Recipe - Level 1 - Transition to Health

I guess popcorn isn't the healthiest food out there; but it can be damn delicious! And as far as healthy snack food goes, this is above and beyond most store bought pop corn. We sometimes have our food addictions and this is one that's got me lately. It's a bit far away from my ideal Raw Vegan diet. But not everybody's there yet. And in my case, I've been corrupted... at least that's my excuse. But for those who enjoy the occasional dose of tasty styrofoam like chewy things; here it is... Dad's Mildly Spicy Popcorn Recipe.

NOTE: This recipe may contain ingredients that you have not eaten before. It is important to start slow and try adding new ingredients to your diet one by one for a couple weeks in case of allergic reactions or sensitivities. Consider adding only the ingredients you know your body is familiar with and only adding one un-tried ingredient each time.

I wish I was onto this recipe when I was a mum-dad, but it is in fact a recent serendipitous construence. I know that may not be a known word, but it sounds ok to me for meaning my interpretation, or version, in this case, of pop corn. OK.. word salad out of the way: Let's get the caveats out of the way.

Select an organic popping corn, unless you prefer a light dose of glyphosate with your pop corn. Let's produce a list of what ingredients you'll need, and how much you'll use. So you might want to put some of these on your shopping list:

Organic Popping corn - (4 Tablespoons)

Coconut oil - (1 Tablespoon, if solid. If the oil is liquid, put a bit more.)

Ground black pepper - (a pinch or a few grinds)

Turmeric powder - (1/2 teaspoon)

Dried coriander powder - (1 teaspoon)

Sweet paprika - (1/2 teaspoon)

Nutritional yeast - (1 teaspoon)

Rice bran (optional) - (1 to 1.5 teaspoons)

Cayenne pepper (optional) - (1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon)

Olive oil - (a sprinkle)

Other things:

A large pot - preferably with a glass lid and good handle(s). A pot with two opposed handles will work well.

A cook-top - preferably a low gas flame; but whatever

An old tea-towel

OK let's do it! These quantities will serve 2; or 1 if a bit greedy or extra hungry.

Into the pot put:

Coconut oil

Cover with lid and put on VERY LOW FLAME.

When oil is melted add the popping corn and cover with lid.

All the while take note that there is no burnt smell. No corn should burn. If it does, keep flame lower. Be patient.

When mostly popped, shake pot back and forth vigorously with a horizontal sliding motion to jiggle the corn kernels to lower any unpopped corn to the bottom of the pot. If it is a large pot over a small flame burner, you may need to move the pot in a circular manner to heat the whole area of the pot bottom.

When popping slows down, if the pot has a heavy base, turn off the flame, or heat. Repeat shaking / sliding a number of times until popping comes to a halt.

Open lid and add: (Note: sprinkle these ingredients evenly over the top of the popped corn.)

Ground black pepper - a pinch

Dried coriander powder - 1 tsp

Sweet paprika powder - 1.2 tsp

Cayenne powder - 1/8-1/4 tsp - (optional)

Nutritional yeast - 1 tsp

Rice bran - 1 1/2 tsp - (optional)

Note: if the yeast is flakes, rather than powder, you may need to rub it between your fingers as you apply it, or some other way to break it up into a powder.

You may need a folded teatowel over the lid for this next step as the pot will be hot. With the folded towel spaned across the lid, put the lid back on and clasp it on each side of the pot holding it down securely. Pick the pot up and wobble it back and forth with an oscillating revolving motion so that the popcorn revolves over itself until the powdered ingredients are distributed evenly.

When all the popcorn is properly coated and evenly coloured, sprinkle 2 or 3 teaspoons of virgin olive oil around the top of the popcorn. Put the lid back on and repeat the shaking until all popcorn is evenly coated.

Voila! Your popcorn is ready to enjoy!

Note, as popcorn is a very dry food, drink some water a few minutes before eating.

Nutritional notes

Let's see what's inside the ingredients of this recipe. First of all, popped corn is largely composed of carbohydrates for energy; some fibre to aid digestion and a modest amount of protein. Corn is a source of zinc, which is important for immune function as well as other things. While this snack may not cover your daily needs, it does add to it. Other notable minerals are phosphorus, magnesium and potassium. It also contains some vitamins B1, B2, B3 and B9. Vitamin B3, niacin, is crucial for brain health, skin and energy production and even DNA repair, and can be somewhat scant on a vegan diet. The nutirional yeast, though it adds a great cheesy flavour, also contains B vitamins, including niacin. It is worth noting that most B3 vitamin supplements are not in the form of niacin, but most commonly, nicotinic acid, which can give skin flusing and itching problems and at higher doses even contribute to liver toxicity. While this may not be likely at moderate levels, food sources are preferable.

Nutritional yeast, also nicnamed "nooch", is a deactivated species of yeast, most commonly Saccharomyces Cereviciae, which is heated to deactivate the yeast.

Turmeric...

To be continued