In the past six months, I’ve discovered new vegan foods that I can’t believe I ever went without. Staples like hemp seeds, chia seeds, dates and flax oil now seem as normal and essential as peanut butter and jelly. But nothing has gained as much popularity in my kitchen as nutritional yeast flakes. They get tossed with pasta, oil and spices. They get blended with hemp seeds and red bell pepper for a delicious nacho dip. I’ve added them to French toast batter. And most recently, I mixed them into soup.
Cheesy Veggie Soup
1. In a pot, heat a little oil and saute chopped onion, carrots and celery. When the onions turn clear, fill the pot with water and add some sea salt, garlic, cracked black pepper and mixed Italian spices.
2. After letting it simmer a little, pour it all into a crock pot with potato chunks and turn the pot on high if you want to eat in a few hours or low if you plan on eating in 6-8 hours. To speed the cooking, you can nuke the potatoes for a minute or 2 before cutting them up.
3. Toss in your favorite veggies. This time I used frozen broccoli, cauliflower, peas and corn.
4. When everything is cooked, mix in nutritional yeast, adding, stirring and tasting until you’re satisfied. I added several tablespoons and a touch more sea salt.
What’s your favorite way to use nutritional yeast? Share your favorite recipes in the comment section!
January 11th, 2010 at 7:15 pm
Nutritional yeast is amazing. I’ve never made a tofu scramble without it, and it’s always on my salads and spaghetti. I really like making mac ‘n cheese with it. I’ve heard that there are a lot of people who aren’t very fond of the taste, but I’ve never been able to eat enough!
January 12th, 2010 at 2:16 pm
I’m with karmalily… I LOVE nutritional yeast! I think my favorite actual recipe that calls for n.y. is a cashew cheese I use on pizzas, pasta and as a delicious cold spread:
Ingredients
1 cup cashew butter
1/4 cup almond milk
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Method
Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth and combined. Alternately, mix them in a large bowl using the back of a wooden spoon to mash them together. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
January 13th, 2010 at 12:47 am
That cheese sauce sounds delicious!
January 27th, 2010 at 4:41 pm
Great simple recipe. Thanks