Nutritional yeast, unlike baker’s yeast, is not used for baking and is meant to be eaten raw. It is grown on enriched molasses and is often used by vegans as a kind of cheese substitute because of its rich, tangy flavor.
My wife introduced me to nutritional yeast. The first time I ate it, she sprinkled it on a salad of mesclun tossed with cherry tomatoes, sliced red onion, good estate bottled olive oil and a viscous 20-year-old balsamic vinegar. She asked me to guess what the mystery ingredient was, and I, of course, said I thought it was some kind of cheese, probably cheddar or parmesan.
When she told me it was nutritional yeast, I was surprised. If I associated it with anything, it was hippie food-carob, and fruit leather and seiten and heavy, bland stews made with obscure grains and legumes. It was instructive to taste it in an unaccustomed setting, delicious combined with what I thought of as “gourmet” ingredients.
We’ve recently started eating nutritional yeast another way — as a topping for buttered popcorn. If you eat butter but not cheese, nutritional yeast binds with the butter on the popcorn to give a tang and mouthfeel uncannily like cheesy popcorn.
Nutritional yeast is available in the bulk-food section of most gourmet supermarkets.
Green Salad with Cherry Tomatoes, Red Onion and Nutritional Yeast
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 ounces mixed salad greens
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onions
16 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
3 tablespoons good quality olive oil
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon aged balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions
Combine ingredients in large mixing bowl. Serve immediately.
