Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional Yeast is often used to mimic the flavor of cheese in plant based recipes. I've used it to create queso, vegan cheese, salad dressing, etc. The options are endless!

"Nutritional yeast is made from a specially selected strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. With the addition of B12 vitamins, Nutritional yeast is an ideal vegetarian support formula and has an appealing cheese flavor." -Bob's Red Mill

Now that we got the technical stuff out of the way, let me tell you more about this amazing little product. Like I said, I have made queso, vegan cheddar cheese, tofu scrambles, popcorn sprinkle, philly cheese sloppy joes, etc. with this great tasting gem. One of these days I'll get all of those posted. In the meantime, get a bag of it. It's not "cheap" but you'll only use a couple tablespoons per recipe at most so it lasts a little while. I never let this run out at my house. I would be lost without a container of queso in the fridge!

Queso:

1 cup cashews (soaked in hot water for 10 minutes)

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1/4 cup yellow miso

1 tsp lemon juice

Drain cashews but reserve 1/2 cup of the water for the recipe

In a really good blender (I use a Vitamix but I've also used a Breville) combine all ingredients including the 1/2 cup reserved water.

Start the blender on low to incorporate all ingredients together, then flip it to the highest setting and let it go for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides if needed and whir some more until very smooth and creamy. If you find it's just not creamy enough, just add a tablespoon of water at a time until it reaches your desired state.

Transfer to a dish and enjoy with some tortilla or potato chips, over a baked potato, spread on a sandwich, however you like! Let me know how you decide to enjoy this delectable sauce in the comments!