This is Day 3 of the 5-Day Healthier Eating Challenge. To start at the beginning, click here.
Americans are snacking more than ever. A recent survey suggested that 95 percent of us now eat at least one snack a day, and most of us eat two or more.
When a craving hits, many people reach for ultraprocessed snacks like candy or chips. That’s partly because, as I mentioned in yesterday’s challenge, these foods are engineered to be craveable. (My favorites are chocolate bars with nuts and any cheese-flavored chip that turns your fingers orange.)
But there’s another reason we might want an ultraprocessed snack. Sometimes, healthier whole foods like walnuts, fruit or carrot sticks can seem a little bland and joyless. And that’s too bad, because minimally processed foods generally include things that make you feel sated for longer, like fiber, water and protein, said Ashley Gearhardt, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan.
Here’s the thing, though: That sad handful of almonds could be bursting with flavor.
Today we’re going to take a break from ultraprocessed snacks by making whole-food snacks just as delicious. We’ve enlisted experts to mimic the crave-worthy qualities of ultraprocessed foods, adding the salt, sweetness, fat and spice that can make more healthful foods pop.
Well Challenge Day 3: Try a sprinkle of ‘flavor dust.’
We’re making what we are calling flavor dusts — simple spice blends using ingredients you may have in your kitchen at home.
We’ve asked chefs to craft recipes just for us that you can sprinkle on nuts and popcorn — three savory, one spicy-sweet. We’ve also included some quick and easy recipes from NYT Cooking below.
Flavor Dusts for Popcorn
Evelyn Garcia and Henry Lu are the chefs at Jun, an acclaimed restaurant in Houston. They created two toppings for popcorn — one with warm herbs and spices, the other a cheese blend with a kick. If you don’t have one of the ingredients, Chef Garcia said, the recipes are forgiving and worth a try.
Easy Snack-y Spice Blend
Yield: about ⅔ cup
Ingredients
4 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 tablespoons turmeric powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground fenugreek
½ teaspoon mustard powder
½ teaspoon Korean chili flakes, or any chili flakes you have on hand
Preparation: Mix together and store in a jar with a lid. Toss one tablespoon onto freshly popped popcorn.
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Flaming Hot Cheese Dust
Yield: about ⅔ cup
Ingredients
½ cup Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
½ to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon Korean chili flakes, or any chili flakes you have on hand
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon melted butter or olive oil spray
Preparation: Combine ingredients aside from butter or olive oil spray in a small bowl.
After popping your popcorn, coat it with the melted butter or olive oil spray to help the seasoning blend stick, and then sprinkle on as much seasoning as desired. (You can also toss this spice blend onto any of your favorite cooked or steamed vegetables or stir it into plain yogurt to make a dip for raw carrots and celery.)
Flavor Dusts for Nuts
Kwame Onwuachi is the chef at Tatiana in New York City, which tops the The Times’s list of the best restaurants in NYC. His House Spice recipe, featuring cayenne pepper and paprika, pairs nicely with pecans, but you can sprinkle either of these toppings on any nuts you’d like.
House Spice
Yield: 1 ½ cups
Ingredients
5 tablespoons kosher salt, or to taste
6 ½ tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons granulated garlic
4 tablespoons granulated onion
4 tablespoons Worcestershire powder
2 ½ tablespoons cayenne pepper
2 ½ tablespoons Hungarian paprika (or sweet paprika)
Preparation: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and whisk well. Season to taste. Store in an airtight container.
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Plantain Spice
Yield: 1 ½ cups
Ingredients
6 tablespoons House Spice
5 tablespoons Caribbean curry powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt, or to taste
Preparation: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and whisk well. Season to taste. Store in an airtight container.
And check out these easy sweet-snack recipes, using whole foods, from NYT Cooking: Coconut Granola Bars, Strawberry and Sesame Swirl Soft Serve, Vegan Banana Bread, Yogurt Parfaits With Cherries and Pistachios and Apple Compote.