Despite its unassuming name and flaky reputation, nutritional yeast is a beast in the kitchen! Sadly, unless you’re a shunner of meat, you’ve most likely never had the need for trying nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast isn’t reserved for vegans, tree huggers, and hippies, it’s for all of us!
You want savory, cheesy, umami, flavor rich profiles? Look no further than the closest shaker of yeasty flakes. Start by buying a good quality, organic nutritional yeast, I suggest Bragg’s Organic Nutritional Yeast. Next, check out my seven favorite ways to “unleash the yeast” and get cooking!
1.Vegan Pesto is detoxifying, nutrititious, and delicious without any inflammatory cheese needed! One of my go-to recipes is super easy to make and takes only a few minutes. Add the following ingredients to your food processor and blend until smooth. Serve as a dipping sauce, drizzle over veggies, use as a dressing, or pour over pasta:
2 cups fresh organic basil
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
2 cloves fresh garlic
1/2 cup organic extra virgin olive oil
3 T. Bragg’s Nutritional Yeast
juice of 1 organic lemon
1/2 tsp. sea salt & black pepper
2. Cheesy Scrambled Eggs. Add 1-2 tsp. of nutritional yeast to scrambled eggs to bring out a beautiful yellow hue and add richness and cheesiness to your breakfast classic. I often add a sprinkle to my eggs in the morning to up the protein, stabilize my blood sugar, and keep me satiated into lunch time.
3. Gluten Free Zucchini Sticks. My family loves this recipe for crispy zucchini sticks. We dip in a low sugar marinara sauce or serve alongside dinner for a crunchy treat. My easy to make recipe is available here http://da6.beb.myftpupload.com/snacks/crispy-gluten-free-zucchini-sticks/.
4. Roasted Veggie Bowl with Lemon Tahini Dressing. Whether you want a hearty vegan lunch or a Meatless Monday dinner with loads of flavor, my roasted veggie bowls are delicious! The nutritional yeast lends itself to the tahini to make the most incredibly flavorful dressing, it adds a flavor that you can’t quite get with tahini alone! The recipe is here: http://da6.beb.myftpupload.com/dinner/roasted-veggie-bowl-with-lemon-tahini-dressing/.
5. Movie Night “Buttered” Popcorn. Skip the tummyache that comes along with rich buttered popcorn and replace it with a B vitamin packed, gut friendly snack. I make this at home to snack on while I binge watch my favorite shows. Pop your favorite organic popcorn in organic coconut oil, while still piping hot, toss popcorn in 2 T. nutritional yeast and 1 tsp. sea salt. Pig out!
6. Macaroni and Cheese! This one doesn’t need a lot of explanation. When I’m craving comfort food or my girls need something that doesn’t feel so “healthy”, I make a batch of my vegan mac and cheese. You can even make this sauce and toss with roasted cauliflower. In a blender, add 1/2 cup nutritional yeast with 1/4 cup hot vegetable broth, add 1/2 cup steamed carrots, 1/2 cup organic olive oil, lots of pepper and sea salt. Blend until smooth and toss sauce with your favorite gluten free pasta, steamed broccoli, or roasted cauliflower and indulge!
7. White Bean Dip. This dip is great spread on a gluten free tortilla for lunch and topped with lots of veggies. I also serve it with cuts of veggies and crackers for an after school snack for my daughter. In my Vitamix (you could also use blender or food processor), I add 3 T. nutritional yeast, 1 1/2 cups white cannelini beans, 1/3 cup olive oil, 2 T. lemon juice, pinch salt. Blend until chunky (or smooth if you prefer!).
What are some of your favorite ways to utilize nutritional yeast? You’re only as limited as your imagination, I’d love to hear some of your own favorite ways to “release the yeast” in your recipes!
