People are often unsure of how to cook with functional mushroom extracts, but it’s a lot more simple than you’d think. If you familiarize yourself with the flavor profiles, you can easily add them to recipes you already make! Functional mushroom extracts like Roots Apothecary makes are best used consistently, so try to incorporate them into your daily routine. I will give examples below of how to incorporate the mushrooms into some of my own recipes, but there are many other options. Keep in mind that you can also simply add mushrooms to your coffee or tea/matcha. Read about the flavors of each mushroom extract to know which would work best with your favorite drinks.

Chaga:

Cinnamon Oatmeal

Ingredients

2 ½ cups of water
1 cup milk of choice (I prefer raw dairy)
1 cup steel cut oats
½ tsp salt
2 tsp chaga
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp maple syrup
¼ tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp butter

Instructions

-Place water and milk in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat

-When the liquid boils, add in oats and salt. Allow the mixture to reach a steady boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low. The oats should be gently simmering at this point

-Add chaga, cinnamon, maple syrup, and vanilla. Let the oats simmer for ~35 minutes, stirring frequently. If it’s reached your desired consistency, remove from the heat and add butter

-If desired, add your favorite topping (like berry compote) and enjoy!

Other options using Chaga: coffee, granola

Cordyceps:

Savory sundried tomato quinoa

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa
1 ¼ cup of broth
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup sliced sun dried tomatoes
¼ cup sliced pepperoncini
1 tsp Cordyceps extract
½ tsp garlic granules
½ onion granules
½ tsp onion flakes
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions

-Using a fine mesh strainer, rinse quinoa with water until water runs clear

-In a medium saucepan, add quinoa, broth, and apple cider vinegar and bring to a quick simmer

-Once simmering, drop the heat to low. Add Cordyceps, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and cover with a lid

-Allow to cook covered for ~10 mins. After this time, add sun dried tomatoes and pepperoncinis

-Remove from heat, but put the lid back on and let the quinoa fluff up for ~5 mins

Hummus

Ingredients

2 cups of chickpeas (reserve liquid)
½ cup of tahini
¼ cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp cumin
½ tsp paprika
1 tsp Cordyceps Extract
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

Instructions

-Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender and incorporate well. Add reserved chickpea liquid as needed to reach the right consistency (I usually start with ~¼ cup)

-Taste and adjust seasonings/lemon as needed

Lion’s Mane:

Savory Roasted Tomatoes

Ingredients

2 pints of cherry or grape tomatoes
Juice of 4 limes
4 tsp of toasted sesame oil
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
4 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Lion’s Mane extract
2 tsp of salt
dash of black pepper

Instructions

-Preheat oven to 225 degrees

-Line roasting pan with parchment paper

-Cut at least two deep slits into tomatoes (important step!) and put on roasting pan

-In a bowl, mix lime juice, garlic, balsamic vinegar, Lion’s Mane and salt. Pour mix over tomatoes, and toss well. Season with pepper to taste

-Bake tomatoes at 225 degrees for one hour

-After an hour, turn the oven off and let tomatoes sit in a warm oven for an additional hour

-Remove from the oven, tomatoes should be tender and some of the sauce reduced. Enjoy!

Almond butter dipping sauce

Ingredients

1 tbsp almond butter*
1 tbsp avocado oil
1 Tbsp tamari
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
¼ tsp garlic granules
⅛ tsp onion powder
1 tsp of Lion’s Mane extract
dash of red pepper
dash of black pepper

Instructions

*Depending on how thick the almond butter is, you may want to slightly heat it before you mix w/ ingredients

-I use this as a dip for homemade spring rolls, as a dressing, on top of veggies, etc.

-Mix all ingredients together, voila!

