Nutritional Yeast and Bruschetta Pasta with LUCKY BONES
Although nutritional yeast might sound like a terrifying, tasteless additive used only for some kind of torture, that could not be further from the truth. While nutritional yeast is a healthy additive to food, it is also a delicious addition to a variety of foods like pasta, popcorn, and pesto. Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast. It is actually the same thing that bakers use to cause their bread to rise, but it has been rendered inactive through heating and a pasteurization process. Then it is crumbled into flakes (while drying) for easy use.
Although the manufacturing process and the name can be a bit off-putting, nutritional yeast has a nutty, cheesy, creamy flavor that is a delightful part of any dish. The flavor is very mild but it can still be used to replace cheese in almost any recipe. While nutritional yeast is delectable, it is not called nutritional yeast because that is such a fun phrase to say. Nutritional yeast contains folates, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, selenium, zinc, and complex B vitamins. If that were not enough, nutritional yeast is a complete protein – meaning it contains essential amino acids (9 out of the 18) that your body cannot produce. It is often even fortified with B12. As B12 is the only thing one cannot get from a whole foods, plant-based diet, nutritional yeast is an awesome way to incorporate such a vital nutrient. Nutritional yeast is also gluten-free, vegan, low in fat, low in sodium, and an all-around excellent ingredient.
Luckily enough, this amazing ingredient is not a specialty item either – it can usually be found pretty cheaply in your local supermarket. It often has a bright yellow hue and may even resemble fish food flakes. You can easily buy in bulk as it lasts for up to two years as long as it is kept in a cool, dry place. It can be added to almost any culinary recipe as a garnish or as a stimulating way to enhance the flavor profile of a dish. It can be sprinkled on a salad or even added to a desert for depth. Nutritional yeast is sure to be the addition to your kitchen that you never knew you needed!
Bruschetta Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb whole wheat pasta
- 32 oz of LUCKY BONES
- 1 cup of water
- 3 large ripe tomatoes
- ¼ cup green olives
- 2 -4 large minced garlic cloves
- 12 large basil leaves, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup vegan Caesar dressing
- 2 oz sliced almonds
- 1 ½ tbsps *Nutritional yeast*
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- salt and pepper
- arugula
Directions
- Bring LUCKY BONES and water to a boil in a pot and then cook pasta per directions to “al dente”. (While usually we would never recommend boiling our soups because valuable nutrients can be lost, in this case it is necessary in order to cook the pasta.)
- While the pasta is cooking dice the tomatoes and green olives.
- Place tomatoes, green olives, basil, garlic, vegan Caesar dressing, almonds, lemon juice, and salt and pepper (to taste) in a large bowl.
- When noodles are al dente remove from heat, drain and pour the hot pasta onto the other ingredients. Toss together with tongs and then add nutritional yeast, tossing well to coat.
- Serve with a little thinly sliced basil and a bit of extra nutritional yeast to garnish. Top each bowl or serving dish with arugula for garnish and additional texture.
One spoonful at a time,
Amanda Pennings