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.

Diffuser Blends- Fall Addition

Hi, my name is Christina and I was once a candle junkie this time of year. I always thought that candles created such a warm and inviting environment. That was until I found out they were really doing way more harm than good. It's time to ditch those chemical filled candles (and wax warmers) and go with something pure and beneficial to your family at the same time.

Now my diffusers are running pretty much non stop at my home. I have slowly grown my collection of diffusers to where I happily have one in each bedroom and one in the main living area. This is key when my whole family happens to be under the weather. I have different diffuser recipes that I use daily or at specific times depending on possible illness and mood. My preferred method of using my oils is via the diffuser because it's the fastest way to get the oils into our system to yield the quickest result physically and emotionally. Below I will share some of my favorite Fall diffuser recipes and also a couple DIY ways to get your oils into the air if you don't have a diffuser handy.

Germs! Everyone has them, and they're everywhere. We have a lot of people thru our house all the time, so a diffuser mix I get pumping whenever we're expecting people over is: Orange and Thieves. 

I think citrus oils are my favorite to diffuse because they are just so clean and crisp smelling. Pair Orange with Thieves and you have the perfect fall scent. Thieves is amazingly immune boosting and is a staple this time of year. They work well together to keep all the yuckies out of the air and your home. Thieves is a blend of clove, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus, lemon, and rosemary essential oils. 

The next blend that I tend to favor this time of year is: Ginger, Clove, and Orange. This one smells so sweet and fresh that you'll want to diffuse it all year long. It creates a cozy feel and I always notice that its very uplifting to the overall mood of the house. A definite must to try this year. 

Here are a few other great diffuser recipes: 

There are so many other great combinations with the amount of oils offered by Young Living. Don't be scared of mixing two oils (or three or four!)  that seem out of the ordinary.  Happy Diffusing Friends! 

Onward to the DIY Diffusers---- If you bought Young Living's Premium Starter Kit then you already have a great diffuser, but until you're able to build up your collection I will share a few DIY "diffusers."  These are all quick and temporary solutions to your diffuser woes. First, I find that sometimes when I'm in my car either traveling or after I've had a stinky (it happens!) traveling companion that my car needs a little reset. I simply use a handful of small cotton rounds, think make up remover pads, like these from Target. I drop a little oil on each pad, fold them, and place them in the air vents. That way when I turn on the air or fan the smell of the oils will fill my car. Brilliant, right? The next DIY diffuser is basically the same as the car version, but for your indoor fan. See the graphic below! 

What are some of your favorite fall diffuser recipes?