Barbecue Those Meaty Mushrooms

These mushrooms make for a meatless lunch when served with grilled bread and tea. With their flavors of green onions, soy sauce and sesame oil, they are based on a similar dish I had recently at a Korean restaurant.

You can use any variety of mushrooms you like. Leave smaller mushrooms whole so they don’t slip through the grill, but larger ones can be cut in half. Just a small amount of oil is used to flavor the salad dressing and marinate the mushrooms.

For a more substantial meal, add grilled chicken kebabs or fish filets.

Grilled Mushrooms With Tossed Green Salad

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 30 minutes * Vegetarian

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4 green onions

1 pound button mushrooms, cut in half

1 (3.5-ounce package) shiitake mushrooms

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons light soy sauce, divided

2 tablespoons water, divided

1 tablespoon dry Sherry

2 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil, divided

4 1/2 teaspoons sugar, divided

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

4 cups mixed salad greens

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Cut the green tops off the onions, then cut the greens lengthwise into thin strips. Add these to a bowl of ice water. Save the white parts of the onion for another use.

Toss together the button and shiitake mushrooms on a large platter. Combine 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of water, the Sherry, 2 teaspoons of sesame oil, 4 teaspoons of sugar and the garlic. Pour this over the mushrooms, tossing until the mushrooms are evenly coated. Let stand 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat an outdoor grill or stovetop grill pan. Grill the mushrooms until slightly browned around the edges, 5 to 8 minutes, turning as they grill.

While the mushrooms are grilling, make the dressing by combining the remaining 2 teaspoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of water, the rice vinegar, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil and the red pepper flakes. Drain the green onions and toss together with the mixed greens. Pour the dressing over the salad to coat. Serve the greens along with the grilled mushrooms.

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2 to 3 servings. Each of 3 servings: 135 calories; 482 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 2.90 grams fiber.