Grill me Something Good!

I love this time of year when the whole neighborhood starts smelling like a backyard cookout . There is just something to be said about the taste and smell of food cooked on a grill! However, when most people think about grilling, they think about hamburgers, hotdogs, steak, chicken, etc. Now don't get me wrong, these things can all be amazing on a grill, but they are often loaded with saturated fats, cholesterol, preservatives, additives, hormones, etc. We made an awesome vegetarian meal on the grill the other night and didn't miss the meat at all. We still got to enjoy that wonderful grill flavor, but in a much healthier way.

Grilled Stuffed Portabello's with Sweet Potato "chips"
- large portabello caps for stuffing
- chopped tomatoes (depending on how many you shrooms you plan to stuff)
- sliced olives
- fresh mozzarella sliced into rounds (the fresher the better, trust me)
- olive oil
- balsamic vinegar
- fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
- Sweet potatos
- cumin
- cinnamon
- chili powder
- S&P to taste

Start by marinating the mushroom caps in a mixture of balsamic vinegar and olive oil for about 30min-1hour. Next mix the chopped tomatoes with the basil leaves and olives. Spoon the mixture into the mushroom caps and top with the mozzarella.
In the mean time, slice the sweet potatoes into about 1/4 in thick rounds. Toss them with a little olive oil, cumin, cinnamon and chili powder (I just mix the spices until it tastes right to me, equal parts usually gives a good flavor).
Next fire up the grill and put the sweet potatoes on first. Those will usually take about 7-8 minutes per side (or until they are fork tender). Next add the mushrooms (I recommend using a grill basket with cooking spray so they don't stick to the grill) and cook for about 10 min. or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

This meal was very tasty and the meaty texture of the mushrooms leaves you feeling satisfied. The mushrooms have immune boosting properties, the tomatoes give you a healthy dose of heart-helping lycopene, the sweet potatoes are loaded with vitamins and the rest just tastes good ;-)

Happy Eating!