Let’s make popcorn today! As a child I used to love popcorn, especially the sweet kind covered in caramel. As I grew older, my taste buds changed. I didn’t crave sweet popcorn any longer, but I did fall in love with crunchy salty snacks like salted nuts, rice crackers and potato chips. This cheesy cauliflower popcorn is just that: salty and crunchy. It was the beautiful raw food chef Dara Dubinet who inspired me to create this recipe. Definitely check out her video too!
Cheesy Cauliflower Popcorn
SERVES: 1 large cup of popcorn
EQUIPMENT: large mixing bowl, dehydrator (or a regular oven at the lowest temperature)
INGREDIENTS:
1 small head of cauliflower
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast
½ tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon of paprika powder (you can used smoked too)
¼ teaspoon of Himalayan crystal salt or sea salt
2 large pinches of turmeric
1 large pinch of chili powder (or more if you like it spicy)
5 drops of pure liquid Stevia (optional, or replace with 1 teaspoon of date paste)
2 extra tablespoons of nutritional yeast (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
- Cut your cauliflower into bite size pieces.
- Combine lemon juice, nutritional yeast, olive oil, paprika powder, salt, turmeric, chili powder and Stevia in a large mixing bowl. Stir well with a spoon. Add the cauliflower pieces and stir again, making sure that every single piece is covered with the marinade.
- Place the cauliflower pieces onto a dehydrator tray lined with a Teflex sheet. Sprinkle with the extra nutritional yeast to create a deep cheesy flavor.
- Dehydrate at 115°F for 8 hours or longer, until the cauliflower is nice and crispy. Your popcorn is ready!
JULIE’S TIPS & TRICKS:
- This cauliflower popcorn will stay fresh for at least 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you leave it to dehydrate until it is completely dry and crunchy, you can store it in a glass jar in a cool dark place for at least 1 month.
- Turmeric, often called “the queen of spices”, has very powerful health benefits: it will deeply cleanse your liver, boost your immune system & metabolism, reduce inflammation and help your body to prevent healthy cells from turning into cancer cells. Curcumin has a vibrant yellow color and a strong, slightly bitter taste, so you don’t need much.
Now I would love to hear from you! What was your favorite salty snack growing up? Let me know by leaving a comment down below.
