Nutritional yeast (aka “nooch”) is a mystery to me. I’ve been using it for years and I’ve researched about its origin quite thoroughly, but somehow, I still don’t get it. Meanwhile, I carry on, luxuriating in the taste it adds to many a meal as well as its apparent nutritional properties.

When something this good and this useful exists, I simply can’t get enough. If you want to know how to take your dishes from zero to hero, just turn to nutritional yeast!

Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast that is sold in flake form. It is produced through culturing a yeast in a nutrient medium for a few days, using glucose, sugar or beet molasses to help grow it, and then deactivating it with heat. It is then harvested, washed, dried and packaged. Still don’t get it? Me neither. I find it very hard to visualize the process and fathom all the chemical reactions therein, but it sounds quite simple and straight-forward enough.

The result is a flaky condiment that offers a cheesy overtone to some of my favorite dishes. Because it is deactivated, it won’t ferment in your tummy or make you bloated. Instead, it will offer you B-vitamins and an excellent source of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B6, B12 and folic acid. It also packs in fiber and protein. Just 1 1/2 tablespoons offers your 8 grams of protein and 4 grams of dietary fiber, all in just 60 calories of flakes. If you are vegan or vegetarian, or simply looking to avoid dairy in general, nutritional comes in handy. For me, it is godsend good. The best part is that you don’t need to use more than 2 tablespoons at a time – it spreads itself thin, both in taste and nutrition.

Of course, it’s application is limited given its texture. It’s no block of cheese and is by no means able to star in a dish. Instead, it’s meant to offer a cheesy taste to the main player. For example, if you’ve made a bean dip or chili and don’t want to melt in cheddar cheese, add a tablespoon or two of nutritional yeast instead. Due to its texture and sensitivity, when it comes in contact with a liquid and heat, it breaks down and gives a bit of thickness, disappearing in the dish and leaving behind flavor, not flaky chunks. You can look at nutritional yeast in the way you do store-bought fine-grated Parmesan, in fact. I also like to add nutritional yeast to salads, soups, and creams.

Here are three of my favorite ways to use nutritional yeast:

1. Cheesy Popcorn

Your popcorn is freshly popped and all you need is something to boost the snacking experience. Sprinkle nutritional yeast along with garlic powder over hot popcorn. Mix until evenly coated. Enjoy the cheesy popcorn delight, but without the cheese.

2. Creamy “Cheese”

This is perhaps how I use nutritional yeast the most – as an ingredient in vegan cheese. I take a cooked vegetable, bean or legume base, such as cauliflower, broccoli, white beans, chickpeas or lentils, and I mix in a few other ingredients to cut any dominant flavor. Nutritional yeast adds the last necessary cheesy flavor. Check out my recipe for Vegan White Cheese Party Dip. It’s a winning appetizer among my friends.

3. Mac & Cheese

Need I say more? Macaroni and cheese can be delicious and vegan at the same time. Nutritional yeast really brings this recipe home. The version I make mixes noodles into a sweet potato mash that is accented by nutritional yeast, creating both a orange color and a cheddar-like flavor. Print out a written-out version of this recipe.

Related on EcoSalon

20 Unusual Ways to Use Nutritional Yeast

The Rise (Or Rather, Melt) of Vegan Cheese and Our Favorite Picks

8 Substitutions for the Most Common Kitchen Ingredients

Image Credit: mlinksva

The post 3 Ways Nutritional Yeast Takes Dishes From Zero to Hero appeared first on EcoSalon.

Taking an odd ingredient and finding even more unusual uses for it.

It’s not so much that the following uses are particularly unusual, but rather that nutritional yeast itself is an odd ingredient. It’s gaining popularity among foodies for its cheesy taste and nutritional benefits, but it still has a way to go in terms of becoming the pantry staple it’s meant to be. Nutritional yeast (nooch) is one of the only non-animal sources of vitamin B-12. It only takes 1/2-1 tbsp of nutritional yeast to get the daily requirement for B-12. Nutritional yeast is also an excellent source of iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, chromium, selenium, and other minerals as well as 18 amino acids, protein, folic acid, biotin, and other vitamins.

And don’t worry about the yeast fermenting in your gut. It’s deactivated, so it will not give you the bloat. This is what distinguishes it from Brewer’s Yeast, which has not been deactivated.

Pop Corn

As if popcorn couldn’t get any more addicting, nooch had to get involved. Sprinkle the powder along with a drizzle olive oil and a dash of sea salt onto popcorn just popped for a cheesy touch. Add other spices, such as garlic powder, dried thyme or dried rosemary for an even more gourmet experience.

