Episode 7: Nutritional Yeast

Fresh Pickings

If someone offered you a "bag of nooch," or a "sprinkle of hippie dust," would you take it? If you’re a pizza-loving vegan, you probably would! This episode of Fresh Pickings explores the world of nutritional yeast (and reveals its various street names).

Nutritional yeast is the deactivated (or dead) form of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae – the mother of all yeast strains. Dave Arnold of Cooking Issues joins Kat to teach her more about the science behind "brewer's yeast" – how it's grown, cultured (deactivated) to create nutritional yeast, and then packaged for our consumption.

If you've ever tried nutritional yeast before, you know that it packs a umami punch. For that reason, it's particularly popular among vegetarians and vegans as a way to add a savory seasoning to dishes. Kat welcomes back VLGL (Vegan Low Glycemic Load) blogger, Elizabeth Taylor, to share her recipe for a Chickpea Flour Omelette with Chipotle-Grilled Tomato.