Looking for an alternative to meat? Portobello mushrooms are an excellent alternative. I used to eat mushrooms as a topping on pizza, but since giving up meat, mushrooms have become a staple. I use mushrooms in my quinoa, stir fry, lettuce wraps, bean scramble, ackee, and of course as a meat alternative. When I started incorporating more mushrooms into my diet, jerking was the first cooking method that I used to prepare them, and they turned out great.

Portobello mushrooms are flavorful, versatile, and delicious when prepared. They are widely available at your local grocery store, and they are inexpensive. Portobellos come in large and small caps. I recommend both, but the large portobellos work best as a meat alternative. Portobellos are also good for you. Check out the following health benefits: may lower cancer risk, contains antioxidants and natural anti-inflammatories, is a great source of B vitamins, provides copper and selenium, and is low in carbs but still provides some fiber (Levy, 2018).

All in all, portobellos are worth incorporating into your diet. I’ve included my recipe for jerk portobello mushroom with bell peppers to get you started. It is spicy, delicious, and healthy.

Ingredients

2-3 large to large portobello mushroom caps
3 medium bell peppers (red, yellow, and orange)
½ – 1 tablespoon homemade jerk seasoning (see recipe below)
4 garlic cloves
½ teaspoon Himalayan pink sea salt
¼ – ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 stalks of green scallions
1 small onion

Directions

1. Set the oven to 400 degrees
2. Rinse the mushrooms, bell peppers, scallion, onion, and garlic
3. Dice the mushrooms
4. Cut the bell peppers in half. Use only half of each bell pepper. Store the remaining halves.
5. Dice the bell peppers
6. Peel and mince the garlic cloves
7. Dice the onion
8. Measure ½ – 1 tablespoon of jerk seasoning and set aside.
9. Put the mushroom, bell peppers, scallion, garlic, onion, jerk seasoning, salt, and red pepper flakes into a bowl and combine the ingredients using your hand. Note: the jerk seasoning has pepper, so the red pepper flakes will increase the spiciness. There is also salt in the jerk seasoning, but it may not be enough, hence the added salt.
10. Once the ingredients are combined, put them into a glass or ceramic baking dish
11. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and transfer it to the oven
12. Set the oven timer for 35 to 60 mins.
13. After 10 to 15 minutes stir the mushrooms and replace the foil covering.
14. Allow the mushrooms to cook for another 5 or 10 minutes then uncover the baking dish and allow the juice to dry out just enough so there isn’t an abundance of juice in the baking dish. You don’t want the mushroom and the peppers to be dry; they should still look plump and juicy. While the juice is drying out, occasionally stir the mushroom, so they don’t stick.
15. When enough of the juice has dried out, you can mix a small amount of flour with water and add it to the mushroom. This will bind the mushroom and the remainder of the juice together.
16. When done, remove the mushroom from the oven and serve with brown rice or just about anything.

Homemade Jerk Seasoning

1 tablespoon allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoon salt (Himalayan pink salt)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Combine the ingredients together and store them in a glass jar. 

I found this recipe on the Food Network’s website. It originally had ¼ cup light brown sugar and 2 tablespoons canola oil. I eliminated those, but you can add them back in.

Additional notes

Jerk seasoning is readily available at your local Caribbean market, so you don’t have to feel pressured to make your own jerk seasoning. Just know that if you use store-bought jerk seasoning, you may not need the added salt because store-bought Jerk seasoning is already quite salty. Additionally, I cannot guarantee how the recipe will taste with store-bought jerk seasoning since I have never tried it. This recipe makes about two to three servings. Store leftovers in the refrigerator. Happy cooking!

Link to jerk seasoning
Mushroom health benefits