Nutritional Yeast for Meat Eaters

I put it over my omelettes, sprinkle over salads, add over rice, mix in in with salsa, etc. It's pretty diverse that way.

I'm fully omnivorous now and for a long time, but I was vegan in the 70s/80s, when I first encountered yeast. I've been using nutritional yeast for years as a protein boost. "Cheesy," yes, but not cheese, and with a distinct flavor which can come to forefront pretty easily. I've been full-time baking the household bread for several years now, and have used it to boost the protein content of the bread. My preference for THIS function, though, is unflavored whey, which, in a 2-3 scoops per loaf dose, only subtly impacts the flavor of the bread, while giving it a 2g+ protein boost per slice. It does tend to impact the browning of the loaves (more browning, sooner), as it is dairy. 90% of the time, my "standard breakfast" consists of old-fashioned oatmeal, yeast and unflavored whey, microwaved, with cut apple topping. Here, the yeast is included for both protein and nutrients, such as B vitamins.

Over the years, I've done the "cheese sauce," popcorn, pan sauce, meatloaf/veggie loaf, etc., inclusions/uses of whey and/or yeast. Some are more successful and/or palatable than others. The stuff is actually pretty versatile. I'm not one to paper over the aesthetic alterations in my foods that inclusions can cause, just because they have other virtues, and try to find neutral or positive impacts. I find in an otherwise rich or hearty flavored sauce, such as homemade tomato sauce for pasta, you can add yeast without negatively impacting flavor or texture too much (how much varies with the sauce and your preferences). It can, because of the "cheesiness," give some of the flavor notes of grated parmesan cooked into the sauce.

What others have said, plus I pretty much always mix some in when I eat cottage cheese, odd though that may sound.

"What else can I use it in or on? I don't see myself making things like plant-based "cheese" sauces with it, though I might give it a whirl as a cooking challenge sometime."

If you ever do,this is so delicious with rice and vegetables!

From The Grit- a fabulous restaurant in Athens, GA. When cooked correctly, tofu can be reminiscent of succulent fried chicken. the secret is to get the water out and the flavor in. the grit's method is to cook it twice. The essentials are a non-stick skillet, soy sauce, and nutritional yeast.

Minutes to Prepare: 5
Minutes to Cook: 20
Number of Servings: 2

Ingredients
1 15-ounce block of firm tofu
olive oil
soy sauce
nutritional yeast
1 oz cheddar cheese

Directions
Taken directly from The Grit cookbook

cut tofu into cubes slightly smaller than playing dice. lightly oil a non-stick skillet and place over high heat. allow oil to heat slightly and add tofu. saute, tossing with a non-metal spatula until evenly and lightly golden brown. sprinkle lightly with soy sauce (i skip this step). saute briefly to further brown tofu. remove from skillet, draining and discarding any excess fluid.

rinse and wipe skillet dry, lightly oil and place it over high heat. allow oil to become very hot and add tofu. saute tofu, tossing with a non-metal spatula almost constantly until very well browned. sprinkle with soy sauce to taste. sprinkle with nutritional yeast to coat tofu cubes and, tossing vigorously, saute for a few seconds and remove from heat. serve immediately.

personal tastes with regards to salty soy sauce flavor and amount of nutritional yeast "breading" vary widely. excessive soy sauce will make the tofu too salty, while too much oil and yeast will give a gooey result. at its best, this recipe yields tofu with a slightly crispy, deliciously yeasty exterior and a tender, moist interior.

Shred cheddar cheese on top and put on top of brown rice (not included in calculation). Good with sauteed vegetables!

Number of Servings: 2

In case anyone's interested, this is a popcorn recipe that involves nooch, but also other seasonings:

http://naturalchow.com/2014/03/healthy-dorito-flavored-popcorn/

I wouldn't say it tastes exactly like Doritos, but I think it tastes pretty good. Some people find the recipe too salty, so cut the salt in half. Me, I love salt very, very much.

In addition to what others have suggested, I make various plant based ‘tortillas’ and add Nutritional Yeast to the dough/batter to boost protein and flavour. Especially good with spinach, beetroot or sweet potato tortillas.

Sprinkle on Mediterranean roasted vegetables, before roasting. I also make a ‘vegesan’ (vegan Parmesan) with sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast and garlic powder and herbs) which goes on so many things!

Mix it with breadcrumbs for a tasty, crunchy topping when grilled.

Mix into ricotta, quark or cottage cheese and use in lasagne style vegetable dishes to sub for the béchamel component.

It’s very good added to lentils in any form. I find the tang really blends with the earthy flavour of lentils.

I’ve not added it to standard bread dough but did recently add some to some English Muffins I made to make a cheesy version. That worked exceptionally well! 😋

Basically, assuming you like the base flavour, you can throw it into most savoury food! To my palate it boosts the umami in a lot of vegetarian and vegan food for a very modest calorie count.

Not trying to take over, but you all have me wanting to try nutritional yeast now 😃! Can you buy nutritional yeast at the grocery store or do you need to go to a vitamin/supplement/health food store?

AnnPT77 wrote: »

LoveyChar wrote: »

Not trying to take over, but you all have me wanting to try nutritional yeast now 😃! Can you buy nutritional yeast at the grocery store or do you need to go to a vitamin/supplement/health food store?

In the US, at most grocery stores. Look in the health food or supplement sections, typically. In more health-food-oriented stores, it may be near other seasonings and spices. (It is in my local healthy-ish general grocery; can't remember where it is in Whole Foods.)

Thank you!

Oooh I haven't had nooch in so long. Used to be a staple. Now I want some.

I like it on my salads. I use La Morena chipotle sauce as a dressing when it's mixed with nutritional yeast it gets a thicker texture and that cheesy taste. It's great in eggs too. I also liked it sprinkled on cucumbers as a snack.

I use it mostly on popcorn (my wife and daughter go nuts over it) and in my vegan mac and cheese. If you've never had vegan mac and cheese, it's amazing if you make it right. A few yukon golds, half an onion, a few carrots and some garlic roasted. Add the roasted veggies, a whole can of coconut milk (full fat), 2 TSP or so of Nutritional Yeast, a tsp or so of mustard, hot sauce to taste and around a cup of soaked cashews (the amount of salt I add depends on if I can find raw cashews, which can be tricky to find). I also add in a tsp of tapioca or potato starch (I'm celiac).

I fry the cheese sauce and prepped mac (I have to use GF) in a large skillet with vegan butter until browned at the bottom. Then put in bowls and spinkle with GF breadcrumbs and more melted vegan margarine.

Not exactly low calorie but it's amazing. I'll sometimes take the carrots out and add in green chilis or drizzle with truffle oil.

I got it for my husband when he had to go dairy free. He mostly uses it on pasta, to replace his parmesan. I occasionally add it to salads or sandwiches, since we rarely have cheese in the house these days.