We like to snack on popcorn. It’s inexpensive, crunchy and, when made at home, a healthy snack.
In just a few minutes you have homemade popcorn with these simple steps. Plus a surprise ending to boost vitamins and minerals making it cheesy: nutritional yeast.
What is nutritional yeast?
Nutritional Yeast are little tiny, unappealing looking flakes. But add it to your popcorn and it will turn it into cheesy goodness!
Nutritional yeast is made from whey or blackstrap molasses. The yeast is extracted, then dried and flaked for our use. Most nutritional yeast is fortified with B vitamins (found in dairy and meat). The flakes are high in vitamins, minerals and protein.
It is a plant based source of protein that lowers cholesterol, strengthens your immune system, has little sodium, fat, is dairy and gluten free. A tablespoon a day will provide you with a day’s worth of essential B vitamins, iron, selenium and zinc.
PICKY EATERS will get their nutritional boosts!
The flavor is salty and cheesy. Here are a few of my favorite brands:
BRAGG Nutritional Yeast
Bob’s Red Mill Nutritional Yeast
We start with whole kernels. No microwave popcorn! Why?
Well, the chemical perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is toxic when heated and has been labeled as a carcinogen. Plus, hydrogenated industry oils, artificial flavors, colors and preservatives. Who wants to eat that stuff?
MAKING THE POPCORN
Homemade is always best, especially for our kids!
Two other good reasons to start making your own popcorn:
- It’s less expensive
- Lasts longer on your shelf
Let’s start by buying the right popcorn kernels. Choosing organic is best or Non-GMO popcorn.
Choose oil or butter for the bottom of your pan. We use coconut oil, but you can use avocado oil or olive oil as well.
MEASUREMENTS
¼ C of popcorn Kernels to 2 tbsp of oil or butter
Heat the oil, drop in the popcorn, cover and let sit in medium heat until the popping has stopped.
Remove popcorn into bowl, sprinkle with pink Himalayan sea salt and nutritional yeast.
It’s a fun option on weekends or movie nights. Left over popcorn can go in school lunchboxes the next day.
Sprinkling some nutritional yeast over your popcorn gives you a healthy alternative to make picky eaters happy while boosting their growing bodies with the nutrition they need.
You can try it over broccoli, in pesto (check out or kale pesto) and sprinkled over pasta.
I sprinkle it over our trail mix and other snacks as well. Try it in our Wholesome Snack Mix recipe!
For more information and uses of nutritional yeast visit This Little Blog of Mind.
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