If you’re really craving something salty with a kick, put down the cheeseburger-flavored chips.
The chili powder added to the popcorn in this recipe from Janet Brill, a dietitian and author of several books on nutrition, is a spicy alternative to salt that packs both a flavorful and nutritional—with nutrients like vitamin A and C—punch. Brill recommends popping your own kernels to avoid the salt, unhealthy fat and sugar in many microwavable packs. “Plus, good news for weight watchers—chili powder has been shown to boost metabolism—something all of us super bowl couch potatoes could use a little more of this coming Sunday,” she says.
Recipe: Spicy Chipotle Ranch Popcorn
Yield: 6 cups
Ingredients
6 tablespoons popcorn kernels
2 brown paper lunch bags
½ of a 1 ounce packet of ranch dressing mix
¼ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
Butter flavored cooking spray
Measure out three tablespoons of popcorn kernels and place in a brown paper lunch bag. Fold over the top of the bag and place bag in the microwave. Press the popcorn setting and microwave (usually about 2 ½ minutes on high). Repeat procedure with 3 more tablespoons popcorn kernels. Place both bags of popped corn into a large bowl. In the meantime, in a small bowl, mix together the ranch dressing, chili powder and garlic salt. Spray the popcorn with the butter spray and sprinkle spice mixture evenly on the popcorn.
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