Spinach Salad with Grilled Portobello Mushrooms

Recipe from the book Cholesterol Down by Janet Bond Brill, Ph.D., R.D., LDN.

Recipe Ingredients:

4 cups washed spinach leaves, preferably organically grown
2 large ripe tomatoes, diced
2 large portobello mushrooms
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
Juice of 1/2 fresh lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Balsamic glaze (available commercially such as Gia Russa from Italy)

Cooking Directions:

1. Heat grill to medium-high heat.
2. Chop spinach into small pieces and divide spinach between two salad plates. Top each with chopped tomatoes.
3. Wash and dry mushrooms, removing stems.
4. In a small pot, heat olive oil and sauté garlic with lemon juice, salt, and pepper until garlic is browned.
5. Brush mushroom caps (both sides) generously with olive oil mixture.
6. Grill mushrooms over medium heat, stem side down, for about 8 minutes. Turn and grill tops for 6 to 8 minutes more. The mushrooms should be browned and tender.
7. Remove from grill, cut into quarters, and arrange over spinach salad. Add seasoning to taste. Drizzle salad with balsamic glaze and serve.

Makes 2 servings.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/2 of recipe): Calories: 220, Fat: 15 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 236 mg, Carbohydrate: 21 g, Dietary Fiber: 5 g, Sugars: 7 g, Protein: 5 g.

Copyright © 2006 Janet Brill, PH.D.

Recipe Source: An excerpt from the book Cholesterol Down by Janet Bond Brill, Ph.D., R.D., LDN; Published by Three Rivers Press; December 2006;$13.95US/$17.95CAN; 978-0-307-33911-9 Copyright © 2006 Janet Brill, Ph.D.