When I was diagnosed with a corn allergy some time back, I knew that I would miss-- more than corn on the cob, more than creamy polenta, more than handmade corn tortillas, and even more than Doritos-- popcorn. There is practically no point of watching a movie either in a theater or on the comfort of your couch if you cannot have a bowl of buttery, salty, cheesy popcorn on your lap.
Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration, but still.
I tried all kinds of other substitutions to fill the crunchy-savory void-- crackers of all types, Chex-type mixes, pretzels, potato chips, pita chips, nori, nuts, seeds, papdums, roasted garbanzo beans. But nothing came close to satisfying my popcorn fixation until I came upon the idea to toast rice cakes and season them the way I would popcorn.
Sometimes I'll use freshly grated parmesan, a sprinkle of pimentón, or a little garlic powder on my Not-corn. You can try this recipe with whatever seasonings and toppings you like best (Old Bay! Lawry's Seasoned Salt! fake cheese powder!), or try using a flavored rice cake like sesame or tamari. Whatever you choose, just be sure you have a great movie to go with it. —vvvanessa
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