Food and creating amazing flavours has always been one of my passions. I seem to have inherited a talent for knowing what tastes will go well together, so I’m often inventing new and exciting concoctions.

But I’ll be honest….life’s just been so crazy-busy lately that my food experimenting has gone on the back burner.

So you can imagine how excited I am to share with you these mouth-watering recipes from my Young Living friends….all of them containing one magical ingredient – the Young Living essential oils.

The Golden Rules of Cooking with Essential Oil

When you cook with a herb – let’s say it’s coriander seeds – that cooking process releases the most amazing flavour. That flavour and aroma is the essential oil being released from the plant’s tissues! Wow!

So this opens up such a treasure chest of possibilities to use essential oils in our food recipes. Essential oils don’t have the short shelf-life of fresh produce, so long as they are stored away from direct sunlight and heat. And because a little goes a long, long way, they typically work out just as cost-effective as the herb itself in cooking.

But first, there are some important things to know about using essential oils in your food:

Golden Rule # 1

Only ever use the Young Living oils in your food recipes. This is because of the incredible lengths that Young Living goes to in order to ensure their oils are free of all synthetic ingredients (which would be toxic to the liver). No other company does the level of testing that Young Living does.

Golden Rule # 2

Essential oils are incredibly potent. For example, a single drop of Peppermint oil is equivalent to 28 cups of Peppermint tea. So many a dish has been destroyed by using too many drops of essential oil. Always start slowly, and build up to taste. If you want a more subtle flavour, take the stopper out of your essential oil bottle, dip in a toothpick, and swirl the toothpick through your food.

Golden Rule # 3

Not all essential oils come from edible plants, so it’s important to follow Young Living’s information on which oils are ok to use as flavouring agents.

We also have different regulations in different countries. That’s why in Australia, we have the Culinary Range of oils, which are compliant with Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) for use as flavouring agents. In the UK and Europe, Young Living has the “Plus Range” of oils. And in the US they have the “Vitality” range of oils.

In this bulletin where I have referred to say “Peppermint oil”, please substitute the “Peppermint Vitality Oil” if you live in the US, and the “Peppermint Plus Oil” if you live in the UK/Europe. This applies to all the oils mentioned below (ie. substitute the relevant Plus oil or Vitality Oil, depending on which country you live in).

The BEST Chocolate Brownies you’ll ever try!!!

Nicole Mazeika writes:

Every time I make these Chocolate Brownies, I have many compliments and people wanting the recipe…so here it is!!! It’s great to make with the kids, too!

Just remember to use only Young Living oils for the flavouring!!!

Ingredients

• A 200g block of 70% dark chocolate
• 350g raw sugar
• 60g cocoa
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder (Bicarb of Soda)
• 100g flour
• a pinch of salt
• 3 eggs
• 200g of melted butter
• 6 drops of Young Living Peppermint Oil

1. Break up the block of chocolate into smaller pieces, and blend it until it becomes tiny chunks. Remove from the blender, and place into a small bowl.

2. Put all the dry ingredients into a food processor and blend them until they are well mixed.

3. Add the eggs and butter, and re-blend until it’s just combined. Then add your Young Living Peppermint oil.

4. Fold the chocolate pieces through the mix, then place into a rectangular baking tray lined with baking paper. Cook at 170 degrees Celsius (340 degrees Fahrenheit) for 35 minutes.

Note: After baking, this will not be completely set in the centre. That’s deliberate!

5. Cool the brownies on a wire rack, then refrigerate for an hour. Then simply slice and enjoy.

Substitute Flavours

Instead of using Peppermint oil, you could use:

• 5 drops of Lavender oil,
• 6 drops of Orange oil, or
  
• 4 drops of Cardamon oil and 4 drops of Orange oil, or
• 5 drops of Ginger oil

Raw Cheesecake Heaven!!!

Lucinda Jays writes:

I’m in love with this Raw Vegan Choc-Mint Cheesecake by @me_in_progress (Instagram). It’s extremely delicious….and my favourite RAW cheesecake.

