Did you know that organic coffee is good for more than just drinking? There are plenty of excellent recipes you can use it in, from drinks to dinners to desserts, that you may not be aware of. Organic coffee tastes great and is healthier for you too, making it the ideal choice when you want to cook with coffee. Let’s take a look at some of your options for using it.

Coffee lends an interesting, aromatic note to lots of different foods including some you wouldn’t associate with coffee at all. There are excellent recipes out there for using coffee in main dishes, sides, and all kinds of other foods. Savory dishes made with a judicious use of the brew will have a robust depth of flavor, a little acidity, and some delicious roasted undertones, all without tasting like a cup of joe. Desserts are more likely to promote the flavor of the coffee itself.

Use powerfully flavored foods when cooking with organic coffee, like game, pork, lamb and beef, as well as dark meat poultry like chicken thighs and duck. Tomato sauces perk up beautifully with coffee, and sweet spices do well with it, from ginger and anise to nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. Fruits, like pears, oranges and apricots, are excellent companions to coffee cooking, and we all know that nuts are great with it. The plethora of hazelnut flavored coffees on the market tells us that much. Try pumpkin seeds, almonds and sesame, as well.

Flours to use in organic coffee recipes are among the most robust, such as buckwheat and whole wheat or rye. If you decide to use mushrooms, they should be meaty and strong like portabella and shitake, not delicate. Try sweet potatoes and Asian sauces like hoisin along with this type of cooking, too. The usual method is just to brew up a very strong cup, and use it in place of some of the liquid ingredients in one of your usual recipes. Coffee pot roast is nothing short of amazing. You can even use the ground organic coffee beans as part of a spice rub. Espresso is a popular choice in baked goods, offering a lot of flavor for a little liquid.

So just remember – use strong organic coffee with red meat and milder brews for fruit and poultry. Pick organic coffees that’ll go well with your other ingredients – not all of them are the same, after all. Check out online recipe sites or specialty cookbooks for specific organic coffee recipes while you’re getting started, then branch out into creating your own. A little experimentation can convert a regular recipe into a great organic coffee dish!

Coffee Braised Lamb