Have Your Popcorn and Eat It Too
March 20, 2008 by Joshua Lien
Watching a movie without popcorn is like dancing without music. You can do it, but it just doesn't feel right. By itself, popcorn is 100% whole grain, high fiber, 100% natural, low fat, and generally considered a good food. Add standard cooking oil and a wad of butter and the popcorn becomes a liability. So, how can someone who wants to eat healthy keep popcorn in their diet?
You could go au naturale, cooking your popcorn in a microwave or hot air popper without any oil, toppings, or salt. It's not bad once in a while, but it leaves my taste buds feeling jilted. That's a tough sell and not where I'm going with this.
The trick is to use olive oil. If I pop my popcorn with olive oil, I can eliminate butter or margarine and still keep the flavor. My secret family recipe is given below.
Healthy Popcorn
1. Add ¼ cup of Orville Redenbacher's Original Popcorn to a Presto PowerPop Microwave Popper.
2. Drizzle 1 tbsp. of olive oil over the popcorn.
3. Cook in the microwave for 2 minutes 30 seconds or until you hear more than 2 seconds between pops.
4. Pour the popcorn into a serving bowl and season lightly with salt.
If you have a favorite type of popcorn, you can try it in place of Orville Redenbacher. I have not found anything better yet. You may also get good results with a popper other than the Presto PowerPop Microwave Popper. I like the Presto PowerPop for several reasons. It pops nearly every kernel with or without oil. Cleanup is simple. Put the top and the bowl in the dishwasher. You might choose to eliminate the salt or replace it with a powdered flavor topping, such as cheese, butter, or caramel. Most of the powdered toppings have little effect on the nutritional value of your popcorn. Read the label to be sure. Then, fire up your Blu-ray, sit back, watch the movie, and enjoy delicious popcorn without feeling guilty.
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