Base

• 1 cup of almonds
• 3/4 cup of dates
• 3-6 drops of Young Living Peppermint Oil
• 1-2 tablespoons of natural, raw coconut water (try “Taste Nirvana” brand – most good health food stores in Australia carry it

Place all ingredients into a food processor, and process until combined. Add coconut water – a little at a time. You don’t want it to become too sticky. Press into a pan, and place in the freezer while you prepare the filling.

Filling

• 1 and 1/2 cups of cashews, soaked overnight
• 1/2 cup of shredded coconut
• 1 can of 270ml coconut milk (eg. “Ayam” brand)
• 1/2 cup of coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup of coconut nectar (eg. “Loving Earth” brand)
• 1 cup of baby spinach
• 6-8 drops of Young Living Peppermint oil (I use fresh mint too, but it doesn’t have as strong a flavour, so I add the essential oil as well)

1. Place cashews, coconut milk and oil into the food processor and blend until smooth.

2. Add the shredded coconut and coconut nectar, and blend again.

3. Add extra coconut water if needed, to get the right consistency. You want it to be the consistency of thick pouring custard, ie. not too runny.

4. Add baby spinach and Young Living Peppermint oil and blend again.

5. Pour the mixture over the base, and place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before adding the chocolate.

Chocolate

• 1/2 cup of melted coconut oil
• 1/2 cup of raw cacao (eg. “Loving Earth” brand)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla powder or essence
• 1/4 cup of coconut nectar

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and decorate the cake as shown on the pic.

Tangerine-infused chocolate macadamia fudge

Lucinda Waters writes: I whipped these beauties up for a birthday.

I added 3-4 drops of Young Living Tangerine oil, but you are only limited by your imagination with our culinary oils. You could substitute with Orange, Peppermint, Lavender, Cinnamon bark, or even Ginger oil.

Prep Time: 20 minutes plus refrigeration
Makes: Approximately 40 pieces

Ingredients

• 160g macadamia nuts
• 400g can of condensed milk
• 500g dark chocolate, chopped
• 65g butter

Method:

1. Spread the macadamia nuts on an oven tray. Place under a pre-heated grill for 3-4 minutes, or until the nuts are golden brown. Shake the tray regularly so the nuts are evenly toasted.

2. Allow the nuts to cool slightly, then chop them roughly using a large knife.

3. Place the condensed milk, dark chocolate and butter in a medium pan. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon over low heat until the chocolate and butter have melted and the mixture is smooth.

4. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the toasted chopped nuts. Mix well.

5. Spread the mixture evenly into an 18 x 28 cm (or 20 x 30cm) rectangular tin that has been lined with foil. Smooth the surface of the fudge, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or until it is set.

6. When the fudge has set, turn it out of the tin and remove the foil, and cut the fudge into squares or triangles using a warm knife…..then ENJOY!!!!

Pumpkin, Zucchini & Red Capsicum Soup

Helen Day writes:
I made this soup tonight, and thought I would add some essential oils….out came Black Pepper, Nutmeg, Basil (pinched from my Raindrop Technique Belt) and Lemon oil. I’m still learning and loving the process of cooking with essential oils.

Ingredients

• 2 carrots
• 3 celery sticks
• 1/2 a butternut pumpkin
• 1 x red capsicum
• 2 x zucchini
• 2 tablespoons of raw coconut oil
• 4 – 6 cups Vegetable or Chicken Stock – powdered or liquid (eg. Massell brand)
• 2 drops of Young Living Nutmeg oil
• 3 drops of Young Living Lemon oil
• 2 drops of Young Living Black Pepper oil
• A toothpick dipped into the Young Living Basil oil, and swirled through the soup (otherwise it’s so strong that it overpowers the dish).

