If you are trying to eat more plant-based meals, grilling a portobello mushroom instead of a meat burger is a great substitution. John marinated the mushrooms in no fat Italian salad dressing and balsamic vinegar and sprinkled on some garlic powder, salt, oregano. They took about 12 minutes on the pre-heated grill.

I made my 2-bean salad with a drained can each of black beans, black eyed peas, and petite diced tomatoes. Other vegetables are onion, scallion, carrot, celery, jalapeño, garlic, red bell pepper, and cilantro. The dressing was made from no fat Italian dressing, balsamic and cider vinegars, cumin, Tabasco sauce, sriracha, and lime zest and juice. Plus salt, this salad needs a lot of salt. I think I ate a quarter of it testing it for the right levels of salt, acid, and spiciness.

As summer approaches, we will be making more of these types of dinners. When it gets really hot out (90-105F) we will be cooking outside more and eating salads to keep the house cool and our tummies happy.