Other options using Lion’s Mane: coffee, granola

Reishi:

Hot cocoa (serves 2)

Ingredients

2 cups milk of choice (I prefer raw dairy)
2 Tbsp of cocoa powder
¼ tsp cinnamon
2 scoops of collagen powder
1 tsp Reishi extract
½ tsp vanilla extract
2-3 tsp maple syrup (depending on the level of sweetness you want)
dash of salt

Instructions

-Heat milk on medium for ~5 mins

-Add cocoa, cinnamon, and collagen. Whisk well, and keep heating for about 2 mins before adding wet ingredients

-Add vanilla and maple syrup, keep whisking

-Heat it “low and slow!” If the milk is getting too hot too quickly, adjust to medium-low and whisk away

-Add a dash of salt, and enjoy!

Granola

Ingredients

2 Tbsp melted coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp Reishi extract
dash of nutmeg
1½ cups organic rolled oats
½ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup sunflower seeds
⅓ cup of maple syrup
¼ cup chopped pecans
½ cup coconut flakes
¼ cup dried cranberries

Optional: chocolate chips

Instructions

​​-Preheat oven to 325F

-In a bowl, mix maple syrup, melted coconut oil, vanilla, cinnamon, Reishi, and nutmeg

-Mix in oats, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds. Do not add the chopped pecans, coconut, or cranberries yet

-Spread the granola mixture on a baking sheet and bake for ~30 mins. You want it to be crisp; if granola isn’t dehydrating, drop the heat to 250F, and continue baking for ~10 mins

-When the granola has crisped, take it out of the oven and add coconut flakes, cranberry, and pecans

-Bake for an additional 5 mins, or until coconut flakes are toasted. Remove from the oven

-If you want to add chocolate chips, add when granola is slightly cooled

Turkey tail:

Sesame tamari soup

Ingredients

1 Tbsp avocado oil
1 cup diced white onion
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
¾ cup chopped carrots
5 cups of broth (I used chicken and turkey)
2 cups of water
~1 lb chicken (shredded)*
2 Tbsp tamari (or coconut aminos)
3 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp rice wine vinegar

2 tsp Turkey tail
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp onion powder
¾ tsp red pepper

Rice noodles
~6 oz cremini mushrooms, thick slices
Garnish: Green onions, cilantro

**Optional: jammy boiled eggs

Instructions

*For the chicken, I put two breasts in my Instant Pot on Pressure Cook with water, salt, and pepper for 20 mins, then shredded it. You could also use baked chicken, (sliced) pork, or tofu! Truly whatever you’d like, or leave it out completely.

**If you’d like to boil eggs, bring a pot of water to a gentle boil. Take out eggs directly from the fridge (don’t let them sit out and get them to room temperature first), and add to the boiling water. Cook for 8-9 minutes depending on how runny you’d like the yolk. After cooking, add the eggs to an ice bath and let them cool in the fridge for about 5 mins. After cooling, peel and add to the soup!

-Heat a large pot to medium heat and add avocado oil

-Add onions and saute until fragrant. Add garlic and saute for 2 mins

-Add carrots and saute ~4 mins

-Add broth and water to the pot and turn up the heat to high, bringing to a boil

-Add chicken, tamari, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and seasonings

-Make sure soup is at a consistent boil, then add rice noodles. Cover pot and let boil for ~ 5-6 mins, until noodles are slightly tender

-Lower heat to medium, remove lid and add mushrooms. Let cook for ~5-6 mins

-When mushrooms are slightly tender, remove soup from heat. Serve with cilantro, green onions, jammy eggs, lime, and sriracha!

Citrus-mango gummy recipe:

Ingredients

4 cups of Santa Cruz Organics Orange Mango Juice
1/4 cup of gelatin
3 lemons
3 limes
2 tsp turkey tail

Instructions

-Pour 1 cup of the juice in a bowl, and pour gelatin over. Allow it to bloom for ~15 mins

-In a saucepan, heat the remaining 3 cups of juice on medium. Add fresh lemon and lime juice (and honey if desired). Add turkey tail, and whisk. The turkey tail will darken the color, but won’t impact the taste

-After gelatin is bloomed, add it to the saucepan, and stir until well combined

-Pour into medium-sized glass baking pan

-Allow to cool in the fridge for 3-4 hours -Cut and enjoy!

Other options using Turkey Tail: granola, coffee, tea