Nutritional yeast or Brewer’s yeast has tons of health benefits. It contains many B vitamins as well as vitamins A, C and E. In fact; experts believe that nutritional yeast is one of the oldest super foods available to man. On a daily basis, you can safely take a tablespoon of nutritional yeast which can provide you with all of your daily recommended vitamins needed by the body. Today we will study some easy ways to utilize nutritional yeast benefits.
Before we study the health benefits of this super food, let us understand how and where to buy nutritional yeast from.
Where to buy nutritional yeast
Brewer’s yeast is available readily online and in grocery stores. Look for labels such as ‘primary’ which means that the yeast is grown on molasses or sugar beets. This kind of yeast does not need further processing as it is by itself very tasty. Other commercial nutritional yeast varieties are grown on hops, grains or malt. This makes them prone to fermentation as they pick up alcohol and develop a bitter taste. As a result, manufacturers process them further to remove the bitterness. So look for primary nutritional yeast.
Below are some ways to use nutritional yeast in food. You can safely heat nutritional yeast as heat does not destroy its nutrients. However, for maximum benefit, you can always add it to your eggs, pasta and noodles as a garnish.
1. Use nutritional yeast on pizza
Nutritional yeast is extremely tasty and it can enhance your pizza’s flavor. Sprinkle yeast liberally over your pizza slices or in the dough. The flavor is like parmesan cheese so you won’t need any more cheese on top.
2. Add it to your popcorn
Add the cheesy flavored yeast to air-popped popcorn. This will make an excellent healthy and tasty snack.
3. Use it in all your vegan dishes
Vegans love nutritional yeast for its cheesy flavor. Add it to your sauces, mashed potatoes, casseroles, and soups in place of cheese. It is especially delicious on pasta, stir-frys and risotto.
4. In eggs
Many people love the cheesy, nutty and umami taste of Brewer’s yeast which makes it fantastic on eggs. Here are two wonderful recipes:
Nutritional yeast omelet
This is a vegan recipe with tofu. You can also use eggs:
- 3 oz firm silken tofu
- 1 tbsp tahini
- ½ tsp each onion powder, turmeric powder, curry powder, garlic powder, sea salt
- 1 ½ tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp non dairy milk
- 2 tbsp potato starch
- 3 tbsp canola oil
- For the filling- ¼ cup each diced white onion and red bell peppers, 2 cups fresh baby spinach and 1 tbsp canola oil.
Method
- Make the filling as follows: In a saucepan, heat the oil and fry onions and peppers. Sauté for 2-3 minutes then add the spinach. Stir well until the spinach cooks down. Remove from pan and set aside.
- For the omelet-In a blender combine all the other ingredients expect the oil and blend until smooth.
- To make the omelet: Pour a dollop of oil on a hot girdle and add a bit of the omelet batter. Cook for a few minutes. Add the filling ingredients on half the omelet and fold into crescent shape. Slide the omelet into a serving plate.
Nutritional yeast scrambled eggs
Scramble eggs as usual. Add a pinch of turmeric and a teaspoon of yeast to the egg batter. You can also make vegetarian scrambled eggs with tofu as above.
5. Nutritional yeast paleo recipes
The yeast can be used in many paleo recipes. Here is a wonderful paleo bread recipe:
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Combine 2 tbsp yeast, 1/4 cups of warm water, ¼ cup almond milk, and 1 tbsp honey and let stand for a few minutes.
- In another bowl, combine ½ cup coconut flour, 3/4th up almond flour, 2 tbsp arrowroot powder, 2 tbsp hazelnut flour and 1 tbsp ground flaxseed. Also add salt to taste.
- Beat 3 whole eggs and 2 egg whites. Mix the egg mixture, yeast mixture and the dry flours mixture. Add ¼ cup pureed pears and 1 tbsp olive oil. Beat well.
- Form into dough and bake in a bread pan at 350 F for 40 minutes.
- Cool completely and store the bread in an airtight container at room temperature.
Do try out these easy ways to use nutritional yeast and enjoy its many health benefits.