The Microwave Popcorn Replacement

Popcorn is one of my absolute favorite snacks! Not only is it a healthful whole grain, it's also full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. All that, plus it's delicious, filling, inexpensive, and easy to prepare. It can be salty or sweet or both. It is really the perfect snack.

The problem with popcorn comes when you buy it in prepackaged bags and microwave it. Not only is it about three times the price to buy microwave popcorn, but it doesn't taste as good, and it is full of toxic chemicals!

One of the big problems is the bag which, when heated, leaches these toxins into your popcorn. A report by the FDA indicates that the coating on popcorn bags breaks down into perfluorooctanoic (PFOA), which the EPA calls "a likely carcinogen". Secondly, that delicious fake butter contains something called diacetyl. Diacetyl is single-handedly repsonsible for an actual medical condition called "popcorn lung" or bronchiolitis obliterans which causes difficulty breathing and incessant cough. This is evidently caused by inhaling diacetyl and is most common in factory workers, but there has been at least one reported case of an avid consumer of popcorn getting sick. And to top it all off, some types of microwave popcorn still contain trans fats. 

So, what to do? Easy! Make it yourself it's easier than you think... here are some recipes:

Air Popped Popcorn

This doesn't really require a recipe. Turn on the machine. Pour in the kernels. Catch the kernels in the bowl (this is the trickiest part). :)

Stove Top Popcorn

3 TBSP Canola Oil

1/3 cup popcorn kernels

3 quart covered saucepan/pot

Add oil and kernels to pan. Heat on medium-high heat, gently shaking the pan to keep the kernels moving as they pop. When the popping stops/slows, remove from heat and pour into serving bowl. Delicious with Nutritional Yeast (see earlier post to learn about nutritional yeast).

Kettle Corn

Definitely a special occasion food since it involves white sugar, but delicious nonetheless, and we have to live a little, right!? 

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup popcorn kernels

1/4 cup white sugar

1 tsp sea salt

3 quart covered saucepan/pot. 

Heat oil and kernels. Sprinkle sugar on the kernels when they sizzle. Cover and shake over the hear until the popping slows/stops. Pour into serving bowl and sprinkle with salt.