Jake Plummer loves mushroom chili

I started making chili long ago because I love chili! You might ask, what's a former football player know about mushroom chili, but I love it. I love making it, and I love eating it. In fact I don’t know if I’ve ever met anyone that doesn’t like chili.

For most of my life, meat has been a part of my diet. Until recently I would eat meat a couple times a day so I could get my protein intake and have a balanced meal. I thought I had to, as an athlete.

Over the past couple years I shifted my diet to include more plants, beans and less meats. I did this for a couple reasons. First, my good friend and former teammate Derrick Rodgers had me over for dinner a couples years back and he cooked me a meat free meal that was outstanding. After that I found myself craving more veggies, fruits and beans and less meat.

The other reason for exploring a vegetarian/plant-based diet with no meat is the fact that Big Ag and the meat industry are wreaking havoc on our environment. Something like 41% of land in the contiguous US is used to raise cattle. With that comes the methane gas they produce, the energy used for transport and processing of the animals, polluted waterways and the overall effect this industry is having on the health of our lovely Mother Earth, along with the humans that inhabit her.

Besides, mushrooms are an entire food group. They are the only good non-animal source of Vitamin D, they have more potassium than bananas, and they are chock full of vital minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.

Recently, I became a mushroom farmer. Becoming a farmer of the Fungi gave me the opportunity to experiment with these culinary delights in my own diet. I love to cook and prepare food for people. Having these lovely mushrooms to experiment with and implement into recipes I love has allowed me to eliminate meat from my diet.

One such recipe I love is my Mushroom Chili recipe. I would like to share this recipe with you so you can explore living a life with one less dish containing meat. Your stomach can thank me later.

I usually prepare my own beans, so if you do this you will need to soak your beans overnight or cook them in a pressure cooker the day of. I use a pressure cooker most times, so I’m going to share with you my method using pressure cooked beans.

 

Let's get into it. Here's the recipe: 

Mushroom chili recipe

Mushroom chili ingredients

To cook the beans:

• 1 Tbsp of Better Than Bouillon mushroom broth paste
• 1 cup pinto beans
• 1 cup black beans
• 1 cup kidney beans
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 bay leaf

To cook the mushrooms: 

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4-5 cups of chopped up gourmet mushrooms (I like to use Lions Mane, Black Kings, Chestnuts and/or Oyster mushrooms, depending on what I can get that's fresh)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

To cook the chili: 

• 1 onion diced
• 6 cloves of garlic diced
• 2 Anaheim peppers diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper diced
• 1 Poblano pepper diced
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 1 tbsp coriander
• 1 tbsp smoked or regular paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 can beer (I like to use a stout or a seasonal ale, but you can use whichever beer you happen to have in the fridge)
• 1 large can (28 oz) fire roasted tomatoes

 

Mushroom chili directions

Add beans, bouillon, and bay leaf to a pressure cooker. Fill the pressure cooker with water to about two inches above the beans and other ingredients. Add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. (Adding the oil helps release the gas buildup from the beans in pressure cooker. Do not forget this step!)

Start cooker on med-high until the cooker starts releasing steam and making that loud noise. Reduce heat a bit and cook for 15-20 minutes more. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a skillet on medium-high heat add the olive oil and let up heat up.

Them add the mushrooms and sauté them. Keep in mind they will shrink in size, as the water is cooked out of them. Continue stirring frequently for 4-5 minutes. Pay  attention during this step — the mushrooms can burn, once the water content cooks off.

3-4 minutes into this process I like to add seasoning that you would normally add to your meat, to taste, such as chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Sauté and cook another 3-5 minutes more. Set aside.

Put a Dutch oven (or other large, heavy pot) on med-high heat. Add 2 tbsp olive oil. Once the oil is heated, add onion, garlic, peppers, and cilantro.

Sauté for a few minutes, then add spices, to taste (cumin, coriander, smoked or regular paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper).

Reduce heat to medium. When the peppers are nicely coated with seasoning and partially cooked, add can of beer.

Turn up the heat and stir every couple minutes. The beer will cook off. 

When it's a nice gooey mess, lower the heat and add can of fire roasted tomatoes, the cooked beans, and the cooked mushrooms.

Stir contents together.

If it's too thick, you may need to add water and/or more mushroom bouillon. Use your best judgement here. 

Mix and stir contents together and then cook on med-high heat, stirring frequently for 3-4 minutes, until it just starts to boil.

Lower the heat to low. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes, be sure to check it at least once and stir it, making sure it doesn’t burn on bottom of Dutch oven.

 

In Joy!!

—Jake