1. Dice the veggies.

2. Heat a little coconut oil in a large saucepan. Add the veggies (I do this as I am cutting them up to save time, added in order of ingredient list)

3. Let them cook for a little while to get a more ‘roasted’ flavour into the veggies, stirring every couple of minutes.

4. Add the stock. If it’s powdered stock, I sprinkle it on and then stir it through.

5. Cover with boiling water, and let the soup simmer until the veggies are soft.

6. Blend until smooth (I use a stick blender).

7. Allow to cool slightly, then add essential oils to taste.

I have used all organic ingredients, except for the stock which was Massell brand. It’s a very basic recipe, but I was keen to try the oils, especially since I had no fresh Basil.

Scrumptious Chicken & Asparagus

Sam Daley writes:

I love using oils in my cooking….such as Thyme oil with steamed spinach filling and Lemon oil, tossed through with some asparagus.

Ingredients

• 4 medium sized breasts
• 1 medium purple onion (sliced thinly )
• 300g of spinach leaves
• 1 tablespoon of water
• Young Living Thyme oil (1 cm of a toothpick length, dipped in the Thyme oil bottle)
• 2 tablespoons of feta cheese, cut into small cubes
• 3 tablespoons of sundried tomato, sliced
• cracked black pepper to season either 2 bunches of Asparagus, or 500g of fresh green beans (washed)
• 2 drops of Young Living Lemon oil
• 1 tablespoon of water

Method

1. Slice evenly along the chicken breast to form a pocket in which to insert the filling. Set aside.

2. In a frying pan, saute the onions until just soft

3. Add the spinach leaves and 1 tablespoon of water. Then place the toothpick of Thyme essential oil into the pan. Place a lid on the frying pan and gently steam for approximately 2 minutes, keeping the lovely green colour in the spinach. Remove the toothpick from the mix.

3. Allow the spinach mix to cool slightly, then put it into a bowl, adding the feta and sundried tomatoes. Stir together gently, and lightly season with black pepper.

4. Stuff each chicken breast with the mixture, and close the breast with Kitchen string. Tie 3 knots around the chicken breast, as shown in the pic above. This stops the filling from falling out whilst cooking.

5. Add the chicken breasts to the frying pan, and cook on medium heat for around 6 to 8 minutes. Turn the chicken breasts over, and cook the other side for 6 to 8 minutes. Set the chicken breasts aside, and cover with foil.

6. Add asparagus and water to the frying pan, and lightly steam. Just before serving, add 2 drops of Lemon oil and toss through the mix.

7. Lay the asparagus evenly on a plate, cut the kitchen string off the chicken breast. Slice the breast, and lay it on the asparagus. Enjoy!!!

The Magic Ingredient in my Spaghetti Bolognese

Leila Smith writes:

My Spaghetti Bolognese sauce has never tasted better, and all I did was add just one drop of Black Pepper oil and one drop of Oregano oil. It gives such a rich, full-bodied flavour, and takes only 15 minutes to cook.

Well I don’t strictly follow a recipe (I’m an experimental cook), but I have put a recipe together below on how I achieved this sauce. It was one of my quick mid-week meals for the family.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 1 large zucchini, grated
• 500g pork mince
• 1 tin of diced Italian tomatoes
• 1/4 cup of stock (I usually have vegetable or chicken stock open in the fridge)
• 1 drop of Young Living Black Pepper oil
• 1 drop of Young Living Oregano oil
• Splash of red wine (I usually drink it while cooking!!!)

Method

1. Sauté the onion and garlic in a nonstick saucepan, then add the pork and cook through.

2. Add the grated vegetables and tinned tomatoes and essential oils, stock and wine, and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

3. Serve with cooked pasta and grated Parmesan cheese.

I used to purchase a lot of fresh herbs and found I wasn’t getting value for money as they would wilt so quickly before I could finish using them. That’s why I switched to essential oils as my flavouring. I can achieve the same flavours as fresh herbs, and they are so healthy for the whole family!

I also find I don’t need to slow cook my sauce because the essential oils provide an intense flavour normally only achieved through slow cooking.

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