healthy microwave popcorn recipe

there's nothing quite like the delightful aroma of freshly popped popcorn.

and nothing quite like the satisfaction of being able to make a quick and healthy batch in the comfort of your own home.

all you need is three very simple things - a paper bag, a functioning microwave, and some popcorn kernels of course - oh, and a don't forget to add a good measure of enthusiasm...and being easily excited by little things is a bonus condiment too...

four steps to yummy air popped homemade popcorn :

one /  put about a tablespoon and a half full of popcorn kernels (this will make about a cup of popped popcorn) into a paper bag

two /  fold the top of the paper bag into 1cm increment a couple of times

three /  set microwave for 90 seconds and stop it when the 'pops' slow down to less than one per second (this bit takes a bit of experimenting as it depends on the amount of kernels and the wattage of the microwave)

four / dig in! enjoy the popcorn while its still nice and warm :) 

pumpkin tortilla

for the past two week i've been living away from home, which means i've been missing my family and friends in melbourne, and also missing the well stocked pantry at home! 

so here i've set up my own little pantry, with the bare minimum essentials and groceries that require minimal, or more often, no cooking at all. having been surviving mostly on salads which only require a bit of slicing and assembly, i do get a craving now and then to cook something. and perhaps try something new too. 

i had half a pumpkin left in the fridge, and also almost a dozen eggs which had been sitting there for nearly a fortnight, oh, and the onions were on sale at coles so i had a kilo of those... perfect for a pumpkin tortilla! 

tortillas are spanish omelettes, which are traditionally made using potatoes, and eggs of course. seeing i had some pumpkin handy, the idea just came together quite nicely. the little cooking experiment in the kitchen turned out rather neat. the recipe i've made up is pretty straightforward, and uses only 3 ingredients plus oil, salt and freshly ground pepper. the pumpkin and onions are full of flavour, and the eggs give it a good protein boost, so it's quite an appetising and substantial, yet healthy meal. 

pumpkin tortilla recipe

ingredients

one quarter large kent pumpkin - diced to 2mm cubes

two brown onions - halved and finely sliced

7 large eggs - lightly beaten

oil - 3 tablespoons 

salt & pepper to season the eggs

five simple steps

1. heat 1 tbs oil on in a frying pan and half cook the pumpkin ( approx 7 - 10 minutes )

2. meanwhile, in another pan / saucepan, heat 2 tbs oil and cook onions till golden brown

3. preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius, and line an 18 x 18cm baking pan ( or similar sized round baking tin) with baking paper whilst letting the pumpkin and onions cool

4. place the pumpkin and onions into the baking pan and pour the seasoned egg mixture into the pan

5. bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked through

buen provecho! ( spanish for 'enjoy your meal !' )