It’s Wild Card Week at The Food Matters Project, an opportunity to go back & choose one of the recipes we missed during the first six months of this cooking adventure.  We joined the group in it’s fourth week, just two weeks after everyone’s mouth watering versions of seasoned popcorn.  Since I absolutely love the stuff (& Tom swears he doesn’t, but eats most half of mine anyway), I knew immediately this would be our Wild Card.

When it comes to making popcorn at home, stovetop is the way to go, but sometimes I’m just lazy & hungry & don’t even feel like washing one pot.  That’s when most people would reach for a bag of microwave popcorn, but after getting hooked on my favorite popcorn, those convenient little bags just don’t taste the same.  I also heard about someone developing “popcorn lung”, a respiratory condition caused by the chemicals in buttery flavor in microwave popcorn.  I know that comes from excessive consumption, but it grossed me out enough to quit buying it.

{microwave popcorn with Old Bay}

Luckily, there’s still a quick & easy way to get popcorn from your microwave & the best part is, you can top it with any seasoning you like!

EASY SEASONED MICROWAVE POPCORN
makes 2 servings

brown paper lunch bag
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup popcorn kernels
1/4 teaspoon salt
seasoning of choice (Old Bay, melted butter, Lawry’s seasoned salt, curry powder, chili powder, nutritional yeast…)

In the brown paper lunch bag, combine the vegetable oil, popcorn kernels & salt.  Fold the bag over a few times & shake to coat the kernels with oil & salt.  Microwave on high for about 3 minutes, listening carefully to stop the microwave when the pops are 3-4 seconds apart.

Carefully open the bag, it will be steamy!  Add seasonings, fold the top over once more & shake well.  Pour in a bowl & serve.

adapted from The Food Matters Cookbook