nutritional yeast - the vegan grated cheese

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!

jenn pesce

the coming together of all things jenn: yoga instructor :: blogger :: whole foodie :: student of life

who am i (jenn pesce)?

by day, i have a full-time position as the brand director at an indie beauty company. since i am a gemini (and real life twin), my other ‘side’ is a yogini, so i like to think of myself as a business yogini. i have been practicing yoga since 2003 and took my first teacher training with sadie nardini in 2005. each year i try to continue my yoga studies beyond just attending classes and my home practice with trainings and intensives. for example, i have also completed an 8-month yoga anatomy course with jason ray brown, an intro course in sanskrit at the ashtanga yoga shala studio, exploratory courses with tara stiles at strala yoga, a 200 hour course with alison west, and 72 hours of prenatal yoga studies.

as for my teaching experience i have worked with a non-profit organization called bent-on-learning and thoroughly enjoyed my time teaching children in public schools. i have also taught weekly classes at private gyms in manhattan and have several private clients and semi-private groups.

in terms of a healthy lifestyle, i don’t smoke, drink moderately and eat like my mom taught me – colorfully. i am a big advocate of whole foods (as in the actual food, but the store is a-okay in my book too), my juicer, food processor and beloved vitamix. i love learning new information about what foods are good, why and how to get others to eat them. i think pescetarian (yes, just like my name, it means fish) best describes my diet, mostly veggies with some fish and shellfish, oh and cheese, but in general i don’t eat things with beaks or boobs (in other words, no poultry, no mammals). i am also known for encouraging my friends and family to eat ‘green things’ – at least once a day for starters.

and lastly, i enjoy laughing, smiling and helping others do the same.

why do i teach the yoga?

simply put, i teach to help find balance and the space between, that moment of freedom and levity, for myself and others. by learning how to be ok on my mat, i have found i can figure out how to be ok regardless of whatever gets thrown my way once i step off of it . it's practice afterall for the big game known as life. through yoga, i firmly believe you can learn to laugh and find lightness in the everyday, because life should be bright and full of energy, on the regular.