Popcorn Replacement

[MaxsmamaDebbie]

Hi! I am a popcorn fiend. Does anyone have an idea on how to get that flovor sensation without popcorn?

Deb

[PaulaMM]

Re: Popcorn Replacement

I don't think anything can take the place of popcorn! Don't lose hope, though. When you hit the grain rung, you'll be able to have a small bit of popcorn again. The cool things is, it probably won't taste as good as your remembered!

[MaxsmamaDebbie]

Re: Popcorn Replacement

This is on Linda's site...do you think it would be ok on induction? She has it marked induction friendly.

Deb

CAULIFLOWER "POPCORN"
1 pound fresh cauliflower
2 tablespoons oil
4 teaspoons Mrs. Dash Table Blend seasoning
Salt, to taste
Pinch granular Splenda, to taste, optional


Cut the cauliflower into bite-size pieces. Put in a large plastic storage bag or a large mixing bowl. Drizzle the oil over the cauliflower then sprinkle with Mrs. Dash and a little salt. Close bag and shake until florets are coated as evenly as possible or toss well in bowl. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet (I lined mine with nonstick foil). Bake at 400º 50-60 minutes, turning them over every 15 minutes. Bake until very dark brown, but not completely burnt. Taste and sprinkle with more salt, if needed, and a very light dusting of granular Splenda, if desired. The Splenda helps cut the bitterness of the charred cauliflower.

Makes about 4 servings

Per Serving: 97 Calories; 7g Fat; 3g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs
This recipe came from the Mrs. Dash website, but I had to make a few adjustments. The first time I made these, I used the oven temperature as posted in the recipe, which was 450º. After only 30 minutes they were nearly burnt so I took them out of the oven. The second time, I lowered the temperature to 400º and that helped quite a bit. I was able to bake them about 50 minutes. Next time I may try 350º and bake them a full hour. You do want them to get very dark brown for the best flavor and turning them is important because the bottoms will get too browned otherwise. This makes a very ugly-looking snack, but you'll find that they're kind of addictive. Mrs. Dash Table Blend has a lot of heat so if you don't care for hot food, you may want to use a different seasoning. If you use a seasoning that has salt in it, omit the extra salt. I was tempted to try some other seasoning with my second batch, but my husband loved it so much, that I stuck with the Mrs. Dash.

[PaulaMM]

Re: Popcorn Replacement

Copied and pasted from the recipe forum:


This recipe was in the paper last week - The "popcorn" part is really in the mind not the taste, but nevertheless not a bad snack.

FLorets from 1 head cauliflower
3 tbsp olive oil
1-1.5 tbsp Mrs Dash table blend, to taste
Salt (optional)

Prep: Preheat oven to 450. Cut florets into 1 bite pieces. Place in lg bowl. Drizzle on oil. Toss. Sprinkle on spice blend. Toss.
Spread on non-stick baking sheet in single layer. Roast 45 minutes to 1 hour or until soft and golden, turning 3 or 4 times and removing smaller florets if they are becoming too brown. Add salt, if desired. Serve immediately.

They say the trick is to roast the cauliflower past the time you think it shoudl be roasted so it is richly caramelized.
__________________

[PaulaMM]

Re: Popcorn Replacement

Oops, you beat me to it!

[julirama723]

Re: Popcorn Replacement

This is somewhat unrelated, but they make microwaveable pork rinds now. You could fool yourself into thinking it's popcorn!?

[MaxsmamaDebbie]

Re: Popcorn Replacement

I'll try anything! I miss my popcorn worse than anything at all.

Deb

This is somewhat unrelated, but they make microwaveable pork rinds now. You could fool yourself into thinking it's popcorn!?

[julirama723]

Re: Popcorn Replacement

Have you made those cheese crisps? They're not popcorn-related at all, but they're salty and crunchy and simply delicious! You can also make pepperoni crisps the same way.

Cut 1oz. of cheese into small (and I mean small) cubes. Space evenly (with lots of room!) on a piece of parchment paper. Microwave until crisp. They taste just like cheez-its! You can also put pepperoni slices on parchment paper and microwave until crisp.

[PaulaMM]

Re: Popcorn Replacement

I like to shred the cheese, spread it out in one big circle, then break it into pieces when it's done. Of course, using Julie's method, you'll get more uniform shapes and sizes. Either way, they're crunchy and very tasty.

[MaxsmamaDebbie]

Re: Popcorn Replacement

Oh that sounds yummy! I will have to try that! Thanks.

Deb

[Scooterjam]

Re: Popcorn Replacement

Yeah, this is really good. Especially if you 'need' the crunch factor. You could also make a semi granola snack, some of this some of that, you know a few pepperoni crisps, crush a few pork rinds, and the cheese crisps. (I've made a small batch of each and them placed them in little zip lock bags, tossed with a touch of garlic powder, or BBQ powder (local health food store sells this...nosugar added).

Best of luck!!

[CATBLUE]

Re: Popcorn Replacement

Dang.. it!!

You said pop corn...

CAT.. wanders away grumbling......

[Hoping]

Re: Popcorn Replacement

I miss popcorn, too. And the thing is I looove just plain white popcorn, no butter, no salts, no nothing. *sigh*

[Evermind]

Re: Popcorn Replacement

Ok, this sounds not-so-great, but I swear by it. It tastes like popcorn. Really.

Buy a big head of kale. Cut off the stems so you just have the leaves.

Heat up a big pot of oil. Lay out a thick layer of paper towels on a cookie sheet or your counter, and have a shaker of salt immediately handy. Have a slotted spoon handy, too.

When the oil is hot, toss the kale leaves into the pot. This will be a quick deep-fry: as SOON as it turns LIGHT brown, take your slotted spoon and fish it all out of the oil and throw it on the paper towel. IMMEDIATELY shake salt on it.

It's crunchy. It's crisp. It doesn't taste like a vegetable. It tastes like popcorn.