“Cheezy” Garlic and Smoked Chili Popcorn

So it turns out this Tuesday is National Popcorn Day and while most of us really don’t need an excuse to have some of this crunchy goodness, I thought I’d post two savoury and healthy versions that are packed with flavour and nutrition for you to enjoy! This is great as a treat for movie night in or if you want to stash some in your purse for when you head to the theatres (Shhh! You didn’t hear that from me, but I often prefer my own popcorn to the theatre’s any day.)

I choose organic spices whenever possible to avoid pesticides and because they are not irradiated which can damage some of the helpful antioxidants present in them. However, if you don’t have organic spices, making your own flavour mixtures with regular spices will still ensure you are not consuming a lot of chemical flavour enhancing agents (like MSG and yeast extract), colours or preservatives – and who wants to eat those? Blech.

I used an air popper (literally it’s my parents from the 1980s) but if you can do the stove top thing – all the more power to you! I still have yet to try that as I’m convinced I’ll end up damaging a pot, but one day! If you are using the stove top method with coconut oil, then you may not need as much coconut oil used in the recipes. Use your own judgement to determine if you need to add more. If they appear coated in oil, then that might be sufficient. Coconut oil is recommended for popping corn as it has a very high smoke point (making it stable at high temperatures) and it contains lauric acid which has been known to help lower cholesterol, help with weight management and is a natural infection fighter.

If you want some spicy kick, try the BBQ Smoked Chili flavour and feel free to play with the cayenne and chipotle amounts to your liking.

I hope this spices up your celebration of National Popcorn Day on Tuesday, or the next time it’s movie night! 🙂

Let me know in the comments below what you think!

xo

Mira

“Cheezy” Garlic Popcorn

Ingredients:

• 6-8 cups popped popcorn
• 1/8 cup of melted coconut oil
• 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast (if you’re not a fan or don’t have any, you can use shredded Parmesan or Pecorino – just pick good quality cheese)
• 1 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. Himalayan salt

Method:

1. Drizzle coconut oil over popcorn while stirring with a spoon to ensure an even coating (or as best you can.
2. Mix the nutritional yeast, garlic powder and salt in a bowl.
3. Sprinkle the mixture over the popcorn, stirring while you do so to ensure it gets coated. Serve immediately.

BBQ Smoked Chili Popcorn

Ingredients:

• 6-8 cups popped popcorn
• 1/8 cup of melted coconut oil
• 1 tbsp. smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. smoked chipotle chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. Himalayan sea salt

Method:

1. Drizzle coconut oil over popcorn while stirring with a spoon to ensure an even coating (or as best you can.
2. Mix the paprika, garlic powder, oregano, cayenne pepper and smoked chipotle chili powder and salt together in a small bowl.
3. Sprinkle the mixture over the popcorn, stirring while you do so to ensure it gets coated. Serve immediately.

 

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