We often tout the health benefits of coffee here on the Blue Pod blog, even going so far as to say coffee is a natural medicine. You might be tempted to think it's because we're coffee addicts.
You're half right, but coffee really is good for you. It's a fact even health conscious vegans and vegetarians acknowledge.
Years ago, vegan and vegetarian books and websites put the emphasis on alternatives to coffee. Caffeine-free herbal teas were considered superior to caffeinated coffee, but no one really explained what was wrong with caffeine. Now that it has been discovered that caffeine is a natural "brain booster" and other ingredients in coffee help prevent a number of age-related brain diseases, they have had a change of heart.
Vegetarian Times, a website that claims to have the "world's largest collection of vegetarian recipes," has a special section devoted to coffee recipes. On their introductory Healing Foods: Coffee page, they start by espousing the health benefits of coffee: "Wake up flavors in favorite recipes and boost your brain power with this antioxidant-packed brew", they write, and go on to outline the many proven health benefits of coffee before turning to coffee's ability to enhance the flavours of many vegetarian dishes -- both sweet and savoury.
Vegans are even pickier about the foods they eat than vegetarians. They are also careful to include only the healthiest foods in their diets. Feasty is another online source for thousands of recipes. Although the site is not limited to any one type of diet, it does include vegan recipes, including dozens of vegan coffee dishes. Their list is heavy on mouth-watering coffee desserts, like this Cooked Vegan Cocoa Icing:
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tbsp potato starch
- ½ tbsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp hot, fresh-brewed coffee
Method:
- Start by combining the oil and cocoa in a saucepan over low heat and melt, whisking until smooth.
- Blend in the powdered sugar and potato starch until well blended
- Remove the mixture from heat and beat in the vanilla.
- Add just enough coffee to make a spreadable icing.
Make the icing immediately before you're ready to serve over brownies, cookies or muffins. If you're stuck for vegan recipes for those, the website has plenty to choose from.
Feastie doesn’t seem to limit their “vegan coffee recipes” to edibles. We also found a “recipe” for antiquing paper on their site. Your used Blue Pod coffee pods are ideal for antiquing paper, so don’t throw them out. Not interested? Well, how about a DIY Exfoliating Coffee Scrub. All you need to make this are 2 tablespoons of dried coffee grounds and 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Mix them together and apply in a circular motion.
And you thought your Lavazza coffee machine and Blue Pod coffee pods were only good for making a delicious cup of coffee.
