CHOCOLATE CHAI POPCORN (STOVETOP)

I love popcorn, from simple to unusual flavors, it's easy to make and fills that snack void perfectly. I can easily sit and finish off a whole bowl all by myself. I've been experimenting with different popcorn toppings lately just for fun.  You may already be familiar with my last one, Sweet Zen Popcorn, which is a green tea and sugar mix. Green tea is good for you so why not put in on popcorn too! This chocolate chai seasoning came about on a whim and ended up being a great combination. Hints of cacao and warming chai spice flavors with a touch of sweetness makes for another delicious popcorn topping.



My preferred method of making popcorn is the stovetop method where it's popped in a large stock pot. I purchased the stock pot you'll see here from Etsy which is super lightweight making it easy to do the happy dance at the end when adding my spices. It only cost me $20 and can be used for a variety of things, unlike the popcorn machine. Although the popcorn machine is good for those who prefer the convenience of not having to do much. Keep in mind that you can make the stovetop method without any oil, or a tad less than the recipe calls for, but the seasoning won't stick as well. Speaking of oils and nutrition, one cup of air popped popcorn contains only 30 calories per cup. Our 3 tablespoons of coconut oil contains around 350 calories and the spices add very minimal calories, not enough to factor in. Altogether, this recipe contains approx. 770 calories for about 14 cups of popcorn. Not too bad if you like to share! I hope you enjoy this version of gourmet popcorn I've brought with me today. I've got a few more in mind to share in the future so we'll have plenty of options when it comes to gourmet popcorn. Cheers!



Gather your ingredients and let's get popping!

CHOCOLATE CHAI POPCORN

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/2 cup organic popcorn
• 3 teaspoons coconut sugar or organic cane sugar
• 2 teaspoons cocoa/cacao powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cardamom
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon clove or nutmeg
• pinch of mineral salt, optional

In a small bowl, mix your spices. Feel free to use heaping measurements. Measure your popcorn. 

In a large stock pot, add coconut oil, cover and heat over medium high heat for about 2 1/2 minutes. Add popcorn, cover with lid, place dish cloth over the top with the ends wrapped around the side handles and shake back and forth continuously, or at least every 10 seconds give a good shake, until you hear popping, anywhere from 1 -3 minutes. Continue shaking back and forth to prevent popcorn from burning. Once popping comes to a minimum, lift lid, add spices, cover tightly, carefully lift pot and tilt, round and round, upside down, every which way you can while twirling your hips and doing the happy popcorn dance. It's the best way to really get that popcorn coated and ready! Lift the lid, if you have a lot of seasoning on the lid or sides of the pot, scrap it off with a flat edged spatula and mix it in.

Serve and enjoy with a smile.

Makes about 12 to 14 cups.

Notes:

If you don't have all the spices, you can still make a flavorful topping using just a few...try simply using sugar, cocoa and cinnamon.

If you happen to have the Tazo Chai Tea bags on hand, they will work too. Cut open 3 tea bags, combine with sugar and cocoa. Add once popcorn is ready.

I went for sweetness on this recipe, feel free to omit the sugar or lessen it. If you omit the sugar, you may opt to add 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper for a more authentic chai spice.

I'd love to see your masterpieces!
#thesimpleveganista

SWEET ZEN POPCORN

Gourmet popcorn lover's delight!

Popcorn is my new obsession, along with all kinds of green tea!

I've decided to give up coffee in the mornings (again!), and have been replacing my morning cup with a cup or two of green tea with a splash of almond milk instead. This was the way I used to have my coffee...so good...even the green tea is great with a splash of almond milk. On this third day, I'm finally back to normal and not feeling so lethargic all day. Hooray! Part of that was my crazy schedule over the weekend. Sometimes recouping takes a little longer than normal and the lack of coffee sure didn't help to get back on track. I'm blessed to not have had any headaches this time around either. I'm sure the small amount of caffeine in the green tea has helped offset that somewhat. Hooray again! If you've ever gone through the process of giving up your normal coffee routine, you probably know exactly what I'm talking about. ;)

Now, let's talk about this popcorn and green tea mashup. It's very zen and completely addicting!

Two of the green teas I've used most lately are a green tea with matcha and the Zen green tea from Tazo. The Zen tea is a 'harmonious' blend of green tea, lemongrass and spearmint which made for a really interesting twist on my new popcorn obsession. Green tea is very good for you and with added flavors can make for a really wonderful popcorn seasoning. My mind was thinking kettle corn and so I added a bit of sugar to the mix giving it a subtle sweetness as well. I also added a smidge of salt, but be careful with the salt as too much will ruin this lovely combination..so much that I have just left it out of the recipe (add salt to your discretion). The result of the recipe below was delicious and unusual! A recipe I will come back to time and time again. I also tried the green tea with matcha which of course was super too but decided to use the Zen Tazo Tea here because it's a bit more unique with the lemongrass and spearmint flavors. So today I leave you with a fun recipe to try. When your feeling tired of the all the usual popcorn seasoning, this will be a welcome change. Who knows, maybe you, or I, will find other tea flavors to try out taking popcorn to a new level!

Sweet Zen Popcorn

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
• 2 Tazo Zen tea bags (or your favorite green tea or matcha blend)
• 2 - 3 teaspoons coconut or organic pure cane sugar

Cut open the tea bags, place tea in a mortar or small bowl along with the sugar, grind to a fine grind. You can also use a small blender/ coffee grinder for the job. Set aside.

Stock pot: In a large stock pot, heat oil over medium high to high heat (for me my gas stove was set between 4 & 5...adjust as necessary. I went through two batches with not so good results, a little lower heat worked best for me). Once the oil has melted, add popcorn kernels, swirl the pot to coat the kernels. Cover, shake every 10 seconds or so to move the kernels around. You want to move them around so they don't burn on the bottom. You should here continual popping about 3 minutes in, at this time you can stop shaking, listen for the slowdown of popping. Turn heat off, uncover, add seasoning, cover and carefully shake the pot every which way to coat your popcorn. Lift lid, if you have a lot of seasoning on the lid and sides of the pot, use a flat edge spatula to scrap it off and mix it in.

Popcorn maker: Add popcorn, cook as directed and move to a large bowl. In a small bowl, melt coconut oil. Once popcorn is done, drizzle with oil and top with seasoning, toss to coat well.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes about 12 to 14 cups.

Notes:

Using the oil in the stock pot will not make the popcorn oily at all. Using the oil with the popcorn maker method may leave an oily residue on your popcorn and fingers.

You may like to add a pinch of mineral salt. FYI, too much will ruin the flavor combination which is why I left it out. I learned from experience and much prefer the soft subtle of the sweet with the flavors in the Zen tea. Add salt to your discretion.

Enjoy!