Do you ever find yourself staring longingly at the bottles and bottles of soft drinks that line the shelves in grocery stores? Or maybe you’ re one of the one’s that gaze at the seemingly enormous chips and dip aisle.
The right amount of temptation and lack of common sense can sometimes push me to make a bad decision. I’m not perfect by any means, but that doesn’t mean I should shatter my values just because I was tempted.
While making good decisions when grocery shopping may not be the easiest thing in the world, it is among the most necessary. That means skipping things like candy bars, highly processed crackers, and soda pop.
So, is there a way to satisfy your cravings without buying processed or refined-sugar-filled “foods”? Of course!
A few days ago, my mother came to me with a recipe she was dying to try. Let’s just say, this was another one of those perfect recipes. We’re talking gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, and uses ingredients that I already have in my pantry.
Now, you may not have nutritional yeast in your pantry, but when you hear about the health benefits of it, I’m sure you’ll want to buy a container or two of the stuff.
Nutritional yeast is high in vitamin B-12, protein, fiber, and a great source of folic acid. You can learn more about the health benefits of nutritional yeast here.
Anyways, snacks that leave their powder all over your fingers tend to be the kind of snack I crave on a daily (hourly?) basis. So, obviously, when my mother told me she wanted to try to make Dorito Flavored Popcorn, I rushed to get all of the ingredients out. While I started to make the blend of spices, my mother tried to make the popcorn using the stove-top method.
Turns out, she has no clue how to make popcorn. When I came to examine her—ahem—failure, I noticed that she used about 1 1/2 cups of oil in attempt to pop a 1/2 cup kernels, resulting in a pot half-filled with burnt, oily, soupy popcorn. Yeah. Luckily, I came to her rescue (we switched tasks) and all went well. Very well.
Let’s just say I’ve found a new comfort food I can feel good about eating. Plus, it’s a hit with the younger kids. A HUGE hit.
The best part? I can make this easy snack in less than 10 minutes—popping my own popcorn over the stove. If this is a new concept to you (no shame), here is a lovely tutorial that couldn’t make it much easier.
I use a spice grinder to blend the spices together, and it works like a charm. You can use a coffee grinder, but make sure you clean it out well before you use it to grind coffee beans again. There is no need for Dorito flavored coffee. Just…ew.
The three times we’ve made it, we experimented with different amounts of each spice, but nothing tastes quite like the original recipe. By the way, unless you are doubling the recipe, DO NOT double the salt. Lesson learned!
I really think you’ll like this popcorn snack. It’s totally freaking amazing. Inexpensive, easy, and tasty. Guaranteed!
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Here’s the recipe:
- 8 cups freshly popped organic popcorn
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast {where to buy}
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1½ teaspoon chili powder
- ⅛ – ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- Combine nutritional yeast, garlic, onion, cumin, paprika, cayenne (if using), and salt in a spice or coffee grinder.
- Blend seasonings for about 15 seconds to make a fine powder.
- Sprinkle on the seasoning and toss to coat.
Kristina says
How important is the yeast as far as flavoring is concerned? Could I leave it out?
Margaret Anne says
Hi Kristina! The nutritional yeast lends a cheesy flavor to the popcorn, but you could easily leave it out. The spices on their own still give it that Dorito flavor.
Jenny says
Looks s yummy!
Laura@Baking in Pyjamas says
This sounds like a great savoury snack, I can imagine its very addictive. Thanks for linking up to Sweet and Savoury Sunday, stop by and link up again. Have a great day!!
Emily says
Yum! What an interesting idea! Can’t wait to try!
Diana @ Soulful Necessities.com says
YUMMMY! This is on my to-make list! Visiting from The Pin Junkie Party.
Margaret Anne says
Thanks for stopping by Diana!
Christine from So Domestically Challenged says
Ooh! A yummy, healthy snack! This is way better than the carrot sticks I’m going to be snacking on tonight!
Hirra Pervaiz says
Two of my favorite things together, YUMMM
Denise Wright says
This looks delicious! I have been on a popcorn kick as has my son. He will love it too! Pinning.
Margaret Anne says
Thank you Denise!
Christie says
My mantra, “There’s always room for popcorn!” That includes this delicious looking popcorn. I can’t wait to try it. We LOVE Doritos in this house so to make it into a healthier dish is perfect.
Michelle @ Giraffes Can Bake says
This looks delicious! I just today bought some popcorn from the supermarket, that might have to go live in the back of the cupboard while I try out this recipe though!
Margaret Anne says
Thank you Michelle!
Margaret Anne says
LOL, thanks Michelle. I think you’re really going to like this popcorn!
Kristen @ A Mind Full Mom says
Totally have to make this for my husband. He loves Doritos, but they are not something we have in our home EVER!! Excited to give this a whirl (and I love nutritional yeast!)
Margaret Anne says
Oh, you should TOTALLY make this for your husband! Thanks Kristen!