I have had so many ask for the recipe, so here it is. I will preface this by saying the name of this chili is from the reminder that chili can be healing, as that is always my angle, nutritious, and delicious! In my Heal Yo Mama Chili, all the ingredients are organic, and much love was used. Feel free to make this your own recipe or half it for a smaller quantity. Chili freezes well, so one pot could last a long time.

Ingredients & Instructions for 9-10 Quarts of Chili

3rd place at the 2025 Annual Chili cook off for our Dangerfield Island Sailing Club

Soak 4 cups of beans of your choice, soak in water, add a splash of vinegar and baking soda, and let them sit for 1-3 days, changing the water daily. (Soak and cook beans separately). Cook til tender, which could take 45 minutes to 5 hours. Set aside or keep refrigerated. Note, obviously the beans need to be prepared ahead of the rest of the Chili. For the winning chili, I used several kinds of black beans. If you use canned beans, the effect will be similar, but never quite the same!

Sautee 2 large yellow onions, coarsely chopped, tossed into a 10 quart pot with already heated olive oil on gentle medium heat. Stir frequently to sauté making sure the heat is not to hot to burn. Feel free to add a little water if the sauté seems a little dry. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot, stirring them into the onions. Add them in the order that they are listed below.

1/3 or more of a jar of Simply Organic chili powder
10 or so cloves
10 or so black peppercorns
6 or so bay leaves
Secret ingredient — Maine Dusle — about 1 inch finely chopped (this adds tons of rminerals and iodine)
2-3 sticks of cinnamon (not powdered)
4-5 medium carrots, chopped
4-5 stalks of celery, chopped
2-3 medium jalepeño peppers, chopped
2 yellow bell peppers, coarsely chopped (yellow bell peppers are loaded with vitamin C)
2 boxes or so of baby bella mushrooms, chopped
2 small cans of tomato paste (normally I would use only fresh tomatoes, but this is the recipe as people loved it, feel free to experiment!)
1 bulb of coarsely chopped garlic
2 cans of jackfruit; put the liquid directly into the sauté pan and break apart the jackfruit into smaller, bite-sized pieces before tossing them in.
10 dates, chopped (dates help neutralize the acid of the tomato paste)

Sauté on a medium to low heat, till everything looks a little glassy. (Slower cooking allows time for the flavors to infuse.)

Add the beans and hot water to about 4” from the top of the pan

2 tbs unwashed sea or mountain salt
Add 1 large sweet potato, chopped into bite-sized pieces.

Cook for another half hour at a low boil, just above a simmer.

At the very end, add about a teaspoon of baking soda to help neutralize any acids and bean fiber that may make the chili harder to digest.

Cilantro pesto ~ add some jalapeño if you like it hotter!

Cilantro Pesto sauce for topping, approx 1 pint

1/2 C olive oil
1 bunch of washed cilantro
Juice of 1 lemon or 1/2 lemon and 1 lime
1 TBS Nutritional yeast
3-4 cloves activated garlic (for a real heal kicker)
1/2 C roasted seeds or nuts (pine nuts and or cashews are great choices)

Blend until smooth in a personal blender or similar, drizzle on bowls as the chili is eaten!