The Cross Line Christinas

Cooking With Essential Oils

Cooking is not my thing so the following recipes will be SUPER easy and yummy using essential oils for flavor.

I love black pepper essential oil for it's many benefits but in this yummy hummus recipe you will discover another way to use this versatile oil.

Black Pepper Hummus:

You Will Need

• One 15-ounce can chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, about 1 large lemon
• 1/4 cup  tahini
•  Half of a large garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt, depending on taste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground Pepper
• One drop Black Pepper essential oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 2 to 3 tablespoons water
• Dash of ground paprika for serving

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine tahini and lemon juice. Process for 1 minute. 
2. Add the olive oil, minced garlic, cumin and the salt to the whipped tahini and lemon juice mixture. Process for 30 seconds, scrape sides and bottom of bowl then process another 30 seconds.
3. Open can of chickpeas, drain liquid then rinse well with water. Add half of the chickpeas to the food processor then process for 1 minute. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl, add remaining chickpeas and process for 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Most likely the hummus will be too thick or still have tiny bits of chickpea. To fix this, with the food processor turned on, slowly add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water until the consistency is perfect.

Old Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup:

You Will Need:  1/2 cup chopped carrots 1/4 cup chopped celery  1/4 cup chopped onion 2 Tablespoons butter 6 cups chicken broth  1 1/2 cups of chicken 1 teaspoon salt 1 drop Marjoram essential oil 1 drop Thyme essential oils 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 1/4 cup uncooked pasta 1/2 teaspoon chopped parsley  Directions: Saute the carrot, celery and onion in butter in a large pot with lid until tender. Stir in the broth, chicken and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Add noodles; cook for 10 minutes or until noodles are tender. Sprinkle with parsley. Yield: 6 servings. Cinnamon Nutmeg Cookies: You Will Need: 1½ C all-purpose flour 1 drop nutmeg essential oil I drop cinnamon bark essential oil ½ tsp baking soda ½ tsp salt ½ C butter, softened ⅔ C brown sugar ¼ C sugar 1 egg 1½ tsp maple extract 1 tsp vanilla extract For the Sugar Topping 2 tbsp brown sugar 1 tbsp sugar ¼ tsp ground nutmeg Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. With a mixer, cream together butter and sugars. Add in egg, maple extract, and vanilla extract and the nutmeg and cinnamon essential oils. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined. Drop tablespoon sized amounts onto baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until cookies are just set. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Stir together sugar topping ingredients and sprinkle over the tops of the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven. Lemon Ginger Dressed Noodles: What You Need: Lemon Ginger Dressing 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 drop lemon essential oil 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/2 inch section of ginger peeled and grated 1 drop Ginger essential oil 1/4 cup rice vinegar 1/3 cup soy sauce 1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 3 tablespoons olive oil The Noodles 1 cup dried noodles (spaghetti, linguine, udon, soba) 3/4 cup fresh mushrooms (sliced button or sliced shitake) 1 1/2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon minced green onion 1 tablespoon sesame seeds Directions: 1 Make the dressing by combining all ingredients, except for the sesame oil and olive oil in a food processor or hand blender. Run the blender for a few seconds, until all ingredients are combined. add oil and mix again.  2  Cook the dried noodles according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside. 3  Saute the mushrooms for 2 minutes in the butter 4 In a large bowl, toss the cooked noodles with the mushrooms, sesame seeds and dressing to taste.