Nutritional yeast is by far my favorite pantry staple. Yes, I am vegan, and no, I didn't know what nutritional yeast was before I went vegan. But let me tell you, I was definitely missing out! Whether you're plant-based or just someone who loves tasty food (that's also good for you), nutritional yeast definitely has a unique flavor to add to any of your favorite savory dishes. And now, with our new Nooch with Prebiotics and Probiotics, you can get all of the cheezy, delicious flavor of nutritional yeast with the added benefit of gut health-supporting nutrients.
I wanted to share a few of my absolute favorite Nooch recipes using our Natural and Sweet Cayenne flavors. All of these recipes are super simple to make and are guaranteed crowd pleasers (vegan or not!) Hope you enjoy them!
Vegan Pesto
Time to make: 10 minutes
Servings: 12-15 1 Tbsp Servings
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- ½ cup raw, unsalted cashews (soaked for 1-2 hours in hot water and drained)
- ⅓ cup Nooch Natural
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 ½ Tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ cup of water
- ½-⅔ cup olive oil
DIRECTIONS
1. Place basil leaves, soaked cashew nuts, Nooch, garlic, lemon juice, salt and water into a food processor and pulse until fine.
2. Pour in the olive oil slowly, pulsing as you pour. Scrape down sides of the food processor as necessary. For a thicker consistency, use ½ cup and for a thinner consistency, use ⅔ cup olive oil.
3. Add additional salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
4. Toss 1-3 Tbsp. with whole wheat pasta for a quick dinner or use as a dip for veggies.
Nacho Cheese Hummus
Time to make: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
INGREDIENTS
- 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (rinsed and drained)
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- ½ cup Nooch Sweet Cayenne
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ cup water
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp smoked paprika (for garnish)
DIRECTIONS
1. Add all of the ingredients (except the olive oil) to a food processor and blend on high until smooth and creamy.
2. Stream in the olive oil slowly, scraping down the sides as you go.
3. Pour hummus into small bowl and garnish with smoked paprika. Serve with crudité or pita. Enjoy!
Spicy Vegan Mac + Cheeze
Time to make: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup raw, unsalted cashews (soaked for 1-2 hours in hot water and drained)
- 1 ½ Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ⅓ cup Nooch Sweet Cayenne
- 1 clove garlic
- 8 oz elbow or another pasta
- Ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare the pasta according to package directions.
2. While the pasta is cooking, combine the cashews, lemon juice, water, salt, Nooch Sweet Cayenne and garlic in a high speed blender and blend until silky smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add 2-4 more tablespoons of water and blend again.
3. Once the pasta is tender, drain and rinse it, then return the pasta to the pot and stir in the cheese sauce. Season with black pepper to taste and enjoy!
Vegan Scrambled “Eggs”
Time to make: 10 minutes
Servings: 2
INGREDIENTS
- 14 oz firm or extra firm tofu
- 1 Tbsp olive oil (or your favorite cooking oil)
- 2 Tbsp Nooch Natural or Nooch Sweet Cayenne
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¾ tsp sea salt
DIRECTIONS
1. Drain a block of tofu and squeeze out any excess water with your hands. Leave a small amount of liquid in the tofu for cooking.
2. Drizzle some olive oil on the bottom of your frying pan and crumble the tofu into the pan until it’s in pieces about the size of scrambled eggs.
3. Sprinkle in the nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt, and turmeric to flavor the tofu and mix well.
4. Fry your “eggs” in the pan over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes until they are heated through. Serve with sliced avocado, hot sauce and toast or your favorite breakfast item and enjoy!
Vegan Cesear Salad
Time to make: 10 minutes
Servings: 2
INGREDIENTS
- 2-3 heads of romaine lettuce
- ¼ cup of hummus
- 1 tsp of mustard
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 2 Tbsp of capers (finely chopped)
- 1 Tbsp of caper juice (from the jar)
- 1 tsp of sea salt
- 3 Tbsp of olive oil
- ⅓ cup of Nooch Natural
DIRECTIONS
1. Make the dressing by mixing together the hummus, mustard, lemon juice, minced garlic, finely chopped capers, caper juice, sea salt and Nooch. Whisk in the olive oil until the dressing has a creamy texture and all ingredients are well combined.
2. Chop the romaine lettuce heads horizontally into 1”-1.5” pieces. Wash the lettuce and pat dry or use a salad spinner.
3. Transfer the lettuce into a serving bowl and add your desired amount of dressing. You may also add vegan croutons (see the next recipe) for a little extra crunch. Enjoy!
Vegan Cheezy Croutons
Time to make: 20 minutes
Servings: 6-8
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb. or about 6-8 cups stale sourdough bread (cubed)
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup Nooch Natural or Sweet Cayenne
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Mix the oil, Nooch of choice, salt, and garlic powder in a large bowl.
3. Toss the bread in the bowl with the mixture using your hands until each piece is coated.
4. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown and crispy. Enjoy with the Vegan Cesear Salad or your salad of choice.
Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Time to make: 35 minutes
Servings: 6
INGREDIENTS
- 2 ½ lb. yukon gold potatoes (peeled and chopped into cubes)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ cup unsweetened plant-based milk
- ½ cup Nooch Natural
- 2 tsp fresh chives
- ½ tsp ground mustard
- ½ tsp white pepper
- ½-1 tsp sea salt (to taste)
DIRECTIONS
1. Add the peeled and chopped potatoes to a pot and cover with one inch of cold water.
2. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until potatoes are tender all the way through (approximately 15-20 minutes). While potatoes are cooking, blend the olive oil, garlic, plant-based milk and Nooch in a food processor until smooth and set aside.
3. Drain the potatoes and then return them to the pot and mash them with a potato masher. Stir in mixture from the food processor followed by the fresh chives, ground mustard, white pepper and salt. Enjoy!
Spicy Roasted Broccoli
Time to make: 35 minutes
Servings: 4-6
INGREDIENTS
- 6-8 cups or 2 large crowns broccoli (chopped into florets)
- 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ⅔ cup finely ground almond or whole wheat flour
- ½ cup Nooch Sweet Cayenne
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp sea salt, to taste
- Juice from ½ a lemon
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Spread the chopped broccoli over a large baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle on almond (or whole wheat) flour, nutritional yeast and sea salt. Use your hands to toss everything together until the broccoli florets are well-coated.
3. Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven 25 to 30 minutes, or until broccoli is golden-brown and crispy.
4. Squeeze half a lemon on the roasted broccoli and enjoy with your favorite entree.
Nooch Popcorn
Time to make: 15 minutes
Servings: 2-4
INGREDIENTS
- 2-3 Tbsp olive oil, plus additional for coating
- ½ cup popcorn kernels
- 3 Tbsp Nooch Natural or Nooch Sweet Cayenne
- ½-1 tsp sea salt (to taste)
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and 2-3 kernels of popcorn and close the lid.
2. Wait a few minutes for the kernels to pop. Once the initial kernels have popped, add the rest of the kernels into the pan, quickly close the lid and lower the heat to medium-low.
3. Shake the pan to coat the new kernels with oil. Continue shaking the pan as you hear the kernels popping.
4. Continue cooking until the popping sound slows to about one pop per every few seconds.
5. Transfer the popcorn into your serving bowl. Drizzle with additional olive oil then add the Nooch of your choice and sea salt to taste. Enjoy!
