Wouldn’t it be great if flavorful restaurant meals were accessible at home every night?

As a foodie & chef I am a huge fan of big flavor…but also keeping meals simple! 

As a dietitian I understand that that flavor can come from additions other than fat & salt! 

As a busy, hard working mama you deserve to be able to treat yourself & your family to some good food! 

You could go out to dinner OR you could learn to make your home cooked meal taste like a restaurant dinner! 

As a huge fan of big flavor with little effort, I’m going to share some tips on ways to incorporate essential oils into your meals to help give you BIG FLAVOR with minimal effort! 

I should also mention that you need to make sure that the essential oils you’re using need to be food-grade! You can purchase some oils that are really inexpensive…those are fine for use around the house, but please don’t cook with those. 

You may have to spend a couple of bucks to get some quality essential oils…but its SOOO worth it! If you dish out a few dollars more you’ll actually be getting OILS…not waters with essence. Taste wise alone…you’ll be able to notice a difference! 

Important!!!!!

Before we get started though…it’s really important to note that essential oils are way more potent than their fresh counterparts, so a little goes a long way. Start with one drop & then add one more drop at a time until you find the right amount for the dish you are making! 

Citrus

Often you’ll find a wider variety of citrus in the essential oil section than in the produce section.

For example…tangerine and grapefruit are available all year long in essential oil form, but only during the winter in fruit form!

Citrus essential oils can be a great way to add freshness to foods…

• greens

• chicken

• fish

• fresh or cooked vegetable dish!
  Any where you would use fresh citrus zest or juice you can use citrus essential oils instead. Citrus essential oils can also be added to home-brewed tea, to flavor your water or to make a fun cocktail with sparkling water! 

Herbs

How often do you have fresh herbs at home?

Unless you have an herb garden…or you’ve recently made a recipe that called for fresh herbs…probably not often!

Essential oils are a great way to add in fresh herb flavor without having sad, wilted herbs in the back of your fridge.

Again, use the oils as you would fresh or even dried herbs!

Some to keep in the spice cabinet are

• parsley

• rosemary

• thyme

• cilantro

• basil…just to name a few.

Keep reading to learn some fun ways to use these in combination with citrus and spice oils! 

Spices

You know that container of nutmeg that has been in the back of your spice cabinet since Thanksgiving 2013?

Yep, that one…with the grease & dust! Please throw it away!

It will no longer provide you with the flavor it once did.

It’s funny I say this…because I have spices I’ve moved with 4 times now…and they just keep making it in the kitchen moving box.

However, if you are one have spices for a hot minute…I highly recommend using essential oil spices to add warm, bold flavor to dishes. One of my favorites to use is cardamom…but you can also use more common spices like black pepper, coriander, & nutmeg.

Example Meals using Essential Oils

Okay this is probably what you’ve been looking for all along…but I just wanted to give you some background. You’re welcome!

• Guacamole: Avocados (the real fruit) + Essential Oils (Lime, Coriander, Cilantro)

• Hummus: Cannellini Beans (my preference over garbanzo) + Essential Oils (Parsley, Black Pepper & Lemon)

• Kind of Pesto: Dont have basil? blend up Fresh Parsley + Essential Oils (Basil)

• Roasted Salmon with Honey Mustard: literally just combine honey & mustard and spread it on the Salmon before roasting + Essential Oils (Lemon & Parsley)

• Sautéed Greens: sautée Dark Leafy Greens + Essential Oils (Lemon or Lime) 

• Make a Marinade: smell oils together and combine with 1 part each of your favorite cooking oil and vinegar or citrus! 

Remember…any dish that you can use fresh herbs, spices or citrus in…you can use essential oils! 

Interested in more tips on using herbs and spices? Check out these other posts!