For her guest post this month we’ve asked Connie to consider the Young Living Essential Oils labeled as supplements and thereby considered safe for use in food preparation. She’s done the research and shares ways to use a variety of them in your culinary adventures. Personally I have found a drop of Young Living’s Rosemary essential oil in a plate of olive oil makes an especially aromatic and tasty dip for Italian bread. Before I steal her thunder, I’ll turn this over to Connie. To learn more about Connie visit her Facebook page. To learn more about Young Living and obtaining these high quality essential oils visit Connie’s Young Living website.
by Connie Scheel
Happy Anniversary! It’s been a whole year of Essential Oil Guest articles, and I’m so grateful for this opportunity! I’m celebrating with recipes using essential oils.
You may be surprised to learn that many of Young Living’s (YL) Essential Oils (EOs) are edible*. In fact, another way to think of YL EOs is nature’s living energy. If you’re curious to learn about YL’s Seed to Seal process that honors the precious gift of nature’s living energy, here’s an excellent short video: Young Living Seed to Seal
As you begin — or perhaps continue — your journey into using EOs in recipes, please keep in mind that EOs are extremely concentrated and very potent. Always err on the side of caution, remembering that you can always add another drop but can’t remove one (or more!) from a recipe.
I learned in last month’s Young Living Blog some fascinating things about EOs. YL’s EOs are therapeutically concentrated which makes them 50 – 70 times more potent than dried or fresh herbs. Pause for a moment and let that sink in. Pretty incredible! Since EOs are concentrated from the essence of a plant, it contains all of that plants healing nutrients, oxygenating molecules, trace minerals, enzymes, vitamins, hormones and more. Before I get to the recipe part, here’s some measurement perspective:
1 drop of peppermint oil = 28 cups of peppermint tea
That’s pretty astounding! To help you be light-handed with EOs in cooking I recommend using a wooden toothpick. Dip the toothpick into the EO bottle and then stir the toothpick into the recipe. You can always add more if you need it, but a teeny tiny bit goes a long way. Due to the intense EO potency over their companion spices please always use this method with these Young Living essential oils:
cinnamon bark EO
clove EO
ginger EO
nutmeg EO
basil EO
oregano EO
black pepper EO
rosemary EO
sage EO
thyme EO
coriander EO
dill EO
(I bet you didn’t know some of these were EOs, did you? Isn’t this fun!!?)
Please note that in a recipe one tablespoon of a dried spice is equal to ½- 1 drop of EO. Be light-handed.
If a recipe calls for the zest of an orange, lemon, or tangerine that translates to 8- 14 drops of the same EO.
There are approximately 60 drops of EOs in one teaspoon. That’s A LOT of drops! Further, there are approximately 280 drops in a 15ml bottle and 80 drops in a 5ml bottle. How’s that for measurement perspective? Pretty interesting stats!
Onto the FOOD!
One of the simpler ways to use EOs is to add a ½ drop to a glass of water. I particularly like lemon, orange, tangerine, lime, and peppermint oil (but only ½ drop!). To add more zing, use sparkling water instead and mix in a little stevia or raw organic honey. These are all great in hot or cold tea and smoothies, as well. You can tap into your creativity and mix EOs in your water beverage.
Another simple way to use EO at your kitchen table is mixed with extra-virgin olive oil for bread dipping. Half a drop of rosemary is heavenly! You could also try oregano or basil- or create your own customized mix. It’s a lovely way to make your meal a bit more fancy and hopefully encourage you to slow down and savor the meal.
You could also create your own custom flavor of infused extra virgin olive oil for your own kitchen or as a gift for someone else’s kitchen. Use your imagination to create your own signature flavor! Here are some Young Living™ essential oil ideas:
black pepper EO
oregano EO
basil EO
thyme EO
rosemary EO
dill EO
lemon EO
lemongrass EO
dill EO
tarragon EO
fennel EO
orange EO
tangerine EO
lime EO
My last suggestion is to add one drop of lemon EO or basil EO to your favorite grain side dish for a burst of flavor.
I’d love to hear about your signature mixtures, please share on my Facebook page!
Enjoy!
*PLEASE NOTE: All essential oil suggestions are from Young Living’s collection of oils. These essential oils carry the Young Living™ label and include supplement data on that label. Check labels of other brands before using in this way. Please consult your medical professional for any health concerns you may have.
Photo: Canstockphoto
