As the weather turns cold there’s something oh-so comforting about curling up in your snuggliest sweater, or snuggy, and shoving handfuls of popcorn in your face.

image: The Love Guru loving popcorn
What’s even better? Knowing the popcorn you’re inhaling with gusto is free of chemicals, weird additives and trans fats. With your feasting in mind, here are a few of our favourite recipes for homemade popcorn.
First, invest in a good air popper. It pops kernels without oil or butter and its a cute addition to your movie room or kitchen.
Second, you can use sunflower oil, canola oil or even evoo but we’re partial to coconut oil. It adds a very gentle flavour to the background and helps seasoning stick to your popcorn perfectly.

image: twopeasandtheirpod.com
Pop that corn, drizzle that melted coconut oil, then toss one of these seasonings into the bowl.
Old faithful: This is a favourite at ours. Mix together salt, white pepper, paprika, chili flakes and garlic powder. You’ll eat it for dinner and finish any leftovers for a midnight snack.
Too lazy to go for sushi: Mix together soy sauce, sesame seeds, sesame oil and a touch of rice vinegar. Drizzle over popcorn then sprinkle in slivers of roasted seaweed and wasabi peas. Tossing very well is key to avoiding soggy spots.

Image: Eddie Griffin
Just lazy: Two words – Steak spice.
Just lazy with a sweet tooth: Two more – Cinnamon sugar.
Luxury corn-er: This is a great option for those of us with champagne tastes and beer budgets. Get your hands on some small truffle oil (and rejoice because a little goes a long way). Mix together 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan, 1.5 tbsp truffle oil, 2 tbsp of salt and you’re good to go. Don’t forget your evening gown.

image: thegunnysack.com
Kettle corn: This is appallingly easy but must be done on the stovetop. We’ve seen it done two ways. In the first, you simply heat your vegetable oil then pour in white sugar and popcorn kernels, place the lid on the top and shake the pot as your kernels pop away. You can try mixing 1/2 confectioners’ sugar with 2 tbsp granulated sugar instead. And to ensure that there’s a nice salty sweetness to your kettle corn, remember a good sprinkling of salt to finish it off. If you feel like getting crazy, melt some dark chocolate and drizzle it atop your finished product.
There’s a slew of great popcorn seasoning ideas here.
Popcorn’s a healthier alternative to chips and other delicious but fatty treats. So feel like a Fattie as you shove it in your face, but know your insides aren’t so displeased. Let us know which recipes you like best and maybe bring some to us in a Ziploc bag? We won’t complain.
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