Have you cooked with your oils lately?

You might have figured this out already… but I LOVE to cook and bake! It really is a passion of mine. This afternoon I was just itching to bake something so after browsing some of my favorite recipe books and seeing sugar, gluten, and dairy ladened desserts, I decided to whip up a much healthier treat that anyone can love and that uses the Young Living Vitality oils. 

Young Living’s Vitality oils are a wonderful way to add oils in to your everyday life. Not just for taking internally, these oils are fantastic to add to your families favorite foods and recipes! You can easily swap in a YL Vitality oil for dried or fresh herbs, or citrus zest. Typically when a recipe calls for 1/2 tsp of a dried herb, you can use 1-2 drops of the essential oil, but start slowly as they are potent! 1 drop of oregano in spaghetti sauce is usually WAY too much for most people! With your stronger oils, you can simply dip a toothpick in the oil, and stir into your sauce or liquid for the recipe.

For citrus zest, typically 1 tsp zest (or the zest of on lemon or lime) is equal to 5-6 drops of that citrus oil. If you are trying to sub citrus juice (i.e. 1 tsp lemon juice), you will need that amount of water, plus your drop of lemon to not mess up the recipe.

Please note that when exposing the Vitality oils to cooking for long periods of time, the therapeutic benefits of the oils will diminish, so it is best when possible to add your oils last in the recipes, however this is not always possible depending on the type of recipe. You will see in the recipe below, the oil is added to the mix before it is baked in the oven. This will not change the flavor of the oil at all.

What are your favorite recipes or ways to use the Young Living Vitality oils in your daily cooking and baking? Please comment below as I am always looking for new recipes to try!

Cherry, Blueberry, and Lemon Crumble

Filling:
2 cups frozen cherries
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 tsp arrowroot powder
4 tbsp coconut sugar*
6-8 drops Young Living Lemon Vitality oil

Crumble topping:
2/3 cup Young Living Einkorn flour*
2 tbsp unsalted butter, diced
2/3 cup sliced or chopped almonds or nuts of choice

*You can also substitute finely ground almond flour for the einkorn flour if you are avoiding all grains, and stevia or yacon syrup for the coconut sugar if you wish.

Pre-heat oven to 375. In a bowl, combine the fruit, arrowroot powder, coconut sugar and lemon oil. Stir till throughly mixed, and let sit for 10 minutes to let the flavors meld together. In a separate bowl, using your fingers, incorporate the cold butter with the flour till the butter is mostly mixed into the flour. Then mix in the nuts and set aside.

In either a 9×9 baking dish or 4 individual ramekins, place the fruit mixture in the tins. Then top with the crumble mix, covering the fruit, and place in the oven. For the large dish, bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until the crumble is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling, for the individual ramekins, bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling.

Let cool for 10-15 minutes before eating as they are piping hot! These are great warm or cold, your choice! Top with homemade ice cream or coconut whipped topping.

Coconut Whipped topping

1 can full fat coconut milk cream
1 tsp maple syrup
6 drops Lemon vitality oil or your favorite vitality oil
It is VERY important that you do not shake the can of coconut milk, it needs to sit either in the fridge or cabinet for at least 24 hours for the cream to separate from the liquid.

Open the can of coconut milk and carefully scoop out only the white thick paste of coconut cream. Discard the clear-ish liquid or save to add to smoothies. Using a hand or stand blender, whip the coconut cream until it resembles whipped cream. While continuing to whip, add in your desired amount of maple syrup for sweetness and your essential oil. Spoon directly onto your desserts or place in a glass container and freeze till ready to use.

Makes about 1.5 cups and will last in the freezer for several weeks.