Create Tasty Dishes with Essential Oils

Did you know you can create some super tasty dishes with essential oils? That’s right, my oily friends! Essential oils are not just for diffusing and rolling onto your skin. Certain essential oils are ideal for use in your favorite recipes to add a boost of flavor or an unexpected twist. Cooking with essential oils can take your dishes to new heights, making everyone at the next get-together begging for your recipe. Whether you want to make the main dish, a refreshing mocktail, or the most amazing dessert to ever pass your lips, these essential oils can create some tasty dishes.

Vitality™ Essential Oils for Culinary Masterpieces

Young Living’s Vitality™ line is perfect for crafting some of the most refreshing summer mocktails. One of my favorite mocktail recipes is for Pomegranate Orange Punch. Here are all the ingredients you need to enjoy this healthy – and delicious – drink.

• 2 ounces of pomegranate juice
• 1 ounce of orange juice
• 1 ounce of simple syrup
• Ginger beer
• 1 thinly sliced orange
• Pomegranate arils
• 2 drops of Orange Vitality essential oil
• 1 drop of Ginger Vitality essential oil

Combine the pomegranate juice, orange juice, essential oils, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake well. Pour into a medium tumbler, then fill to the top with ginger beer and add a few sliced oranges for garnish. To finish it off, top the drink with the pomegranate arils.

Mocktails are not the only amazing things you can make with the Vitality™ line of essential oils. You can discover all the ways to incorporate six of the line’s most popular oils with the Vitality Culinary Kit. It also includes a collection of Young Living-branded kitchen utensils and tools, plus the Young Living Vitality cookbook. Find recipes for every occasion, including tasty dishes with Vitality essential oils that are perfect for summer get-togethers.

‘Dress Up’ tasty dishes with essential oils

Salads and summertime were made for each other. There is nothing quite like a mixed green, or a spinach salad with avocado, blue cheese, and grapefruit to pair with any summer meal. No matter how you like your salad, top it off with this simple homemade Grapefruit Vinaigrette, featuring Grapefruit Vitality essential oil.

Here are the ingredients you will need to pull it off:

• 3 tablespoons grapefruit juice (from a can or freshly squeezed)
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of honey
• 2 drops of Grapefruit Vitality essential oil
• Pinch of salt and pepper

Combine the ingredients in a resealable glass container and shake vigorously. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Grilling marinades for tasty dishes with essential oils

Grilling is one of my favorite pastimes during the summer. I especially love creating these easy grilling marinades infused with essential oils for an added kick of flavor. Here are two of my favorite recipes for marinades, one for beef and one for chicken.

Southwest Marinade for Beef

• ¼ cup of fresh cilantro (chopped)
• ¼ cup of olive oil
• ¼ cup of lemon or lime juice
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon of fresh garlic (minced)
• 5 drops of Black Pepper Vitality essential oil
• 7 drops of Lime Vitality essential oil

Mix all ingredients together and marinade tenderized beef with the mixture in the refrigerator for at least an hour before grilling.

Italian Marinade for Chicken

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons fresh garlic (minced)
• ½ teaspoon dried red chili pepper flakes
• 6 drops of Basil Vitality essential oil
• 5 drops of Oregano Vitality essential oil
• 4 drops of Rosemary Vitality essential oil
• 2 drops of Thyme Vitality essential oil

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and marinate the chicken in the bowl in the refrigerator for at least one hour before grilling.

Delectable desserts with essential oils

Strawberry shortcake is a classic summer dessert. There is nothing quite like fresh strawberries, whipped cream, and shortcake smooshed together to make my mouth water. You will be the star of any summertime party if you show up with this dessert in tow. Here is how to leverage the power of essential oils to make this timeless dessert unforgettable.

Here is everything you need to make it:

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup oats
• ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup white sugar + 1 tablespoon divided
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup cold butter
• ½ cup milk
• 2 tablespoons demerara sugar
• 1-pint strawberries (cleaned and hulled)
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 drop Spearmint Vitality essential oil
• 1 drop Bergamot Vitality essential oil
• 4 drops Jade Lemon Vitality essential oil

Combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, white sugar, baking powder, and salt. Use a pastry blender or fork to add in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Alternatively, you can use a food processor on the pulse setting for faster results. Add in the milk and Jade Lemon Vitality essential oil. Stir until the mixture comes together. You can pulse it in the food processor 6 or 7 times if you prefer to mix it that way. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it gently. Turn it over about five times. Then divide it into 12 equal portions and mold each portion into a small ball. Then smash it gently with your hand to flatten it onto a lined baking pan. Sprinkle each portion with the demerara sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

While it is cooling, you can prepare your strawberry mixture. Slice your strawberries and place them in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of white sugar and the Bergamot Vitality essential oil. Stir gently to mix everything together. In a separate bowl, combine the whipping cream, powdered sugar, and Spearmint Vitality essential oil and whip until it is fluffy. Put it in the fridge to stay cool until you are ready to serve your shortcakes. Top the shortcakes with the strawberry mixture and then the whipped cream and – voila! – you have a mouth-watering dessert everyone will enjoy!