Use the mushrooms in place of hamburger patties, for a "meaty" vegetarian alternative at dinner. Or let the mushrooms cool off a bit, slicing into strips. Toss a simple salad of greens, olive oil, vinegar, and salt (or your favorite dressing), dish up onto salad plates, topping with the mushroom strips. What a salad!

Ingredients:

• 4 Portabella Mushrooms
• Approx. 1/2 c. or so olive oil
• 1 TBS. chopped fresh garlic
• 1/2 lb. mozzarella, provolone, or Jack cheese, sliced
• 1/3 c. parmesan cheese, grated

Get enough Portabella mushrooms for the number of people you're serving. Typically, it's one burger-sized mushroom per person, or just a half mushroom per person for a salad. Remove stem and drizzle olive oil on the inside; rub some more olive oil onto the outside. For four burgers, use: > 4 Portabella Mushrooms > about 1/2 c. or so olive oil

Next, spread some chopped garlic around the inside of the mushroom. Use: > 1 TBS. chopped fresh garlic

Add: > 1/2 lb. mozzarella, provolone, or Jack cheese, sliced

Top with : > 1/3 c. parmesan cheese, grated

Bake the cheese-mushrooms at 350 degrees for 40 min. or so, until cheese is lightly golden. Serve on toasted hamburger buns, with all the fixings, as desired.

If you're short on time, you can speed things along using the microwave. Microwave the cheese-mushrooms (about 1-2 min. per mushroom), then broil just a few minutes, until cheese is golden and mushrooms are soft.