Want an easy (and kid-friendly) way to get some Whole Grains into your diet? Popcorn is a whole grain food that can be both nutritious and delicious.

Our friends over at Grain Place Foods are the experts in popcorn, and they have some really fun kernels, like Organic Yellow Popcorn (butterfly variety, like you get at the movie theater), Organic White Popcorn (butterfly variety with a milder, slightly sweeter flavor than the yellow), and Organic Mushroom Popcorn (pops into more of a ball shape and is tasty by itself but is also good for cheese, caramel and kettle corns).

They sent us their secrets for making the perfect popcorn. If you don’t have an air popper and don’t have the patience for pan popping, don’t worry – you can make popcorn that is just as delicious in your microwave.

Grain Place Foods popcorn experts recommend that if you store dried popcorn over a long period of time, place a damp paper towel in with the popcorn for a couple hours before popping it to let it reabsorb water – that will help with popping. Be careful, though – adding moisture to dried kernels can also cause them to mold, so make sure you pop them soon after adding moisture.

Ingredients:

Photo Credit: Yulia Khlebnikova

• Dried Popcorn Kernels (see cooking instructions for amount)
• Coconut oil (or any other vegetable oil you have on hand)
• Salt
• And any topping ingredients you'd like!

Cooking Instructions:

• You can make your own “microwave popcorn” by putting bulk popcorn kernels in a small lunch-size paper bag or even in a microwavable container with a loose lid (make sure the lid is on so the popcorn doesn’t pop out).
• You will have to experiment with the amount of popcorn to put in the container/bag – We recommend starting with a small amount (like 1-2 tablespoons) and then slowly increasing until you get the right amount. Remember that a small amount of popcorn kernels goes a long way!
• The faster you get the popcorn up to popping temperature the better, so heat the kernels on HIGH until there are two seconds or more between each popping sound – don’t overdo it or your popcorn will burn!

**WATCH OUT! If you’re using a glass or ceramic bowl it is going to be HOT when you take it out of the microwave. Popcorn pops best at about 480 degrees F, so don’t burn your fingers in your eagerness for some delicious popcorn!

• Oil is key to the perfect popcorn, because it helps the kernels heat up quickly and pop to perfection. The experts over at Grain Place Foods recommend coconut oil, because it has a light, delicious flavor that is just as good as (or better than) butter. It’s also the least sticky oil to use, especially if you are microwave popping in a container – the combination of some oils and the microwave can leave a sticky residue, but not coconut oil. Depending on your method of popping, typically add enough kernels so they are covered in the oil, pop and enjoy!
• We like to finish with a little garlic salt or your traditional, super-fine popcorn salt. Get creative and add in other flavors like parmesan, rosemary or Italian seasonings.

Organic popcorn is a Whole Grain snack you can enjoy in short order anytime of the day!

Get festive and decorate your popcorn for Halloween!