Portobello Margherita Pizzas

It's Meatless Monday again. Wonderful! This tasty dinner features big, "meaty" portobello mushrooms, so it's a good one for those who are hesitant to give up animal meat. My cousin sent me a picture of this dish, asking if I'd ever made these pretty little pizzas. I hadn't, but I made them for dinner that very night, and they were a huge hit. Find the original recipe at the Barefoot Baker.

Portobello Margherita Pizzas

1 or 2 large portobello mushrooms per person (one was enough for me, but Rick ate 2)
a batch of homemade nut cheese (or a package of Daiya or other vegan cheese)
Note: I made the cheese for this out of 1 cup of raw cashews, soaked for about 20 minutes.
small jar pasta sauce (optional)
fresh basil, chopped
fresh tomatoes, sliced
raw or roasted garlic, chopped

Preheat oven to 400º
Clean the outside of the mushrooms with a damp cloth. Remove the stems, and gently scrape out the gills with a spoon.

Place the mushrooms on a non-stick lined, or lightly oiled baking sheet. Spread (or sprinkle) cheese on the inside of the mushrooms.

Next, if you want to, add some pasta sauce over the cheese. (If you're using grated cheese, such as Daiya, put the sauce on first, and then add the cheese.) I made these for four of us, and we were divided on the sauce issue. Some liked it a lot, while I thought it would be better without it, since we had those lovely fresh tomatoes already.

Now add a generous sprinkle of basil, and top with tomatoes. If you're using garlic, add it on top of the tomato layer.

Bake the mushrooms at 400º for about 10 minutes. Garnish with more basil, and a little dollop of nut cheese. These are perfect for dinner, served with a salad, and you could also make an appetizer version using smaller mushrooms.