“Cheezey” Popcorn

Except this contains no  whey, vegetable oils, maltodextrin, and calcium caseinate, MSG, autolyzed yeast extract and enzyme modified cheeses like your regular yukky artificial cheese powder contains.

The “cheese” flavour (actually, I have no idea why I put it in inverted commas, because it really does taste cheesey) comes from a natural form of yeast called NUTRITIONAL YEAST. It is an inactive form of yeast (unlike bakers yeast) that is cultured; if you want more details about how this is done, the wikipedia article on it is good. It is very rich in B Vitamins, and according to wikipedia, it is a complete protein too, which was happy news that I did not know about. So it is affordable, nutritious, and a perfect natural condiment, with no wierd stuff.

And yes, it tastes like cheese. At least, it does to me, and many other people. My cheese-fanatical daughter (whose first word was “cheese”) first tasted it on popcorn and rolled her eyes with a “mmmmmmmm, that is SOOOO good!” She also likes to shake it on her risotto. So there, while it may not be to everyones taste, I always think a cheese-loving child is the test of fire, and in my house at least, it passed.

It is sold in the UK in most health food stores by the company Engevita, and when you open the tub, it is small powdery flakes of a yellowish hue, about the same colour as polenta. When I use it as a sprinkle, I grind it in my spice grinder to a fine powder, 1/3 cup of Nut.Yeast  to 1/4teaspoon seasalt (optional). And here it is on popcorn.  Which you can probably barely see. But i shall put it in, to break up the text 🙂

Of course, it doesn’t stick that well unless you used something like an oil spray, but we don’t mind, we just throw lots on and there is always some left at the bottom of the dish to dip into. There are lots more ways to use this in your kitchen creations, so more will be be featured in the future.

Meanwhile, be happy in the knowledge of nature’s abundance, there are wonderful flavours and textures out there to be enjoyed which will also nurture you, and add to your energy, not sap it. It’s never-ending! It’s so exciting! I love it! Enough exclamation marks. That was accidental. It must be all this abundance…..

Helloooo sweet-Spicey-somewhat-smokey popcorn!

Popcorn’s a plant, right? Absolutely. It may not be nutritious in itself, but when you feel like that maizey crunch, here is an alternative to the butter and refined sugar version, and in my opinion, it is so much more delicious!

I found a recipe for some amazing sweet-spiced nuts on a slowcooker website and made it quite a few times. Then I decided to do it on popcorn instead because, hey (1) I’m a cheapskate, and hey (2), I am all for beneficial fats, but this tastes so good that you could eat a pound of nuts and not even notice, and that is quite a lot of fat!

But on with the amazing recipe. Do not omit the rosemary! I know in your head, rosemary and popcorn do not marry well, but trust me, it adds a little something. You may, however, want to grind the rosemary a little first, as largeish herby needles in popcorn are not cool. If you do not enjoy very hot foods, you may wish to reduce the cayenne to 1/4 teaspoon.

4T maple syrup
2 tsp curry
2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground sea salt

Mix, and pour over popcorn. But you knew that, right?