Pizza

Skip cheese and sprinkle a light layer of nutritional yeast onto pizza just after it leaves the oven. Cheese is hard to digest, especially when cooked, but that doesn’t mean you have to cede the taste completely. If you top a pizza with diverse textures and flavors, such as a robust marinara sauce, roasted vegetables and nutritional yeast, the cheese component is unnecessary.

Vegan Cheese Sauce

The food blog world is bursting with vegan “cheese” recipes – some simple, some elaborate – with nutritional yeast as the key ingredient. Check out Angela’s Low-Fat Vegan Cheeze Sauce on her blog Oh She Glows for a 5-ingredient approach. Head over to Epicurian Vegan for a heartier vegan cheese sauce that gets some extra bulk from cashews.

Bread Crumbs

Replace bread crumbs with nutritional yeast in any mixture requiring holding power. This cuts down on the carbs and adds an extra bite. Try using nutritional yeast to hold together veggie burgers or any other patty that would normally require bread crumbs.

Kale Chips

There’s nothing wrong with the standard kale chip recipe. But, nutritional yeast takes kale chips to a whole new level – a level that merits obsession and daily consumption. Try your hand at the Spicy & Cheesy Kale Chips presented by the blog Eating Bird Food.

Macaroni & Cheese

We’ve already given macaroni and cheese a serious makeover, and nutritional yeast was an crucial player in this feat. Not only is this recipe vegan, but thanks to nooch, it offers cheesy comfort to a creamy, sweet potato base.

Pasta

Skip the grated parmesan and sprinkle nutritional yeast atop warm pasta along with some garlic powder and a drizzle of olive oil. The combination of flavors makes for a dish that doesn’t miss a thing.

Mashed Potatoes

Stir nooch into mashed potatoes, not only saving calories by nixing cheese but also cutting down on the sodium. Indeed, mashed potatoes can be healthy.

Bean Dip

Emily Malone of the blog Daily Garnish makes a fabulous bean dip using nutritional yeast. If serving this at a party, no one would even be able to tell its vegan.

Roasted Vegetables

One of my favorite go-to meals is roasted vegetables topped with shredded cheese. On days I’d like to skip the cheese and opt for a healthier alternative, I stir nutritional yeast into the finished vegetables instead. When warmed by the vegetables, the yeast smoothens out and creates a creamy sauce with help from the vegetable juices and oils.

Roasted Nuts

Roast nuts that have been tossed in some nutritional yeast. The roasted flavor will be augmented and the nuts will have a slightly cheesy coating on the skin.

Onion Rings

Nutritional yeast has been showing up in onion ring recipes, and for good reason. It helps to increase the nutritional benefit of onion ring batter and adds an edge to each bite. Make the baked fat-free onion rings featured on vegan blog My Whole Deal.

Sauce Thickener

Much like flour and butter are used to thicken a sauce, nutritional yeast can replace the flour to do the same thing.

Gravy

Keeping your health on track during the holidays is all about cutting corners in small ways. Nutritional yeast can redefine gravy. Bring this simple recipe to the table and the cheer will only heighten.

Salad Dressing

Sneak in your B12 quota is by adding a tablespoon of nutritional yeast to a homemade salad dressing like the Hollyhock Salad Dressing, which you can find on A Passionate Plate blog.

French Fries

Want some added nutrition, crisp, and kick to a homemade version of baked French fries? Drizzle olive oil over cut root vegetables and then toss them in a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast. The flavor is out of this world.

Creamy Cooked Greens

Cooked spinach pairs well with cream and cheese, but you can replace those heavier add-ins with a tablespoon or two of nutritional yeast and then watch as the bare spinach suddenly becomes decadently creamy and bold in flavor.

Vegan Quiche

Experiment with this No-Soy Vegan Quiche recipe from blog Triumph Wellness. It’s the perfect example of where just a little bit of nooch makes a big difference.

Dog Food

Dogs need their vitamin B12 too, especially if your dog is on a plant-based diet. Mix some nutritional yeast in your furry friend’s nibbles and he or she will benefit in a major way.

Baby Formula

If a baby is using formula in place of breast feeding, it is recommended to add nutritional yeast to the infant formula.  Nutritional yeast provides B12, iron and folic acid, which are essential to growth.

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

Photo Credit: Artizone, Acquired Life

The post 20 Unusual Ways to Use Nutritional Yeast appeared first on EcoSalon.