When I was in high school, a number of my friends decided to give up their meat-eating ways and go vegetarian. I was an awkward teenager both looking to fit in and find something to set me apart from ‘the norm,’ so I did the same -- for about a day.

Nope, I didn’t last very long. My grandfather, who lived with us at the time, and a number of other family members were butchers, so I guess having a business in the family that produced sausages, cold cuts, salami, and other tasty treats (many of which found theirs ways into our fridge every week) didn’t make the jump to vegetarianism all that easy.

That and, of course, the fact that I enjoy a good burger or steak, chicken breast, or pork chop every now and then.

To this day, I’m still quite impressed with Anna, a friend of mine, who became a full-fledged vegan a few years ago. While she admits to cheating once in a while (usually with cheese), the whole vegan thing means no meat and no animal products – including things made with eggs, milk, honey, and refined sugar (bone char is made from the bones of cows and is at times used to whiten sugar).

Having a vegan over for a meal has always been a bit daunting to me, because, for one, almost everything I make has either cheese, butter, sugar, or some other sort of vegan no-no in it. And then there’s the whole question of, “is what I’m using really, truly vegan.” Is there egg in this pasta? Is there milk or butter in this? What’s this sweetened with? And the questions keep coming.

Luckily, Anna is a very polite vegan and often brings her own stuff (including vegan “chicken” to grill on the barbecue while everyone else had burgers and sausages a little while ago) or, even better, cooks for the group. A few months ago, she made stuffed Portobello mushrooms that were, well, pretty good.

For four stuffed mushrooms, you need two Granny Smith apples, two medium carrots, seven Cremini or white button mushrooms, two zucchinis, half a cup of cauliflower florets, about half a block of firm tofu, a cup of blanched almonds, one tablespoon of minced ginger, three or four minced garlic cloves, three tablespoons of olive oil, three tablespoons of Tamari or soy sauce, and your favourite spices, like oregano, basil, and sage.

While you wait for the oven to heat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, grind the almonds in a blender until fine, and shred the carrots, apples and tofu (but don’t mix them yet). Quarter the Cremini or white button mushrooms, and halve the zucchinis and scrape out the meat with a spoon. Cut the cauliflower into small pieces.

Heat three tablespoons of the olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat, and toss in the garlic, ginger, and quartered mushrooms for about 10 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and add the carrots, apples, zucchini, cauliflower, and fry until the vegetables are tender.

Add in your spices, the Tamari sauce, and mix in the tofu until cooked. Finally, stir in the almond mixture, and set aside to let cool.

In the meantime, cut the stems off the Portabellos, and scrape the caps out with a spoon. Oil a baking sheet with the remaining olive oil, and stuff each Portobello generously with the mixture. Bake them in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes, and they’re ready to eat.

If you’re looking for more vegan recipes, Anna also keeps and regularly updates her cooking blog at cookingcamper.blogspot.com.