body&soul // movie snacks
Jicama root sticks rolled in lime juice, cilantro and cayenne pepper make for a crunchy and healthy movie snack.
snack attack healthy movie snacks for movie night BY Margot Ramsay / PHOTOGRAPHY Paulette Phlipot We’re hardwired for it. Even young children who have yet to step foot inside a movie theater—who have not hitherto glided past the colorful concession stand and inhaled the smell of butter-slathered movie popcorn— understand the power, and the need, for a movie snack. The perfect symbiosis of a welltimed snack and movie cannot be understated, and although the ethereal “Sno-Caps,” 62 sunvalleymag.com | Winter 2015
and delectably spicy “Hot Tamales” are tempting to include in your at-home movie snack repertoire, there are other healthy alternatives that pack a serious flavor punch. Local chef and caterer extraordinaire, Judith McQueen, lends her expertise to our snacking cause with a few ideas for delicious treats that you can create in your own kitchen. McQueen preaches simplicity when
it comes to her food, and one of her movienight snack recipes that is deliciously simple is roasted grape tomatoes. When they’re roasted, these little beauties develop a charred skin, while their insides are sweet and caramelized. Add some kosher salt and a few flecks of pepper and you have a deliciously gourmet movie snack. Along with your roasted tomatoes, try this take on the crunchy and iconic movie snack we call popcorn—add a splash of Braggs Liquid Amino Acids to your kernels for some salt and depth of flavor. Then sprinkle on a few teaspoons of olive oil. The combination of the two flavors adds a saltiness and rich quality to the popcorn that becomes a seemingly decadent treat. Braggs is full of, well, amino acids, and protein, thanks to the nonGMO soybeans from which it’s made. Olive oil is a healthy eater’s best friend and is a great alternative to butter on your popcorn. For even more crunch appeal, try peeling and slicing a jicama root into sticks. Mix together a squeeze of lime, a few sprigs of cilantro and cayenne pepper. Roll the jicama sticks in the mixture, sprinkle with sea salt and munch away! Molly Brown, owner of Glow Live Foods Café, has a special appreciation for movie nights. With two small children and a successful business, Molly definitely enjoys being at home, especially if it’s a night with her husband, yummy vegan snacks and a good flick. One of her family’s favorite movie night snacks is coconut-oil-crazed popcorn. For this Brown pops one-quarter cup of organic popcorn seeds in one-quarter cup of coconut oil (high heat). She then drizzles an additional cup of melted coconut oil over the popcorn and sprinkles with four tablespoons of nutritional flakes (which are high in protein and B vitamins) and some pink salt. For an adult bowl, she adds two tablespoons of spirulina. For a healthy hot drink, Brown makes a vegan hot cocoa by mixing and lightly warming homemade almond or coconut milk, melted coconut oil, a sprinkle of cinnamon and one tablespoon of raw cocoa. Whatever your perfect movie night at home entails, be sure to include some of these scrumptiously healthy snacks. You might even try smuggling a few of these nibbles into your local movie theater. You’ll leave the movie both enlightened and healthier. Just make sure you don’t get caught!