Ingredients:

• For the Cheeze Sauce:
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1/4 cup arrowroot, cornstarch or flour
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1t olive oil
  • 1/8t tumeric
  • 1/4t dried thyme
  • 3/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • salt and pepper
  • a few dashes of hot sauce
• For the Mashed Potatoes:
  • 4-6 red or purple potatoes
  • 1/4 cup vegetable broth
  • 2t nutritional yeast
  • salt and pepper
• For the Broccoli Base:
  • 2 cups frozen broccoli
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas
  • 1(15oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a medium casserole dish toss together the beans, peas and broccoli; set aside.

Potato topping: Boil the potatoes until soft.  Drain and then mash with the vegetable broth, nutritional yeast and  salt and pepper.

Cheeze sauce: Whisk together the arrowroot and vegetable broth. In a small sauce pan over medium-high heat the oil and garlic for 1 minute.  Stir in the tumeric and thyme.  Slow whisk in the vegetable broth mixture.  The whisk in the nutritional yeast, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer until thickened.  Pour over the broccoli base.

Top the broccoli cheeze base with the potatoes and if you would like dust the top with nutritional yeast.  Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are lightly browned.

When I became vegan I was clueless as to what nutritional yeast was and what to do with it.  Now I am a nutritional yeast addict and my husband and I constantly joke that I should go into therapy because of it.

So what exactly is nutritional yeast?

• Nutritional Yeast is an inactive yeast that has a nutty cheesy flavor and is frequently used to make vegan cheeze sauces.
• Nutritional Yeast is low in sodium and fat and is a great source of Vitamin B-12 which can otherwise only be found in animal products.

Where can you find nutritional yeast?

• Check out your local natural food store or co-op in the bulk section.  You can find it in large flakes and small; also try to find Red Star- it is my favorite brand.
• If you can’t find it in store you can go online and there are a number of vegan sites that sell it as well as online bulk shops.

How do I use it?

• It is great as a topping for popcorn or sprinkled on edamame.
• Mix a little in with your Earth Balance and garlic to make a great garlic bread spread.
• Sprinkle into a stir fry, in/on pasta dishes or in soups/stews.
• Make a great mock parmesan by pulsing 1/2 cup nutritional yeast, 1/4 cup sesame seeds and 1 teaspoon salt in your food processor and sprinkle on soups, salads and over pasta.
• Then of course there are cheeze sauces such as the one I made tonight:

• 1/2T olive oil
• 3 large cloves of garlic minced
• 10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1T arrowroot (or cornstarch or potato starch)
• 1/2t Italian Seasoning
• 1/2t chili flakes
• 1/2T garlic powder
• 1/2T salt
• 1/2T black pepper
• 1 heaping tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or your favorite non-dairy milk)

Place garlic and oil in a cold pan and heat on low for 5 minutes; this will infuse the oil.  Add in the tomatoes and turn the heat up to medium and saute for 5 minutes until the tomatoes start to soften. Stir in the spices and arrowroot until everything is mixed together.  Stir in the almond milk and the nutritional yeast; bring to a boil to thicken and then turn off.  If the sauce gets too thick add a little more almond milk.  Serve this over pasta or your favorite veggies.  I served mine over vegan ravioli and steamed broccoli.

Q: What is your favorite way to use nutritional yeast?

Ingredients (makes 2 large portions or 4 sides):

• 2 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
• 8oz button mushrooms, cut in half (you can also try baby bella or portobello if you’d like)
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped into medium sized chunks
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (if you want to make this totally raw you can omit this ingredient)
• 1/4 cup cold pressed olive oil
• 3T lemon juice
• 1t onion powder
• 1t garlic powder
• 1/2t salt
• 1/4t black pepper

Directions:

1. Toss the veggies with the nutritional yeast, olive oil, lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper; make sure everything is evenly coated.
2. Spread evenly onto mesh dehydrator sheets (I used 2 in my Nesco).
3. Dehydrate at 115F for 1-2 hours (this helps to reduce fermentation) then turn down to 105F for at least 10 hours but you could dehydrate these up to 24 hours if you want them really crispy.

• 1/2T olive oil
• 1 small onion chopped
• 2 celery spears chopped
• 2 carrots chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic chopped
• 1 -15oz can of fava beans
• 4 mushrooms sliced
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast (nooch)
• 1t garlic powder
• 1t onion powder
• pinch of chili flakes
• 1T lemon juice
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups cooked whole wheat penne (or pasta of your choice- I’d recommend a small pasta)

1. In a large saute pan heat the olive oil over medium-high and add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic and mushrooms.  Saute for 5-7minutes until vegetables are soft and have developed a little color. 
2. Add the lemon juice, nooch, garlic powder, onion powder and chili flakes; stir together then add the vegetable brothand beans. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the broth has reduced.  
3. Add in the penne and stir.  Let everything heat through and then serve!