Love and Olive Oil

Olive Oil Popcorn

Spicy Olive Oil Popcorn

You know those days, when you’ve eaten dinner, but maybe it’s too late for dessert (or maybe you’ve already eaten dessert) and you still feel the need to munch? Maybe you’re watching a movie on a Friday night and to you, movies just aren’t complete without popcorn? Whatever your reason, sometimes we all just need a snack.

Enter the air popper. Yes, we have one. We’ve decided that this little unitasker is worth our precious cabinet space. You may feel otherwise, but we love our little popper.

One of our favorite snacks is freshly popped popcorn drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. Yes, we kind of ripped the idea from Trader Joe’s (whose olive oil popcorn is practically like crack), but we’ve adopted it as our own.

Until now, however, we’ve stuck to plain old extra virgin. The fruitier the better. You’re only using a few tablespoons so you might as well use the good stuff. You may feel that popcorn is useless unless it is smothered in butter (and I think I’ve expressed my love for butter enough already this week), so let’s give the olive oil some love, too. Because it truly makes an otherwise ordinary snack extraordinary. This may be the shortest, simplest recipe I’ve ever posted. It may also be one of our all-time favorites.

Take it up another notch and use a fiery chili-infused olive oil, like the one the fine folks at Nudo were kind enough to send (they also sent me a sample of their stone ground lemon, which sounds divine, but maybe not on popcorn). But the chili… oh the chili! Spicy. Sassy. Delicious.

So for once (and I don’t say this often), put down the butter, and give this a try.

Olive Oil Popcorn

Makes 4 snack-size servings

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Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
  • 1 teaspoon table or popcorn salt (fine grain), or to taste
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil of your choice

Directions:

  1. Place popcorn kernels in air popper and pop according to manufacturers directions (alternatively, you can make ‘air-popped’ popcorn in the microwave, simply put kernels in a brown paper bag. Fold over top of bag multiple times. Microwave on high for about 4 minutes or until the pops are more than 1 second apart).
  2. Transfer popcorn to a large bowl (much larger than the actual quantity of popcorn). Drizzle over olive oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, and toss to coat. Continue adding olive oil until you achieve your desired coverage. Sprinkle with salt again and toss until evenly coated.
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405 Comments

  1. Anything dark chocolate!

  2. My favorite is chocolate covered pretzels, yum!

  3. I love veggies and hummus. Also a fan of caramel corn.

  4. My favorite snack is actually popcorn! I love the little single serving bags, it’s just the right amount!

  5. I’ve been doing cheese & crackers & jam lately… but I am a total sucker for a quick black bean quesadilla too.

  6. Homemade baked jalapeno artichoke dip with triscuits or crusty bread!

  7. Cinnamon toast

  8. my all time favorite snack is a croissant with jelly

  9. Also I am a fan on Facebook.

  10. All time favorite snack… used to be guacamole and nachos before I got braces on and my ortho said no nachos. Now it’s just avocado straight up with a spoon. :-D

  11. I also love the sea salt or spicy pepper dark chocolate!!
    sp
    shortpresents.com

  12. Just liked you on fb as well!

  13. All time favorite snack? Anything chocolately. Or cheesy. :)

  14. Just tweeted!

  15. Guacamole! Definitely! :)

  16. Annnd I just liked you on FB! :)

  17. just clicked ‘like’ on your facebook!!

  18. Hmmm … my favorite snack is probably either apples and cheese or gummy bears. But most commonly I snack on chips and salsa because my husband is a chips/salsa freak and we always have some in the house.

  19. My all-time favorite snack? Has to be fire roasted flavored Triscuits and cheese. Normally a sharp cheddar. But sometimes I run out and have to keep myself real with American. Either way, I go crazy for the combo.

  20. Cheese & crackers – yum!

  21. all time…well any flavor of ice cream, i would say. Since it got cold, I have been substituting hot chocolate with marshmallows!

  22. I love snacking on chips and guacamole.

  23. Banana, peanut butter and honey sandwiches or just plain!

  24. I like you on Faceook now! Thanks a bunch!

  25. I LOVE olive oil… My fav snack is roasted chick peas smothered in it. :)

  26. My favorite snack is hummus with chips. I’ll have to try popcorn with olive oil – it is usually hard for me to put down the butter, but this sounds worth it!

  27. I follow you on Twitter @singerinkitchen and tweeted: http://twitter.com/singerinkitchen/status/14699004902244352

  28. This looks fantastic! I was eating caramel kettle corn last night, which I normally don’t even like since I like my popcorn salty. This would definitely satisfy my salty craving.

    My favorite healthy snack is probably an apple with peanut butter. But if I’m being naughty, and I usually am, a handful of Cheez Its! So bad…

  29. And I’m already a Facebook fan!

  30. Just tweeted and now follow you on twitter too!

  31. Ultimate snack is a trail mix with salty assorted nuts and dark chocolate chips. so good!

  32. Fave snack? Tough one! Popcorn ranks up there though- drizzled with butter usually but will have to try it with olive oil!

  33. & I’m a facebook fan :)

  34. And I’m already a fan on FB!

  35. Well it just so happens that my all time favorite snack is popcorn, but not by itself. It must be accompanied by a bag of plain M&M’s so each bite is perfectly salty AND sweet!

  36. Favorite snack is a throw back to when I was a kid, carrot sticks. Ymm.

  37. ooh didn’t see the part about separate comments. I tweeted :)

  38. what a fabulous giveaway! I have never tried olive oil on popcorn. But I do love popcorn and it is probably one of my favorite snacks. I’m tweeting & am a fan on fb too!

  39. Im already subbed to Love & Olive Oil :o)

  40. My favorite snack is actually air popped popcorn with olive oil (I use a refillable spritzer) and chipotle mango spice from club house. It’s a limited addition, so I use it sparingly.
    sp,
    shortpresents.com

  41. Pita crisps and hummus – yum!

  42. Rather than drizzling the oil over the popcorn, which can leave you with a few mushy pieces of popped corn, try liberally oiling your big bowl and THEN dumping the popcorn in and tossing it. I do the same with butter & sea salt…would love to try it with this olive oil.

    My husband requested a “Popcorn Kit” for Christmas this year (eg a pan to use on the hot plate he has at work) a cannister of unpopped popcorn and a bottle of oil. Id LOVE to win this for him. That would make it even MORE of a gift! He LOVES freebies ;o)

  43. My all time favorite snack would have to be mixed nuts. I get a can of them every year from Santa and I could literally devour the entire thing in one sitting. I bet I could spice up my own with this olive oil!

  44. I think my favorite snack is a crisp apple with sharp white cheddar cheese. I love popcorn too – though I can never quite get the not-from-a-microwave-bag kind to work out!

  45. I love chocolate. Pretty much anything chocolate. But right now I’m on a york peppermint patty kick.

  46. My favorite snack is veggie chips and hummus :)

  47. I am a fan of Love & Olive Oil on facebook!

  48. Manchego and membrillo is my fave snack…doesn’t hurt to throw some crusty bread with evo in too!

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