surprising sorghum

In celebration of Celiac Awareness Month, I figured I'd post some tasty, naturally-gluten-free snacks! One of my favorite snack items used to be popcorn. Many Celiacs (myself included) find that they are more prone than others to having multiple food allergies. A few months ago, I found out that in addition to being unable to tolerate gluten, I was allergic to corn.

Of course, this meant no more popcorn.

A few weeks ago, though, I heard about popping sorghum.

Sorghum is a grain that many Celiacs rely heavily on as a substitute for wheat. Sorghum flour, mixed with other gluten free flours, is great for cooking. Sorghum seeds are packed with protein and flavor. The best part is that cultivated popping sorghum can be popped like popcorn!

I decided to try it out, so I ordered a bag from Just Poppin' and I highly recommend them. What a great company with wonderful customer service!

Within a week (which is almost unheard of, being that we are an APO address) we received our bag and tried it out.

Like popcorn, it pops best in a small covered pot with olive oil. After some experimenting, I have discovered that cooking it in smaller batches yields a higher ratio of popped sorghum. (I use 2 tsp. of olive oil + 1/4 to 1/3 cup of seeds -- and if I am cooking more, I do more small batches.)

Unlike popcorn, popped sorghum has a bit of a rich, nutty taste. It also pops much smaller than popcorn. Finally, the hull of the sorghum is edible (and not nearly as hard as popcorn kernels) so any sorghum that does not pop can still be eaten!

I highly recommend this tasty little snack in lieu of popcorn if you want to change things up a bit, or if you have a corn allergy!

I added some Enjoy Life chocolate chips for a gluten, dairy, and corn free sweet-and-salty snack!