Struggling to settle on a dish to bring to this year’s Thanksgiving dinner? Here are some of my favorite recipes that I got from doTERRA’s blog and the essential oils that you can incorporate for that little extra something special that is sure to get people talking! (Click on the titles to be taken to the blog post on doTERRA.)
1. Citrus & Herb Butter Roasted Turkey
Taking on the Thanksgiving turkey can definitely be an intimidating task! But if you’re brave enough to give it a try this year, then something that will make your turkey stand out from past years will be the addition of your essential oils!
Ingredients for the Citrus & Herb Butter
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
Pinch of salt and pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (substitute 3 drops Rosemary essential oil)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme (substitute 3 drops Thyme essential oil)
4 drops Wild Orange essential oil
3 drops Lemon essential oil
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and stir together thoroughly. Set aside.
Ingredients for the Turkey
14–16 pound turkey, thawed
½ large orange, cut in two wedges
1 lemon, cut in quarters
½ large granny smith apple, cut in two wedges
1 garlic head, cut in half
5 sprigs of sage
5 sprigs of thyme
2 sprigs of rosemary
- Preheat oven to 500° F
- Rinse turkey inside and out. Pat skin dry and place in a roasting rack inside a large roasting pan. Stuff the cavity of the bird with the orange, lemon, apple, garlic, and herbs.
- Tuck wing tips under the turkey.
- Use fingers to carefully loosen skin around the entire bird. Take ¼ of the butter mixture and rub it, thoroughly, under skin making sure to coat as much of the turkey as possible. Brush remaining butter mixture over skin, making sure to cover the entire turkey.
- Sprinkle breast and legs with salt and pepper and tie legs together with kitchen twine.
- Roast turkey on the lowest rack at 500 degrees for 30 minutes. Turn oven down to 350 degrees and insert probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast. Cook until thermometer reads 160 degrees.
- Note: Cooking time depends on the size of the turkey.
- Remove from oven and cover with foil. Let turkey rest for approximately 30 minutes before carving.
2. Autumn Pinecone Firestarters
Here’s a project that you don’t see very often! If you’re looking for a new and interesting way to make people remember your Thanksgiving, then try using these as a centerpiece (if you have a spacious dining area!) or giving them away as party favors.
Ingredients
- Cinnamon Bark essential oil
- Clove essential oil
- Wild Orange essential oil
- String for dipping into wax
- Colored crayons (optional)
- Salt (optional)
- Soy wax or beeswax
- Pinecones
- Cut the string long enough to use for dipping the pinecone into the wax and tie in a knot at the top of the pinecone.
- In a double boiler (or a metal bowl resting in pot of water) melt two to three crayons along with enough wax to coat your pine cone.
- Add essential oils; the more drops you put in, the stronger the scent will be.
- Holding the string, dip the pinecones and set them on wax paper to dry.
- Keep dipping and drying to create a thick layer of wax on the pinecones.
- Coat with salt immediately after the last wax coat, if desired.
Tip: Depending on the salt, the flames of the starters will burn a certain color (Epsom salts, white flame; table salt, yellow flame; salt substitute, violet flame). After you are done dipping your pinecone into the wax, leave one inch of wax-covered string to serve as a wick for easier lighting.
3. Jalapeño Cranberry Dip
This Jalapeño Cranberry Dip is sweet with the right amount of spicy and is infused with Lime and Cilantro essential oils for added benefits. Both oils compliment the cranberries and jalapeño peppers to make for a delicious and healthy treat!
Ingredients
1 12 ounce bag fresh cranberries
1 drop Lime essential oil
1 drop Cilantro essential oil
1–2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
2 limes, juiced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
¾ cup white sugar (or sweetener of choice)
8 ounces cream cheese
- Combine cranberries, cilantro, Cilantro oil, and jalapeño peppers in a food processor. Chop but do not purèe.
- Spoon chopped cranberry mixture into a bowl and add lime juice, Lime oil, and sugar. Stir.
- Cover and refrigerate at least three hours (overnight is best).
- Serve over a block of cream cheese with wheat crackers or tortilla chips.
4. Rosemary Dinner Rolls
No Thanksgiving meal is complete without the rolls! For the most part, dinner rolls are a pretty safe bet when you have so many other items filling up your plate, but if you’re looking to wow your guests with homemade buns from scratch that won’t be overlooked, you will definitely want to check out this recipe.
Ingredients
2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
½ cup warm water
3 tablespoons sugar, divided
¾ cup warm milk
1 large egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 drops Rosemary essential oil
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 egg for brushing rolls, whisked
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, then more as needed
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer whisk together yeast, warm water, and ½ teaspoon granulated sugar. Rest for 5 minutes
- Set mixer with hook attachment and mix in remaining sugar, warm milk, egg, melted butter, fresh rosemary, Rosemary essential oil, and salt on low speed.
- Add 2 cups flour and mix on low speed until combined. Slowly add in remaining flour until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Dough should be a little sticky.
- Knead for 7–10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Remove from mixer and cover bowl with a cloth for one hour or until doubled in size.
- Place dough on clean workspace and divide into 12 equal parts. Roll each part into a smooth ball and place into a greased 9×11 baking pan.
- Cover and let rise for one hour or until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 350° F
- Gently brush tops of rolls evenly with one tablespoon whisked egg. Bake in preheated oven until tops are golden brown, about 23–26 minutes.
5. Vegan Cinnamon Apple Cake
Make sure to save room for dessert! Desserts are meant to be a nice sweet cap to your meal of savory dishes, but instead often times the high amounts of sugar can leave us feeling regretful! Here are some healthier alternatives to the traditional sweets, your guests may just thank you later!
Ingredients
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
2 ½ tablespoons baking powder
¾ cup raw sugar
½ cup olive oil
½ cup orange juice
½ cup walnuts
2 small apples, grated
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 drop Cinnamon Bark essential oil
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly coat cake tin with olive oil.
- Juice orange in bowl and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix together flour, ground cinnamon, and baking powder. Set aside.
- Grate the apples. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add sugar, olive oil, and Cinnamon Bark oil. Mix together using a handheld or free-standing mixer.
- Add the flour mix and the orange juice to a bowl with sugar and oil alternatively and keep mixing.
- Add the apples and the walnuts and fold in gently with a spoon until just combined.
- Pour the mixture into baking dish and bake for 45 minutes (or until a toothpick can be inserted and removed clean). Slice and enjoy.
Tip: The mixture will look a little dry until after the apples are added. This cake is best right out of the oven, but is good for a week.
6. Healthy Pumpkin Pie
Here’s a healthier take on the Thanksgiving classic that is sure to impress! (Be sure to tell everyone who asks that your secret ingredient was your essential oils.)
Ingredients
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
1 13.5-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
¼ cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons ground flax
½ cup brown sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 drop Cinnamon Bark essential oil
2 drops Clove essential oil
2 drops Ginger essential oil
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 par baked pie crust
- Preheat oven to 400° F
- Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Pour into a par baked pie crust in a 10-inch round pan.
- Bake for 27 minutes
- Note: It will look underdone at this time, don’t worry. Refrigerate at least 2 hours uncovered. Pie will thicken and “set.”
- Top with fresh whipped cream.
Tip: To make your own pumpkin puree, clean and chop pumpkin into one inch size pieces, place in large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil, continue on a low boil until tender. Drain and place in blender, blend until smooth.