook. My neighbor Wes suggested I try this because his mom used to make them all the time when he was growing up in the country. I'd had fried pickles, but never cucumbers. But since we deep fry every veggie in the South, it makes perfect sense. I actually prefer the fried cukes to fried pickles. Of course. the secret is in the batter. These were perfect dipped in Organicsville Non-Dairy Ranch Dressing.