Kids Can Make: Healthy Taco Popcorn

Ingredients

• 20 large sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed; about 3 ounces)
• cut into 1/4-inch strips
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• melted
• 1/2 cup popcorn kernels

Instructions

1. Special equipment: a spice grinder
2. Make the Spice Mix: Put half the tomato strips in a single layer on a microwavable plate.
3. Microwave in 30-second increments, checking the texture in between, until they begin to harden but are still red and slightly pliable, 1 to 2 minutes.
4. (They may begin to brown and taste bitter if cooked too long.)
5. Let sit until cool and completely hardened, about 2 minutes.
6. Repeat with the remaining tomato strips.
7. Transfer the cooled tomato strips to a spice grinder, and grind to a powder.
8. Discard any pieces that won't grind.
9. Add the nutritional yeast, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne and 1 teaspoon salt, and grind to a fine powder.
10. Make the taco popcorn: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.
11. Add the popcorn kernels.
12. When one pops, cover the pot, and cook, shaking the pot constantly, until the popping subsides to 1 pop every 20 seconds.
13. Pour in the melted butter, and toss to coat.
14. Add 2 heaping tablespoons of taco spice and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and toss again to coat.
15. Store the remaining taco spice blend at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
16. (You'll have enough to make 3 more batches of popcorn.)