Hollywood's biggest night is Sunday when the celebs take to the red carpet for the 85th annual Academy Awards. If your house is anything like mine when it comes to movies, watching the Oscars is tradition (and because it always falls just around my birthday, it's an even more fun celebration).
While I never buy popcorn at the movies, because it's covered in artificial colors, oils and flavors, I often make it at home when we watch movies here. And Oscar night is no exception! In fact, it's time to break out the red carpet recipes for this special event.
Popcorn can be an incredibly healthy snack, if done right. First things first: make sure you're getting organic or non-GMO verified popcorn kernels. Or, if popping it yourself is not an option, buy pre-popped corn that's non-GMO and make sure healthy oils are used such as sunflower, safflower or olive. When making it at home, use an air popper or, if using the stovetop method, use coconut oil. It can withstand the high heat necessary for popping corn and will give your corn a rich and buttery flavor.
But popcorn is a bit like our favorite Oscar-worthy celebs. While we love them just as they are, we can't help but get excited when we see them in all those amazing outfits. So let's dress up that popcorn!
1. Pepper and salt: Everyone likes salt on their popcorn, but have you ever tried black pepper? It's okay if you're answer is no. Most people haven't. But it's worth it. Toss the popcorn in a few tablespoons of olive, a good mineral or sea salt and as much pepper as you can stand. And the nominees are!
2. Nutritional yeast: For vegans, this is the gold standard. Nutritional yeast not only gives your popcorn a cheesy, nutty flavor that’s worthy of its own award, it's also chock full of B vitamins and minerals. Sprinkle it generously with or without a bit of oil. Standing ovation!
3. Herbs and Spice: You can get lost in experimenting with your spice cupboard and popcorn. But here's a hint: less is more. If you overdo it, there's no coming back, so start out light. And go with a simple pairing like paprika and dried parsley or cumin and cilantro. Bravo!
4. Umami seaweed: You can get a salty flavor on your popcorn with a little help from sea vegetables like dulse or nori. They give great depth and flavor beyond the saltiness. Use dulse flakes or cut nori sheets (like the sushi ones) into thin strips and mix well with a bit of oil. People's choice!
5. Heat it up: Get your spicy tooth fix with a dose of exceptionally hot popcorn. If you're a fan of buffalo wing sauce you can mix that in with olive oil and coat your corn, or you can mix olive oil with your favorite hot sauce, cayenne or red pepper flakes to your heat's desire. And the award goes to!
Keep in touch with Jill on Twitter @jillettinger
Photo credit: ginnerobot
