I seriously love snacking. Especially something both salty and crunchy. So popcorn is right up my alley. Especially because it's actually good for you. At least if you make it yourself, that is. For one cup of just plain popcorn it has only 30 calories, 1.2 grams of fiber, over 4 grams of complex carbohydrates, and 1 gram of protein. That's not a ton of any of those good categories, but it's little to no fats, simple sugars, or any of the bad stuff. So if you're going to grab a bowl of something to snack on while you're curling up on the couch with Netflix it's about as good as it gets.
Keep in mind that's just the popcorn itself, so whatever you're cooking it in is what adds the less healthy stuff. Which is why rather than opt for microwave popcorn which has all that mystery yellow stuff, I cook mine in a few tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and Old Bay seasoning. But you can make it sweet, salty, spicy, or cinnamon-y all depending on what you're in the mood for. And it's good for you!
You'll Need:
3 TB olive oil
1/2 cup of popcorn kernels
Seasoning of your choice
Let's get started!
Pour a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot with a top. Put in a few kernels too so you can tell when the oil is getting hot. Put the burner on medium heat.
Once those kernels pop, pour in your remaining kernels (about 1/2 a cup or so).
Shake it periodically. Once you can count to two mississipi nice and slow without any pops in between remove your pot from the burner and take off the cover.
At this point you can season as much or as little as you want. I shake some salt and Old Bay on mine, but you can drizzle a little melted butter, or shake some cinnamon and sugar over it for a sweeter variety. It's easiest to mix it up well if you have a mixing bowl with a top you can shake it in. 1/2 cup of kernels makes about a medium sized mixing bowl.
And that's it! Eat up you savvy snacker, you!
