Nooch Popcorn
Oh, popcorn, how I love thee. Truly one of my favorite treats, this recipe is healthy, easy and oh-so-delicious. A guilt-free way to snack the night away! Honestly one of my favorite meals with Dani are two large bowls of popcorn and two salads, paired of course with red wine. Add a movie to that and you’ve got yourself the most perfect Friday night!
Everybody has a different way of making popcorn. Some use the microwave, some swear by only high heat and grapeseed oil, some only buy it at the movie theater. This is my way, and the way that I’ve found works best.
1/2 cup popcorn kernels
1 teaspoon popcorn salt or fine sea salt (or if you’re crazy like me, what I use is Flavacol*)
3 tablespoons coconut oil
EVOO (I use the spray kind for popcorn!)
1/3 cup nooch (blended if you want to be extra fancy**)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon herbes de provence (optional but recommended)
1). Heat the coconut oil in a large pot with a lid (wider is better) over medium-high heat. Drop 3 or 4 kernels in the pot, then place the lid on top and let the oil heat up.
2). As soon as you start to hear those 3 or 4 kernels a poppin’, it’s time! Dump the rest of the kernels into the pot and replace the lid. Using a swishing or circular motion, swirl the kernels back and forth for a few seconds.
3). Let kernels heat up, occasionally swirling the pot. As they start to pop, continue to shake/swirl the kernels every 20 seconds or so, to prevent burning and to allow unpopped kernels to fall to the bottom.
4). Once the popping has slowed down, and there are a few seconds between pops, remove the pot from the heat. Don’t feel tempted to pop every kernel! It’s much better to have un-popped kernels leftover than to have burnt popcorn in my opinion.
5). Pour about a quarter of the popcorn into a large bowl. Spray with EVOO (or lightly drizzle with EVOO if you don’t have the spray), then sprinkle some of the nooch, garlic powder, herbes de provence and salt. Give it a good stir to mix it up. Then continually repeat layers until all of the popcorn is in the bowl and tossed with all of the toppings.
6). Grab a glass of red wine and enjoy!
*What is flavacol? It is butter-flavored popcorn salt that is what they usually serve on popcorn at the movie theaters. It is also vegan! I doubt it’s healthy for you, but in small doses, it is oh-so-delicious. My brother Brian introduced me to it and I have been addicted ever since! You can order it online.
**Sometimes if I’m in the mood and have time on my hands, I will blend the nooch beforehand, turning into more of a salt-like consistency. I find it sticks to the popcorn better this way, but it is in no way necessary.
