Easy 100 Calorie Flavored Popcorn

Ok, now I know it may not seem like you'd need a recipe for popcorn, but until recently I had no idea that you could make popcorn in your microwave without buying the prepackaged microwave popcorn.  I'm a little leery of the prepackaged stuff since that guy got lung disease from breathing the diacetyl that is released when it's popped.
So, I found this Lifehacker article about making your own microwave popcorn, and I had to try it. Basically, all you do is dump some popcorn kernels in a brown paper bag, fold over the top and staple it shut (don't worry, the staples won't hurt the microwave).  Then just pop it in the microwave for about the same time it takes to pop a prepackaged bag of popcorn, and voila - you're done!  It seems so dumb, but I was really amazed that it worked!  So, after some experimenting, I came up with a few yummy popcorn flavoring combos.

Easy Flavored Popcorn
33 grams popcorn kernels
wet stuff: spray butter, nonstick spray, hot sauce, vinegar, or olive oil spray
dry stuff: spices (popcorn salt, cracked pepper, cajun seasoning, ranch seasoning, dry basil, etc.)

Directions:
Put the popcorn kernels in a brown paper lunch bag, fold the top over twice, and staple.  Microwave the bag of popcorn on high for approximately 2 minutes (this will vary based on what microwave you have; listen for the popping to slow to 2-3 seconds between pops).  Take the bag out CAREFULLY - the staples will be hot! Cut the top of the bag off and add your choice of wet stuff.  It's generally a better idea to spray on the wet stuff instead of just dumping it on there; popcorn is delicate stuff and it will get soggy quick.  So, if you can put your vinegar or hot sauce in a spray bottle, that's perfect; if that's not practical for you, just drip it on carefully. It works better if you add a little, then shake the bag, then add a little, shake the bag, etc. Then add your dry stuff, close the bag up and shake to distribute the dry stuff.  Here are some of the combinations that I've tried that are tasty:

- spray butter and popcorn salt
- olive oil, sea salt, and cracked pepper (this will have more than 100 calories)
- hot sauce and dry basil
- vinegar and popcorn salt
- spray butter and ranch seasoning
- spray butter and cajun seasoning

Chickpea Salad

One of the things I miss most about being vegetarian is great chicken or tuna salad.  There are all kinds of meat substitutes out there, but none quite get it right.  However, I discovered that using mashed up chickpeas as the protein actually makes for a really satisfying salad.  Of course, the chickpeas don't taste like chicken, but there's something about the texture that hits the spot. With a little tweaking, you can make this taste either like chicken salad or tuna salad. :)

Chickpea Salad

Ingredients:

2 cans (drained) chickpeas 

1/3 cup light mayonnaise 

1/3 cup chopped sweet onion 

1/3 cup chopped dill pickles 

1 T. pickle juice salt and pepper to taste 

2" square of nori (optional)

Directions:
Mash up the chickpeas with a potato masher, or by blending briefly in a food processor. They should have some chunky bits still, but be pretty creamy when stirred. Add the remaining ingredients (except nori) and stir to combine. This recipe makes about nine 1/3 cup servings, but that will vary a tad if you use more or less onion and pickle. If you want this to taste more like tuna salad, then add the nori to the food processor with the chickpeas, or grind it up separately and add it to the salad. This will give a slightly fishy flavor like you would have with tuna salad.

Vegetable Chili with Chipotle Cream

So, how do you make a tasty chili without meat? I'm sure this is sacrilege to meat eaters (and anyone from Texas), but with the right spices you can make a kickin' chili without any meat at all! By creating the chipotle cream, you allow your diners to crank up the spiciness as much as they like. I happen to be a big wimp when it comes to spicy food, so I like just a tiny bit of fire. The hubby, on the other hand, would happily pour pureed scotch bonnets down his throat if you'd let him. This recipe works for both of us!

Vegetable Chili with Chipotle Cream

Chili:
1 medium russet potato, peeled and diced
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced into half-moons
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 10 oz. package of sliced fresh mushrooms, very coarsely chopped
1 T. minced garlic
2 T. olive oil
3 cans Ro-tel tomatoes, with liquid (if you don't have Ro-tel, you could substitute regular canned diced tomatoes; just add a can of diced green chilies as well)
1 can diced tomatoes, with liquid
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 T. yellow corn meal
1 T. chili powder
1.5 T. cumin powder
2 t. dry oregano
kosher salt to taste

Chipotle Cream:
1 c. light sour cream
2 T. chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, pureed
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. dry oregano
1 pinch salt

To make chili:
In a medium stock pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the carrot, onion, garlic, potato, and mushroom. Cook, stirring often, over medium heat until potatoes and carrots are almost cooked through.

Then add beans and tomatoes and bring to a boil.


Simmer for 5 minutes, or until potatoes and carrots are fork-tender. Reduce heat to low, add spices and cornmeal and cook, stirring often, for another 5 minutes.

To make chipotle cream:
Put all of the ingredients in a small zip top bag and seal. Mix well and store in the fridge until you're ready to use.


When the chili is ready, spoon into bowls, then cut a corner off of the zip top bag and pipe the chipotle cream over the top. More cream = spicier chili, so be careful how much you use! If you like it really spicy, you could reduce the amount of sour cream and increase the amount of chipotle peppers; the consistency will still be just fine. This is particularly good to eat while the USC Trojans are kicking someone's ass on the football field. ;)

Pea Salad!

Hey y'all! :) I finally decided to start doing something with all of these vegetarian recipes that I come up with; posting them here for you! When I manage to get my happy ass in the kitchen and make something, it's usually either something I made up or a twist on something someone else has made. I've had a few final products that made me want to pull out my own tongue (too-garlicky salsa, anyone?), but for the most part, it ends up pretty darn good. So, if you're a vegetarian or you know one, perhaps these recipes will be helpful. So, why not start with pea salad?


I had actually never heard of pea salad, until someone mentioned it at one of my little potluck get-togethers. "Well, that sounds either really tasty or really disgusting," I thought, and promptly started searching the web to see what the hell pea salad is. After combing through many, many pea salad recipes, I came up with my own composite. I made it today for noshing on during college football (Fight On Trojans!!), and it came out pretty dang yummy. So, here goes:

Pea Salad

Ingredients:

1 bag of frozen peas, thawed
2/3 c. diced Velveeta (Yes, Velveeta...I didn't say it was a REFINED food blog...)

2/3 c. diced sharp cheddar

2/3 c. light mayo (I used Kraft)

1/2 of a medium red onion, diced small

1/3 c. Bac-Os (Yes, they are vegetarian; vegan actually!)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.


Directions:

Dump it all in a bowl and mix it up. If you can stand it, let it sit for a couple of hours in the fridge before serving. I ended up eating some right away though, and it was yummy!  As a matter of fact, I might have to go get some right now...

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