BBQ popcorn

Another rainy day finds us inside, snuggled up and nursing a bit of a cold. That means you get another recipe. We've gotten really fond of popcorn around here, as of late. I used to think of air poppers as just one more plastic gadget I didn't need, but I'm a convert now. Did you know that popcorn is a pretty healthy and pretty green snack? Lots of fiber and for me, it fixes a craving for spicy chips that befalls me from time to time (ok, most every night).  I first got the idea for it from this book, which has been an inspiration to me for a while now. Then soulemama posted a fabulous recipe for cheesy herb popcorn, that got us really into trying our own variations. 

Just one word of caution: Almost all corn (88% in 2011) in the US is GMO at this point, and if you don't feel like supporting Monsanto et al., buy organic. Again, one of those situations where environmentalism and social justice point you in the same exact direction. You can support farmers and help to protect them from completely unreasonable patents and legislation that keep them at the mercy of giant seed companies at the same time as you help reduce the amounts of pesticides in the environment. 

Ingredients:

Popping corn

1/3 stick butter

1/4 cup (or to taste) nutritional yest

1/4 tsp garlic (or to taste)

1 tsp Steak seasoning (we like Mitchell Street by Penzey's Spices)

Method:

First, mix the dry spices in a large bowl.

 

  Then, according to the direction on your popper, pop the corn, and as the machine spits it out,  pour the smallest trickle of melted butter on it and stir the pot with your third hand. (That was a hard picture to take!)

When the popping is done, keep mixing and mixing to try and coat the spices evenly onto the popcorn. Reducing the amount of butter is possible, but it is harder to get the spices to stick. 

I have read about using a spray can of canola instead of butter, but I don't love the oil-to-waste ratio involved in that idea. I'd rather eat more butter (twist my arm).