VEGAN PARMESAN "CHEESE"

Hey everyone! Rita here. Along with a few others recipes in our Kitchen Basics category, this is a recipe that we haven't originally come up with, but have adapted to our own liking and make in a regular basis. The day we discovered vegan parmesan "cheese" was a huge stepping stone in our vegan journey. This is so much more than just a substitute for regular parmesan, it is one of the best condiments we have in our kitchen and we use it ALL THE TIME! We sprinkle it on toasts, pasta dishes and vegan pizzas, over soups and salads, mix it in veggie stir-fried rice, you name it. I can honestly say the only thing we've haven't put it in is smoothies and desserts.

Naturally it does not melt like dairy cheese, but it's got a perfect crunch and it is super flavourful. Cashew is my favourite nut and we always have heaps of cashew nuts stored in jars in our pantry (cashew-everything-cashew-everywhere), but you could use almonds, pine nuts or any other nut or seed as a vehicle for this flavour bomb. But really, whatever nut or seed you choose is not the star ingredient in this recipe — Nutritional Yeast is.

Nutritional Yeast is one of those things we'd turn away from if someone told us about it 2 years ago... We know better now. It is a strain of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae to be more specific) that's been deactivated, washed and dehydrated before it is packaged and ready to go. Do not confuse Nutritional Yeast with Brewer's Yeast — even though the latter looks similar and is also derived from the same strain of yeast, it has a completely different flavour profile and nutritional properties. The one we use to create this cheesy concoction is a source of many nutrients, vitamins and minerals and some brands even sell 'fortified' yeast, which also provides the much sought-after vitamin B12 (like the one we get!). So not only does it have a delicious strong and cheesy taste, but it is actually pretty good for you as well. You can eat it straight as it is, but if you pair it with some nuts, garlic powder and sea salt — you've got yourself some vegan parmesan!