Foodie feature: Nutritional yeast! Vegan Cheezy Rosemary Chickpeas

Here's a recent Foodie Friday post from the company I blog for, Real Food Barre. Check them out at realfoodbarre.com!

Nutritional yeast. Ever heard of it?

Despite its less than appealing name, this yeast comes from the same family as brewer’s yeast and baker’s yeast. The primary difference is that it’s inactive, so you can eat it without cooking it! It can be bought in small or larger flakes and has a nutty, cheesy flavor. I use it all the time as a topping for popcorn, pasta, salads, and cooked veggies. It’s honestly one of the most versatile seasonings around.

Like most foods I talk about on this blog, nutritional yeast is not only tasty, but has quite the array of health benefits. I referred to MindBodyGreen.com to learn more about them. Here’s a little bit of what holistic health coach Sarah Seinberg has to say about nutritional yeast…

~It’s a vegetarian source of B-12, which is something that vegetarians and vegans need to focus on incorporating into their diets.

~It’s high in protein, with a whopping 9 grams in 2 tablespoons!

~It’s high in fiber, which is great for digestion.

~It’s gluten free. Yay for allergy avoidance!

~It’s high in folic acid, which is good for cell maintenance and production, as well as being beneficial for pregnant women.

Now that you’re itching to boost your diet’s health factor with nutritional yeast, here’s an ultra healthy recipe for you to try! Thanks Anja’s Food For Thought for the basic recipe!

Vegan Cheezy Rosemary Chick Peas

Adapted from Anja's food for thought

Ingredients:

 

2 cans unsalted chick peas, drained and rinsed

2.5 t olive oil

4 T nutritional yeast

3 T chopped fresh rosemary

Flower pepper or other freshly ground pepper, to taste

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Stir all ingredients together in a bowl until chick peas are thoroughly coated in mixture.

Step 2: Spread chick peas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in a single layer and bake for 75 minutes, or until crispy.

Enjoy them on your favorite salad or on their own!

Enjoy!

Italian-Seasoned Veggie Sauté

I'm always looking for new sources of protein and this week's discovery (though it has been around for a while) was seitan! I had tried a bit of southwestern-style seitan from the Whole Foods salad bar and was immediately hooked. The texture is really great and I discovered that I can buy it in a wide variety of flavors! After proceeding to the refrigerated section of the store, I chose Upton's Naturals Italian-style seitan. Two words: Absolutely delicious. Here's the recipe I chose to incorporate it into!

Italian-Seasoned Spring Sauté
By Caroline Mac
Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:
2 oz Italian-style seitan, chopped
1/2 c chick peas
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/3 c sliced white mushrooms
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 leaves fresh basil, chopped
Handful of mixed leafy greens (I used Trader Joe's Power Greens)
1/2 T olive oil
1/2 t Penzey's Green Goddess dressing seasoning
Lemon pepper to taste
Splash balsamic vinegar

Step 1: Add olive oil celery, carrots, mushrooms, basil, and garlic to a pan and heat over medium-high heat. Saute mixture until garlic becomes fragrant and veggies begin to tenderize.

Step 2: Add chick peas and seitan and continue stirring until everything becomes heated through. Add Greens, seasoning, and balsamic vinegar and saute until greens become wilted and soft.

Serve warm.

Enjoy!

~Caroline~