Healthy Dips and Sauces Using Essential Oils

I love having lots of good, healthy snacks around so that I don’t go raiding the cheese draw in the fridge every time I get hungry!! I found some healthy dips and sauces using essential oils that really gave a lot of flavor and health value, and they’re easy to make, so I’m posting some of those recipes today.

Hummus

• 2 x 15 ounce cans of chickpeas
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 10 drops lemon essential oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika (as garnish)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Combine chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, lemon essential oil, cumin, water and salt in a food processor, blend until soft and creamy. If needed, add water 1 tablespoon at a time and continue blending until it’s the right consistency. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with paprika to make it look pretty.

Sauteed Tomatillo Salsa

• 1 lb tomatillos
• 2 jalapeno peppers
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
• Small onion, quartered
• 1 cup cilantro
• 1/3 cup water
• Kosher or sea salt, to taste
• 1 drop lime essential oil

Remove husks from tomatillos, rinse well. Cut stemmed tops off jalapenos then split in half. Using a spoon, scrape away the seeds. If you like spicy things, leave the peppers whole. Lightly grease a griddle or skillet, place on medium heat. When hot, place tomatillos, peppers, garlic and onions in the pan. Turn vegetables over with tongs to soften as much surface area as possible (peppers, onions and garlic should soften quickly). After about 5 minutes, remove onions, garlic and peppers and place in a blender. Continue roasting tomatillos for another five minutes, before placing in blender. Allow to cool, then add water, lime essential oil, and cilantro. Puree until smooth. Pour into a bowl and add salt to taste.

Mango Salsa

• 2 mangos, diced
• 1/2 roma tomato, diced
• 1 tablespoon onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 drop lime essential oil
• Salt, to taste

Toss ingredients until combined. This goes really well atop blackened salmon or other fish.

I tend to put an extra drop or two of essential oils than the recipe calls for, just because I like strong flavors. You can get creative and use your own favorite oils – I’ve been adding black pepper to a lot of dishes recently and that’s really good. Enjoy and bon appetite!