Program Description
Event Details
Each month we will provide a small amount of a different spice or spice blend from a different part of the world. Cook with the spice and join us for a Zoom discussion of what we each made. Participants will share tips, recipes and opinions of how their sampling the spices went.
After some discussion during our March meeting, we decided to have our May pick be an unconventional one: nutritional yeast, which can be argued is not necessarily a spice, but is certainly a seasoning.
The name "nutritional yeast" sounds a bit clinical, but this vegan-friendly ingredient adds a cheesy flavor to everything from popcorn to garlic bread to pasta. Aficionados often refer to it as "nootch." It's been in the spotlight in vegan cookbooks and vegetarian restaurants for a long time and for good reason: Fortified nutritional yeast provides a rare non-animal source of vitamin B12.1 But even the most committed meat-eaters can appreciate the savory seasoning Bon Appetit magazine called "nature's Cheeto dust."
Vegetarian, vegan, or not, dried nutritional yeast is a versatile seasoning to keep right next to the salt and pepper. Shake a dusting on toast or a bagel, use it to flavor popcorn, add it to soups before serving, replace the classic Parmesan sprinkle on a plate of pasta, or watch it improve the kid-appeal of any type of vegetable.
Vegan-adapted recipes use nutritional yeast to add creaminess to sauces or to replicate traditionally cheese-laden dishes such as mac and cheese, au gratin potatoes, or Italian-style pasta casseroles. (from Spruce Eats)
Some main nutritional benefits of nutritional yeast include:
- Protein. Nutritional yeast contains all nine essential amino acids that you must obtain from food. It’s also a source of high quality plant protein
- B vitamins. Fortified nutritional yeast is especially rich in B vitamins, including thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), and B6 and B12
- Trace minerals. These include zinc, selenium, manganese, and molybdenum, which are involved in gene regulation, metabolism, growth, and immunity
You can find some recipes using nutritional yeast here:
https://www.self.com/gallery/nutritional-yeast-recipes
https://www.loveandlemons.com/nutritional-yeast/
https://food52.com/recipes/search?q=nutritional%20yeast
You will get an email when your kit is ready for pickup.
You will receive an email with the Zoom link approximately 1 hour before the discussion starts.