Kids Can Make Healthy Taco Popcorn Food

TACO POPCORN

Steps:

• Combine the popcorn, corn chips and tortilla strips in a large bowl.
• Place a small pot over low heat. Heat the butter until melted, about 1 minute. Add the hot sauce, taco seasoning and lime zest and whisk to combine. Drizzle the butter mixture over the popcorn. Toss to combine and serve immediately.

KIDS CAN MAKE: CRUNCHY BREAKFAST TACOS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Warm the taco shells on a baking sheet, about 5 minutes.
• Crack the eggs into a bowl, add the taco seasoning and whisk well with a fork. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the butter in the skillet; when it foams and bubbles, add the eggs and reduce the heat to low. Cook the eggs, stirring regularly with a wooden spatula to break them up, until set, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Line the center of each taco shell with about 2 generous tablespoons of the scrambled eggs. Top with some of the cheese, scallions and lettuce and a spoonful of salsa. Garnish with some chopped tomatoes, and serve with olives and sour cream on the side if using.

KIDS CAN MAKE: HEALTHY CHEESY CRACKERS

Steps:

• Whisk together the egg white, vinegar and 3 tablespoons water in a small bowl; set aside. Refrigerate the egg yolk in a small bowl, covered, until ready to use.
• Pulse the flour, salt, mustard, paprika and turmeric in a food processor to combine. Add the butter, Cheddar and Parmesan, and pulse until the butter is completely broken up. Pour in the egg white mixture, and pulse until the dough comes together in a ball. (It's OK if it's a little wet.)
• Place the dough on a large piece of plastic wrap, and pat it into a 1/2-inch-thick square. Wrap it up, and refrigerate to chill and firm up the dough, about 1 hour.
• Position 2 oven racks at the top and bottom thirds of the oven, and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Roll the dough out on a large piece of parchment (to keep it from sticking to the counter) into a 10-inch square about 1/8 inch thick. (Dust the dough with flour if you find it too sticky.) Trim the edges to straighten the square, then cut it into 1-inch squares (a pizza cutter works great).
• Whisk 2 teaspoons water into the egg yolk. Brush the mixture over the tops of each cracker. Sprinkle each with the tiniest pinch of salt.
• Bake the crackers, 2 baking sheets at a time, until they are deep golden brown on the bottom, about 20 minutes, rotating the sheets about halfway through. Let the crackers cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
• Store the crackers at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or freeze them for up to 1 week.

TACO POPCORN

Steps:

• For the spice mix: Put half the tomato strips in a single layer on a microwavable plate. Microwave in 30-second increments, checking the texture in between, until they begin to harden but are still red and slightly pliable, 1 to 2 minutes. (They may begin to brown and taste bitter if cooked too long.) Let sit until cool and completely hardened, about 2 minutes. Repeat with the remaining tomato strips.
• Transfer the cooled tomato strips to a spice grinder and grind to a powder. Discard any pieces that won't grind. Add the nutritional yeast, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne and 1 teaspoon salt, and grind to a fine powder. Reserve 2 heaping tablespoons for the popcorn. Store the remaining taco spice blend at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. (You?ll have enough to make 3 more batches of popcorn.)
• For the taco popcorn: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the popcorn kernels. When one pops, cover the pot and cook, shaking the pot constantly, until the popping subsides to 1 pop every 20 seconds. Pour in the melted butter and toss to coat. Add the reserved taco spice blend, the cheese, scallions and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and toss again to coat.

KIDS CAN MAKE: HEALTHY TACO POPCORN

Steps:

• Make the Spice Mix: Put half the tomato strips in a single layer on a microwavable plate. Microwave in 30-second increments, checking the texture in between, until they begin to harden but are still red and slightly pliable, 1 to 2 minutes. (They may begin to brown and taste bitter if cooked too long.) Let sit until cool and completely hardened, about 2 minutes. Repeat with the remaining tomato strips.
• Transfer the cooled tomato strips to a spice grinder, and grind to a powder. Discard any pieces that won't grind. Add the nutritional yeast, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne and 1 teaspoon salt, and grind to a fine powder.
• Make the taco popcorn: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the popcorn kernels. When one pops, cover the pot, and cook, shaking the pot constantly, until the popping subsides to 1 pop every 20 seconds. Pour in the melted butter, and toss to coat. Add 2 heaping tablespoons of taco spice and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and toss again to coat.
• Store the remaining taco spice blend at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. (You'll have enough to make 3 more batches of popcorn.)

KIDS CAN MAKE: HEALTHY, GLUTEN-FREE CHEESY CRACKERS

Steps:

• Whisk together the egg white, vinegar and 3 tablespoons water in a small bowl; set aside. Refrigerate the egg yolk in a small bowl, covered, until ready to use.
• Pulse the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, mustard, paprika and turmeric in a food processor to combine. Add the butter, Cheddar and Parmesan, and pulse until the butter is completely broken up. Pour in the egg white mixture, and pulse until the dough comes together in a ball. (It's OK if it's a little wet.)
• Transfer the dough to a large piece of plastic wrap, and pat it into a 1/2-inch-thick round. Wrap it up, and refrigerate to chill and firm up the dough, about 1 hour.
• Position 2 oven racks at the top and bottom third of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Roll the dough out on a large piece of parchment (to keep it from sticking to the counter) to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut shapes out with a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter, and transfer the cutouts to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1/2 inch apart. Gather and reroll the scraps and cut out more crackers; repeat with any remaining scraps. (Dust the dough with flour if you find it too sticky.)
• Whisk 2 teaspoons water into the egg yolk. Brush the tops of each cracker with the mixture. Sprinkle each with some sesame seeds, poppy seeds and the tiniest pinch of salt.
• Bake 2 baking sheets of crackers at a time, until the crackers are deep golden brown on the bottom, about 20 minutes, rotating the sheets about halfway through. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Bake the remaining cutouts.
• Store the crackers at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or freeze them for up to 1 week.