The other morning, I was at my boyfriend's house getting ready for the day.  Every morning I'm there, I like to open the curtains over the sliding glass door and take a peek out over the back yard. Usually I have tea in my hand.  That morning I looked out, saw the little anole who sits on the lawn chair and then as my eyes moved out over the grass, I saw them: wild porcini mushrooms.  Holy. Cats.  I immediately unlocked the door and went outside to check them out.  I flipped one over just to be sure that they were in fact edible porcini mushrooms, and they were.  They were in good condition too - fresh.  As I looked around I saw a few more.  Next thing you know, I'm carrying two overflowing handfuls of mushrooms back into the house.  I did practice a little restraint and left a few to drop spores and hopefully produce more!

So today I decided to turn them into a wild porcini fritatta with garlic and rosemary.  Simple, but so, so good (and whole life/paleo approved).  I'd give you the exact recipe, but I don't measure. :)  I started with olive oil in the pan, added two or three cloves of garlic, and prepped the mushrooms.  I clipped a sprig of rosemary from the bush out front and added that whole into the pan with the sauteeing mushrooms.  While they were cooking, I beat three eggs with some salt and pepper and added them to the pan once the mushrooms were cooked through, shaking the pan just a bit to make sure that the eggs reached all edges. Then I covered it until the eggs were cooked through, and served it hot with a cup of tea.

The flavor of a wild porcini is strong and delicate at the same time.  It does not taste 'mushroomy' as we expect from what we get in the grocery store.  Instead, they are much meatier and have a more complex and delicate flavor that reminds me a little bit of a chicken or vegetable stock.  They have that umami flavor that you find in broths, tomato paste, and soy sauce.  There are a few different types of wild mushrooms that are edible, but it is best to learn what to pick from someone who knows the difference between different types and can show you first hand.  I learned to identify them while living in the Czech Republic.  The mushrooms that I found in the back yard grow wild in the forests there and are sought after every summer before the blueberries ripen.

Want more? To see another WLC recipe,  check out this post about whole life challenge approved macaroons!

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So my friend Charlie and I have a problem.  Our most favorite food in the world is pancakes.  No joke.  I totally have a shirt that just says 'pancakes' (nothing else on it, no pictures, no other words, just 'pancakes'... and it might happen to be my favorite shirt).  Charlie nearly lost it when he saw me wearing it recently because this delicious food of the gods is totally forbidden on the Whole Life Challenge (eight weeks of super clean eating, getting exercise, drinking enough water, getting enough sleep, and being nice to people).  This no pancake thing is really, really hard for us.  I think during the first two weeks he actually went out to breakfast just to watch other people eat pancakes.  Last time around I cheated on the WLC twice just to have an enormous chocolate chip pancake with whipped cream.  I was in a comma for the rest of the day each time from the sugar crash, but it was totally worth it.  

We may have some issues.

But!

I am pleased to announce that I made WLC approved pancakes today!  The WLC diet prohibits all grains and all sugars, so flour, sugar, and syrup are totally out.  Fortunately, fruits, veggies, and eggs are allowed!  I kind of combined a couple of recipes to arrive at this one with a sweet potato and banana base, topped with a raspberry coconut sauce.  They don't taste just like traditional pancakes of course, but they are pretty yummy!   Hopefully Charlie and his family will enjoy them as well. :)

Sauce: 

1 Cup fresh raspberries

1 or 2 organic mejool dates, chopped/processed 

1+ Tbsp shredded unsweetened coconut

2 Tsp coconut oil

Water or coconut water as needed to thin

--> Start the sauce first - combine all ingredients in a small pot and cook on low heat stirring occasionally until pancakes are done

Pancakes: 

1 medium cooked sweet potato, peeled and mashed

1.5 bananas, mashed

2 eggs

1 Tsp vanilla extract

1 or 2 dates, chopped/processed

2-3 Tbsp coconut or almond flour (if you're not on a grain/starch-free diet, any other gluten-free flour blend should work)

Water as needed to bring batter to desired consistency

Optional 1/4 Tsp baking soda

--> Beat eggs, add remaining ingredients, cook as you would normally do. I found that they were easier to flip if they were smaller in diameter due to the coconut/almond flour.  This shouldn't be an issue with standard flour or a gluten-free flour blend.

To see another WLC recipe,  check out this post about coconut macaroons!

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I made these!

I confess that I do not remember exactly what I did and that I do not measure, so if you are a stickler for accuracy, then I apologize right now!  I think they came out pretty well and tasted almost exactly like traditional macaroons.

On the Whole Life Challenge, we should avoid grains and processed sugars for eight weeks.  I used to make coconut macaroons fairly regularly, so it was pretty easy to come up with a recipe that would be WLC approved (dates instead of the sugar, coconut flour instead of the wheat flour, etc.).

Let me know in the comments if you decide to give it a try! :)

3-4 Organic Mejool Dates

12 Drops Stevia

1 Tsp Vanilla

4 Egg Whites

3-4 Tbsp Coconut Flour

2-3 Tbsp Coconut Water (or regular water)

1 C Shredded Unsweetend Coconut

Heat oven to 350 and cover baking sheet with parchment paper

Chop/process dates.  Place in bowl with vanilla and stevia and set aside

Beat egg whites to stiff peaks

Fold in remaiining ingredients and mix thoroughly

Shpae macaroons and place on sheet

Bake aout 20 minutes or until top looks golden

Cool on metal rack

To see another WLC recipe,  check out this post about leeks and beets!

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