Red Reishi medicinal pancake stack

Reishi Pancakes

Hello everyone!

One of the common denominators when people start adding medicinal mushrooms to their diet is that 1) they find that the mushrooms tend to have very earthy and particular flavor, which, for some people can be a bit challenging to consume if not diffused into a delicious recipe and 2) people often struggle to incorporate them in fun and creative recipes which does not lend itself to sustained use of medicinal products.

So, here we find ourselves excited to start this new chapter on the website with you. We will be sharing a multitude of recipes that all focus on ways to add these healing powders and tinctures into your daily diet. From baked goods, to soups, stews, sauces and spreads. Our promise to you: these recipes will be delicious, double-tested and easily replicable. What better way to start off this section of the blog than with a hearty and wholesome stack of Reishi Pancakes!? These reishi pancakes are truly delectable. Not only are they super tasty, but they are also a very gentle way of incorporating medicinal mushrooms into your day-to-day living. These pancakes are whole food-based pancakes: meaning that they primarily focus on using foods that are unprocessed, simple and very nourishing. This obviously included the medicinal mushrooms. They are activated, wholefood powders.

This also means (drum roll please) that YES, these pancakes can form part of your daily nourishment while still ticking all of the “healthy food” boxes and satiating the desire for exciting, decadent food. Wins all round. These pancakes also contain healthy sources of carbohydrate, fats and protein. See below there is a vegan and non-vegan version for you to peruse and use!

So let's get this started!

Servings: 2 people (or one if you are hungry!), 8 pancakes.

Ingredients (non-vegan/vegetarian version)

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup plant milk
• 1 banana
• 1 scoop (30g) of whey protein isolate, collagen (or any other protein powder       of choice)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon of tahini (or another nut butter)
• 2 teaspoons of Harmonic Mycology Reishi
• 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/3 teaspoons of salt

Ingredients (vegan version)

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 2/3 cup plant milk
• 1 banana
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon pea protein (or another protein powder of choice or hemp seeds/powder)
• 1 tablespoon tahini or another nut butter of choice
• 1 tablespoon cold-pressed coconut oil
• 2 teaspoons Harmonic Mycology Reishi
• 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 teaspoon salt

  Method

1. Place everything into a nutri-bullet or blender and blend until everything is finely incorporated. If making the vegan version, blend the oats and chia seeds together first before adding the remaining ingredients (this makes grinding the chia seeds easier).

2. Once blended with the remaining ingredients, let the mixture sit for about five minutes while your non-stick pan heats up slowly (medium heat). This is important as the oats absorb a lot of the liquid making the batter the perfect consistency.

3. Using a splash of oil, put ¼ cup of the mixture into the frying pan and cook until bubbles appear (if making the vegan version, the edges will go a matte color and there will be no bubbles). Flip and cook on the other side.

4. Once done, stack the pancakes on top of one another and top the stack with all of your favorite goodies: plant based (or regular) yoghurt, nut butters, melted chocolate, toasted hazelnuts or flaked almonds, a generous dose of salt and a fresh fruit mix.

5. To finish, tag us and ENJOY! We’d love to see your creations       

Chef’s notes:

1) Make sure that the heat is not too hot otherwise the outside of the pancake will cook before the inside of the pancake does (this results in a soggy, not-cooked-through pancake).

2) The vegan pancakes make 7 pancakes instead of 8 if using a full ¼ cup. If you use a scant ¼ cup it will make 8 pancakes.

ABOUT THE CHEF

Maria Praeg: Whole Foods Chef

Maria Praeg is a whole food chef who specializes primarily in plant-based Ayurvedic and Macrobiotic cooking, though not exclusively. She combines these two ancient healing modalities to use food as medicine, both physically and emotionally/spiritually, through an in-depth understanding of the subtle energetics of food in relation to the mind/body.

Maria’s focus is on creating delicious food from simple ingredients, with a strong focus on using plants. Her food is wholesome, abundant, nutritious, healing and packed with flavor. She places a strong emphasis on nutrient-dense meals that are fresh and delicious. Having been vegan for seven years, Maria can cater to most, if not all, dietary requirements. Most of her dishes are gluten-free, refined sugar-free, dairy-free and can be

customized to meet any further requirements (such as vegan, keto, paleo etc.). Maria insists on using her strong  ethical compass to source good produce, of both plant and animal origin, and to ensure that whatever ingredients are being used, are honored fully.

Maria Praeg is currently based in Scarborough, Western Cape.

Recipe development by: Maria Praeg

Instagram Handle: @thehealingroot_

Website: www.thehealingroot.com