This is a quick and easy salad that takes advantage of your grilling skills while the weather is still conducive to grilling outdoors. If you don’t have a grill or the weather is not cooperating, the mushrooms can be grilled indoors by placing them in the middle rack of the oven with the broiler set on high.

Ingredients:
3 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
4 large Portobello mushrooms (cleaned with stems removed)
1 clove garlic (peeled)
½ cup buttermilk
2 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
2 tablespoons Vegenaise
2 tablespoons fresh chives (chopped fine)
6 cups baby arugula
8 cherry tomatoes (quartered lengthwise)

Directions:
Preheat grill to medium-heat (about 350 degrees).

Whisk olive oil and vinegar together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and brush on both sides of mushroom caps. Grill mushrooms for 8 minutes on one side, turn over, and continue to grill the other side for another 8 minutes. Transfer to cutting board to cool slightly before slicing into inch-wide strips.

Process garlic in a food processor until minced. Add buttermilk, Gorgonzola cheese and Vegenaise. Process until creamy. Stir in chives.

Divide arugula among 4 plates. Arrange mushroom slices on top of arugula. Pour sauce over mushrooms. Garnish with cherry tomatoes and serve with a fresh sliced French bread on the side.

See Chef Randy’s food blog for more recipes at: http://valley-vegetarian.com