ever wonder what the cheesy ingredient is in vegan kale chips that makes them so dang tasty?
it's nutritional yeast - i checked the label.
upon reading, i was slightly turned off due to some weird connotation from my tween years... and then i began seeing it in all of these raw recipes that i was exploring, so i picked up my first shaker-top container today.
here are some interesting facts about nutritional yeast:
- it is rich in protein, vitamins (including b12) and minerals.
- it is naturally fat-free and sodium-free.
- yeast is part of the fungi family (bragg's version is grown on beets and cane molasses).
- after the yeast ferments, it is harvested, thoroughly washed and cleaned, and dried on roller drum dryers.
- there are many health benefits too - including: improved immune response, reduction of cholesterol, plus it has anti-cancer properties.
so how does it taste? it's a toasted, nutty-cheesy flavor - basically it is my new parmesan cheese.
here are some ideas to give nutritional yeast a test-run:
- sprinkled on popcorn
- seasoning for soups and salads
- any time you would normally use parmasen cheese
are you a fan of nutritional yeast? share how you eat it in the comments!