The Vegan lingo can be hard to understand. If you are new to the vegan world or even have been here for a while you might wonder about some of the terms we use. I remember the first time I read the word ‘nooch’ in a recipe, and vegan margarine – I would never use ‘normal’ margarine, so why would I use the vegan version? and what’s Daiya? Cheeze anyone? Let me start this” Vegan Lingo Explained” series with Nooch.
- Nooch, is nutritional yeast, with no rising effect. It’s usual not easy to find in shops, yet it’s easy to use.
- It is a deactivated yeast.
- Nutritional yeast is produced by culturing a yeast in a nutrient medium for several days.
- While it contains trace amounts of several Vitamins and minerals, it is only a significant source of some B-complex vitamins. Sometimes nutritional yeast is fortified with vitamin B12.
- Nutritional yeast has a strong flavor that is described as nutty and cheesy.
- It is a complete protein, meaning it contains an adequate proportion of all nine essential amino acid that we need to function.
- It is low in fat and sodium and is free of sugar, dairy, and gluten
Source: Wikipedia
How to use Nooch, Nutritional Yeast
- Grind it in a mini chopper with an equal part of blanched almonds to fake Parmesan cheese, this is great sprinkled on pasta!
- Add a tablespoon or two to risotto, quiches, cannelloni, stuffed mushrooms. Anywhere you would use Parmesan
- Sprinkle it on popcorn
- Blend it with nuts to make a vegan cheese sauce and soft or hard cheese.
As always experiment with your foods – Enjoy!