Hey yo how’s your week going?

Good I hope 🙂

Me, well . . . let me just tell you, mine has not started out quite as I was expecting . . .

Bright and early Monday morning our car battery decided to die on us so . . . that was unexpected . . . and expensive . . . and fun (← said no one ever!)

Not really a big deal, we were lucky enough to get it into the trusty ol’ mechanic and have it replaced in a matter of hours but, not gonna lie it totally threw me off and I feel like I’ve been playing catch up ever since.

And somehow I seem to have hurt my shoulder and re-trigger an old yet extremely painful rotator cuff injury while tending to my poorly back!!

Please tell me I’m not the only person who manages to injure themselves in such random and unexpected ways?

Any-who, let’s move onto today’s recipe shall we  . . .

Today we are making an all natural, quick and easy healthy homemade smoky BBQ coffee spice rub.

Oh. My. Deliciousness, you guys this smoky BBQ coffee spice rub is going to rock your world!

You know how much I love, love, love to make my own spice blends (evidence → here, → here, → here and → here). There’s something so fun and satisfying about making these little DIY seasonings don’t you think?

I love how you can totally customize it to suit your own personal tastes and 9 times out of 10 they end up tasting a million times better than the pre-made store bought blends anyway.

And then there’s the fact that they are so much better for you too (read lower in sodium and sugar with no weird ingredients or additives/preservatives).

Anyway, a few weeks ago I saw that Diane Sanfilipo (author of Practical Paleo) who blogs over at Balanced Bites shared this recipe that she created for a DIY Smoky Coffee BBQ Spice Rub and I was intrigued . . .

I mean are you surprised?! Probably not;

I did just finish telling you how much I adore making my own spice blends and, well, you know how much I live for love my coffee (I only need it with my oxygen) but, it had never occurred to me to combine these two great passions into one sensational, savory spice blend.

All I can say is wow.

Seriously . . .

Words fail me . . .

This smoky BBQ coffee spice rub is an absolute taste sensation.

It’s made with a handful of ingredients that I bet you have on hand already, it’s naturally vegan, gluten free and paleo friendly and it comes together in a matter of seconds and I guarantee it will transform your dinner into something so delicious it may just blow your pretty little mind!

It has all the standard savory base elements that we all know and love – garlic, onion and salt – the usual suspects – next we are going to add in a combination of regular and smoked paprika. I am a huge fan of paprika, smoked and regular but usually just use one or the other  in my cooking. Let me just tell you the combination of the two adds such an incredible depth of flavor, a deep, rich smokiness that takes things to a whole new level.

A total game changer.

Then to balance out the savory elements and that deep, rich smokiness, we add a touch of sweetness with just a pinch of coconut sugar. Although we are adding a touch of sugar, this spice mix does not taste sweet at all, the coconut sugar really just helps to enhance and balance out the savory elements of the spice blend and, when you cook your meat it caramelizes under the heat and creates this crispy outer crust that is not only insanely delicious in itself but, it also helps to seal in the natural juices of your meat which is always a good thing.

Deliciously smoky, crisp and crunchy on the outside – succulent, tender and seriously juicy on the inside. So, so good!

And then comes the coffee . . .

Now, I don’t really think this spice mix actually tastes like coffee, it does have a hint of espresso if you really, really concentrate and look for it but more than anything I feel like it just contributes to the overall depth and smokiness of the mix.

You’ll notice that we don’t use any black pepper in this recipe, the coffee is used in it’s place and I find that more than anything adds a slightly sweet, deliciously rich, almost charred element to the dish – like you get when you cook out on the grill or BBQ you know?

I’m not quite sure how to explain it – it kind of reminds me of our homemade blackened seasoning but without the heat and with a deeper, richer, much smokier flavor.

Anyway, I know you will absolutely love it so, the best thing for you to do is to simply make it and taste the deliciousness for yourself. Then you can come back and help me try to find the words to describe how incredibly delicious it is.

Once you have made your new fave spice rub you simply use it as you would any other. Just rub a little of the seasoning over your protein of choice – so far I have just used chicken but it would be so good on a nice juicy steak, a pork tenderloin, a succulent piece of salmon, or even some barramundi (or your fave white fish) I bet it would even go very nicely on some tofu or tempeh for my vegan/vegetarian friends.

Anyways, simply season your protein of choice then and set aside to marinate (at room temp) for 10-15 mins then cook as per usual. I finished my chicken with a cheeky squeeze of fresh lime and served it with some creamy, roasted garlic whipped cauliflower and steamed green beans (if you missed out when I shared it on Instagram you can see it here) and let me tell you, it was so, so good that I can not wait to make it again!

I have to give a huge shout out to Diane for creating the original version of this recipe (which I have change just slightly to suit my own personal tastes and what I had on hand) and if you aren’t familiar with Diane, her website or books I highly recommend you head over and check out some of her work.

She has everything from recipes, to podcasts and covers everything from health and fitness to mindset and business building. She is a woman with much knowledge and many talents so make sure you take a look.

But first you need to go make this spice mix, with just a handful of ordinary ingredients you too can transform your dinner into something truly extraordinary.

Tantalize your taste buds with this – all natural, quick and easy, sweet and smoky, seriously satiating, espresso infused, BBQ spice rub – seriously life changing.

Make it. Eat it. Love, love, love it.

Healthy, Homemade Smoky BBQ Coffee Spice Rub {Vegan, Gluten Free & Paleo Friendly}
Slightly adapted from this recipe created by Diane Sanfilippo of Balanced Bites
Makes approx 1/2 cup of all natural, quick and easy, sweet and smoky, espresso infused, BBQ spice mix

Ingredients –

2 Tablespoons of freshly ground coffee beans (I use decaf)

1 Tablespoon coconut sugar

1 Tablespoon smoked paprika

2 teaspoons salt flakes

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons onion power

2 teaspoons ground paprika

Method –

1 – In a small bowl or glass jar (or even just a zip lock bag would work) combine all ingredients and stir (or shake) to combine.

2 – Store in an air tight container (or ziplock bag).

3 – To use – Simply rub a little seasoning over some chicken, fish or steak and set aside to marinate (at room temp) for 10-15 mins then cook as per usual.

Enjoy xoxo

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Question of the day –

Are you a fellow DIY spice mix lover? What’s your favorite flavor combination?

Feel free to share recipes, or links to your fave recipes in the comments below or on the Facebook page and please for the love of all that is good in this world when you do make this spice rub (or any of the recipes you find on this blog of mine) go ahead and snap a pic and share it either on the Facebook page, or tag me on twitter or Instagram. Sharing is caring remember.

Do it, do it You know you want to 🙂

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