One of the best parts about the holidays is gathering around with family to watch the Christmas classics. My absolute favourite movie of all time is A Christmas Story, and Christmas doesn’t feel the same each year, unless I’ve watched it at least once. And since movies and snacks pretty much go hand in hand, I decided to create a new snack recipe for the blog, for my family and me to enjoy over the holidays. It’s my own twist on a classic snack: popcorn, using Orville Redenbacher’s microwave popcorn.
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that I recently returned from not just 1, but 2, trips to Mexico! I was in Mexico City and then a week later went to the Mayan Riviera. Needless to say, I ate my body weight in Mexican food and am totally inspired by the flavours of Mexico at the moment! So, when Orville approached me to partner on a unique recipe using its microwave popcorn, I immediately thought of a Savoury Mexican Popcorn.
We are no strangers to Orville microwave popcorn around my house! My husband snacks on it AT LEAST 2 times a week, and I find it almost impossible to resist the temptation to indulge, myself. The saving grace is that Orville is healthy, so I don’t have to feel guilty!
Apart from being healthy, the best news about Orville is that it has actually reformulated its entire line of microwave popcorn. All flavours and formats of Orville microwave popcorn are now:
- made with no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives
- 100% whole grain and non-GMO (like all popcorn)
- gluten-free
So basically, it’s the perfect snack! And since popcorn is a great blank canvas to add some flavour, why not mix it up (or in my case, spice it up!)?
My Savoury Mexican Popcorn is not only super easy to make (as with most of my recipes), but it’s sure to catch people by surprise because it’s totally unique. It’s literally like a fiesta in your mouth, and once you start eating, I guarantee you won’t be able to stop! For this recipe, I used Orville’s Smart Pop, which is 94% fat free. I decided to use Smart Pop (rather than Light Buttery, Buttery or Extra Buttery) so that I could control the amount of butter that I add to the popcorn, myself.
I also put together these cute popcorn bags that you can give away as part of a stocking stuffer or if you plan to entertain over the holidays, using my Savoury Mexican Popcorn inside!
Here is the recipe:
Savoury Mexican Popcorn
Ingredients
- 1 bag Orville Smart Pop microwave popcorn
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1/2 tbsp. dried cilantro
- 1/2 tbsp. hot chili pepper
- 1/2 tbsp. ground chipotle pepper
- 1/8 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 lime
- 1 sprig fresh cilantro to taste
- 100 grams Queso Blanco crumbled
Instructions
- Melt butter over low heat and squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lime. Set aside.
- To make your spice mixture, combine dried cilantro, hot chili pepper, chipotle pepper, and cumin in a ramekin or small bowl. Set aside.
- Using your hands, crumble the Queso Blanco into a small bowl to your desired consistency. Use a fork to get out any additional lumps.
- Microwave the Orville Smart Pop using the instructions on the box, or according to your microwave settings (individual microwaves vary). Add to a large bowl and remove any unpopped kernels.
- When you're ready to assemble your popcorn, pour some popcorn into another large bowl, pour butter mixture and some of your spice mixture. Shake well to coat. Layer more popcorn, butter and spice mixture over top, so that your flavour is evenly distributed.
- Either coarsely chop the fresh cilantro and mix into popcorn, or add a few sprigs to the top as garnish. Serve and enjoy!
Enjoy and happy holidays!
