Crunchy, soft and savory–it was a whim putting a handful of last night’s🍿 popcorn on my soup. 🍲. I liked the contrast: some of the fluffy white puffs of corn had gotten soft and melt in your mouth, while other remained full and crunchy. The husks stayed crispy reminding me that popcorn is a whole grain.
A whole grain is natures package of the energy rich starchy endosperm and nutrient dense germ wrapped in the husk or bran. There are lots of whole grain foods to enjoy each day–oatmeal, quinoa barley, farrow, brown rice, whole grain bread and whole wheat pasta. 🍿 And, popcorn happens to be one of the less expensive.
Eating more whole grains each day helps amp up your B vitamins, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium. And a serving of popcorn helps give you about 15% of your daily fiber recommendations. This can help manage weight, level blood sugar and curb cravings.
💥Popping corn steam cooks the starch and explodes the husk. 💥 Start by adding enough canola, avocado or grapeseed oil to cover the bottom of a large saucepan. Over medium heat, get the oil hot before adding enough popcorn to cover the bottom of the pan in a single layer. Cover with a lid and allow all the kernels to pop. As the pan fills with popped corn, vent the lid slightly. Dump any overflow into a large bowl and return to the heat until the popping stops.
🌿I like adding a tablespoon or so of chopped fresh herbs like oregano, rosemary or basil to the oil when the popcorn is added—wow. 🌿 But you can also season the popped corn after popping—just use some caution. You can always add more. Try a touch of salt and black pepper, herbs, spices, or low sodium seasoning blends.
😋What soup wouldn’t be more fun with popped corn billowing on the surface? 😋 Oregano, rosemary and basil infused popcorn is tops!