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Black Bean Mushroom Chili with Faux Parmesan
Black Bean Mushroom Chili with Faux Parmesan

This dish was served for lunch at the recent NHA Conference and is delicious over a baked potato or brown rice. Enjoy it with a sprinkle of Enlightened Faux Parmesan (recipe below). (This recipe calls for a pressure cooker.)

3 cups chopped onion (about 10 ounces)

8 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press

2 pounds mushrooms, sliced (see Notes)

2 14.5-ounce cans Muir Glen Salt-Free Fire Roasted Tomatoes, with liquid

3 15-ounce cans of salt-free black beans, with liquid (or 4½ cups cooked beans)

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon dried oregano

½ tablespoon SMOKED paprika (this is different than regular paprika)

½ teaspoon chipotle powder

1 pound frozen corn, defrosted

Place all of the ingredients except for ​the ​corn into an electric pressure cooker, and cook on high pressure for six minutes. Release ​the ​pressure and stir in ​the ​corn. Sprinkle with Enlightened Faux Parmesan, below, if desired​. If you like, you can use the sauté function on your pressure cooker, and sauté the onion, garlic, and mushrooms first.

Notes: One can of beans is approximately 1½ cups. If you use home-cooked beans instead of canned, you’ll need to add 2 cups of water. This recipe was adapted from and inspired by a recipe by Jocelyn Graef of the Low-Fat Herbivore.)

Enlightened Faux Parmesan

If you are struggling to eat your veggies, try this tasty topping (it’s also good on top of soups and chilis). Using oats instead of nuts makes this low-fat topping delicious and economical.

1 cup gluten-free oats

1 cup nutritional yeast (non-fortified preferred​)

1 tablespoon Benson’s Table Tasty seasoning (or your favorite salt-free seasoning)

Place all of the ingredients into a ​dry ​blender or ​dry ​food processor fitted with the “S” blade, and process into a powder. Store in the refrigerator.

Note: You can watch this being made this on YouTube on Episode 11 of Healthy Living with Chef AJ. And for 10% of Branson’s Table Tasty, or to request a sample, go to BensonsGourmetSeasonings.com and use code “AJ”​

Chef AJ
Chef
Chef AJ

Chef AJ has been devoted to a plant-based diet for almost 40 years, and is proud to say that her IQ is higher than her cholesterol. She is the host of the television series Healthy Living with Chef AJ, which airs on Foody TV, and also hosts a weekly podcast of the same name. As a comedienne as well as a chef, she has made appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and The Late Show with David Letterman. She is the author of the popular books The Secrets to Ultimate Weight Loss: A Revolutionary Approach to Conquer Cravings, Overcome Food Addiction and Lose Weight Without Going Hungry, and Unprocessed, the co-producer of Healthy Taste of L.A., and the creator of the Ultimate Weight Loss Program, which has helped hundreds of people achieve the health and body they deserve. Chef AJ was also the executive pastry chef at Santé Restaurant in Los Angeles, where she was famous for her sugar-, oil-, salt- and gluten-free desserts, which used the fruit, the whole fruit, and nothing but the whole fruit. Chef AJ holds a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from eCornell University and is a member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.

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