Taco Popcorn
- Level: Easy
- Yield: four 2-cup servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 4 servings
- Calories
- 241
- Total Fat
- 14
- Saturated Fat
- 7
- Carbohydrates
- 22
- Dietary Fiber
- 6
- Sugar
- 6
- Protein
- 10
- Cholesterol
- 31
- Sodium
- 151
- Total: 20 min
- Active: 15 min
Ingredients
Taco Spice Mix:
20 large sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed; about 3 ounces), cut into 1/4-inch strips
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch cayenne pepper
Kosher salt
Taco Popcorn:
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup popcorn kernels
1/4 cup finely grated Cheddar
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Directions
Special equipment:
a spice grinder- For the spice mix: Put half the tomato strips in a single layer on a microwavable plate. Microwave in 30-second increments, checking the texture in between, until they begin to harden but are still red and slightly pliable, 1 to 2 minutes. (They may begin to brown and taste bitter if cooked too long.) Let sit until cool and completely hardened, about 2 minutes. Repeat with the remaining tomato strips.
- Transfer the cooled tomato strips to a spice grinder and grind to a powder. Discard any pieces that won't grind. Add the nutritional yeast, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne and 1 teaspoon salt, and grind to a fine powder. Reserve 2 heaping tablespoons for the popcorn. Store the remaining taco spice blend at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. (You?ll have enough to make 3 more batches of popcorn.)
- For the taco popcorn: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the popcorn kernels. When one pops, cover the pot and cook, shaking the pot constantly, until the popping subsides to 1 pop every 20 seconds. Pour in the melted butter and toss to coat. Add the reserved taco spice blend, the cheese, scallions and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and toss again to coat.
Cook’s Note
If you find that your spice blend is a little coarse, use a fine sieve to sift it over the buttered popcorn. The finer dusting will coat the popcorn better.