You’re walking down the aisles of your local health-food market, and you suddenly notice a curious thing called “nutritional yeast.” “What’s this interesting-looking, flaky yellow stuff?” you ask yourself. Unbeknownst to you, you have just stumbled across one of the greatest gifts to humanity that vegans have ever known.
So, what exactly is this stuff? It’s a deactivated yeast that’s commonly used as a replacement for cheese and as a topper for things like popcorn, pasta, and French fries. It’s fondly called “nooch” for short, and it’s totally delicious.
Make your pasta cheesier … and look better.
Yet another reason you’ll want to start using nooch is that it’s one of the primary ingredients in recipes for different kinds of vegan cheeses, like cashew cheese. Haven’t tried cashew cheese? Try this recipe!
Just like mom used to make. Except better.
For those of you who are worried about the nutritional value of this stuff—it’s called “nutritional” yeast for a reason! It’s a complete protein, meaning that it contains all nine of the amino acids that the body doesn’t naturally produce in just two tablespoons. Awesome, right? We think so.
It’s pretty simple: Put a dusting of nooch on your spaghetti the next time you make yourself a nice Italian dinner, or completely cover your movie popcorn with it during your next Netflix binge. Either way, it’s going to be completely awesome and delicious—and awesomely good for you, too. 🙂