The word cheese to some may bring to mind milk or cows or goats. In fact, on the many different cheese packages you may find pictures of a beautiful farm, etc. I grew up eating many kinds of cheeses except for one. One cheese I just could not stand the smell—oh did it stink! I used to watch momma chow it down and I wondered how her body could eat such a stinky thing! That was almost as bad as her attachment to “pickled pig’s feet” which she also enjoyed! Aside from that, looking back, I have a lot of good food memories.
Even though there were good memories I turned and decided to go another direction and I became a vegan. The amazing thing about this change was that I learned that you did not need to use any part of an animal to make a variety of different dishes, including different cheeses, and none of which stink! In fact many of the recipes are made from simple, healthy ingredients.
Usually one of the main ingredients in making a cheese is nutritional yeast flakes because it seems to have that cheesy taste. Nutritional yeast also tastes good on popcorn and toast.
“Nutritional yeast contains so much nutritional value, making it a great addition to any healthy diet and lifestyle.
“Nutritional yeast is jam-packed with essential vitamins and minerals. In fact, it’s one of the best non-animal sources of folic acid and vitamin B-12. The yellow color of the flakes is a result of their large amount of vitamin B – ½ Tbsp. fulfills your entire daily vitamin B needs. In addition to B-12, nutritional yeast is high in 15 different minerals and 18 amino acids. Talk about a super food!
“The yeast itself is grown on beets and dehydrated, so don’t let the word “yeast” scare you away. Since it is plant derived and dried out, it’s free of the harmful candida that can wreck havoc on your digestive system. Think of it as the kind of yeast your body will love!”
www.wellnesstoday.com/nutrition-recipes/the-health-benefits-of-nutritional-yeast.
The following recipe is just a basic cracker cheese which you can season up or down, according to your taste buds!
| Recipe | |
| VEGAN CRACKER CHEESE | |
| 1 cup water | ½ cup unbleached white flour |
| ½ cup nutritional yeast flakes | ½ cup chopped red pepper |
| 3 Tbsp. light tahini | 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, fresh squeezed |
| 1 ½ tsp. or less salt | Optional: a few sliced olives |
| Blend all ingredients. Pour into small baking dish (I use a glass baking dish 7” x 5” x 1 ½”), and bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. Cool, refrigerate and slice as needed. My grandkids love it on crackers! |