A Corny Post

So Tim and I went to dinner at EVO in Worcester last night. I like EVO because they offer decent vegetarian options (they even offer tofu as a pizza topping, which I think may be a bit weird, but at least they try). They're also very reasonably priced, and the quality is top-notch.

We stopped in at Living Earth Health Food Store next door for some yogurt, local strawberries (courtesy of Many Hands Organic Farm in Barre), soymilk, and a bulk bin bonanza. I like getting my steel cut oats at bulk bins because they cost half of what they would at the grocery store. I also stumbled upon organic corn kernels. There was a recipe on the bin for homemade popped popcorn. Science experiment, here I come!

Growing up, we would pop a bag of popcorn and watch TGIF (is this a throwback for anyone?). I also remember some friends having those microwave tins you'd put on the oven or over a campfire. But popping popcorn in a 4-qt stockpot? This sounded like another kitchen nightmare to me. However, I had recently heard that in microwave bags of "buttered-flavored popcorn", a certain toxin called diacetyl was being added. Diacetyl (aka listed as a "Natural Flavoring" on the package) has been linked to lung disease. I am in the process of doing more research on this study, but in the meantime, I don't want any ingredient that sounds like an organic chemistry lab additive in my popcorn! 

While TC and I were settling in during this dreary, rainy afternoon to watch a movie, I thought I'd pop the corn as a movie snack. For about $2, I got 3-4 cups of organic kernels, which I realized will last us many, many movies, and is less expensive than microwave popcorn.

This recipe was a huge success, and TC and I chomped popcorn during our movie, with enough for a snack tomorrow, too!

Homemade Popcorn 

(yields about 8 cups of yummy popcorn!)

Vegetable or olive oil

1 cup organic corn kernels

1 Tbsp salt

Coat the bottom of a 4-qt stockpot with oil. Turn the heat to medium-high and add 1 cup of organic corn kernels. COVER! After 3-5 minutes, you will begin hearing the kernels pop. By the way, this is so exciting, because you know it's working! Allow kernels to pop for about 5 minutes, or until you stop hearing them pop. Immediately remove from heat. Add salt and mix. Pour off popped kernels and enjoy!

Calories: about 50/cup, Fiber: 1gram/cup

Oh yes, and don't forget, send me your pictures for "Meal Makeover Monday"!