mushroom maca iced latte

SERVES 2

This is my go-to healthy pick-me-up on days when I’m busy in the kitchen or simply on my feet all day. I particularly love the way this latte sneaks in medicinal mushrooms. Feel free to play with any variety of them in this recipe: reishi, lion’s mane, chaga, cordyceps, whatever you’re feeling. I’m particularly drawn to reishi and lion’s mane because they both grow wild here in Mississippi. I’m not kidding! On an afternoon jog, I’ll see some reishi popping out of a tree, happy as can be! Flip on over to this page to see my harvest of wild lion’s mane as well. But please: Don’t feel as though you have to forage your own! There are many great companies that offer high-quality medicinal mushrooms dried and preground for your everyday use. Do your research to learn which mushrooms may benefit you the most.

To help mask the mushroom flavor, I use a good amount of leftover coffee (just make extra in the morning). It pairs beautifully with the maca powder, a Peruvian root known for providing stamina, and also provides a necessary punch of caffeine when you need it. The water and flesh of a young Thai coconut is truly unparalleled to any flavor—the buttery, rich water is packed with electrolytes and the flesh is full of good fats. Blended together, they make a smooth coconut cream that’s completely raw and healthy. I throw in one to two Brazil nuts for selenium and a touch of blackstrap molasses for minerals. The dates provide an all-natural sweetener, while the nutmeg provides just a hint of spice. Absolutely delicious!

1 young Thai coconut

2 cups brewed coffee, cooled

2 to 3 pitted dates, for desired sweetness

2 raw Brazil nuts

2 teaspoons powdered reishi, lion’s mane, cordyceps, or chaga

1 teaspoon unrefined blackstrap molasses

1 teaspoon maca powder

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

  1. To open the coconut, use the bottom corner of a large chef knife or cleaver to strike the top of the coconut about 1½ inches from the pointed tip. Cut all the way around to form a hexagon shape and pry off the top gently. Pour the liquid into a high-powered blender.

  2. To harvest the meat, use a large rounded spoon to scrape out the inside flesh of the coconut and add to the blender.

  3. Add the coffee, dates, Brazil nuts, mushroom powder, molasses, maca powder, and nutmeg to the blender and let it go until smooth and creamy. Pour into large ice-filled glasses. Drink up with a straw.

lagniappe: If you need help opening the coconut, go online—there are many video tutorials that can show you the best technique.