Nutritional Yeast:
Nutritional yeast is a source of B vitamins, including thiamine, folate, B-6 and niacin. Just 1/2 tablespoon of some brands will provide you with a day’s worth of B vitamins, while other brands offer between 30 and 100 percent of the B vitamins. These vitamins help you extract the energy from food and produce red blood cells. Many types of nutritional yeast are also fortified with vitamin B-12, which is usually found exclusively in animal products. For vegans, fortified nutritional yeast thus becomes a source of this nutrient. From the Livestrong site.

Vegan Pesto Recipe adapted from here.

INGREDIENTS
• 1 1/2 cups fresh basil (loosely packed)
• 1/3 cup olive oil or other high-quality and flavorful oil
• 1 cup pine nuts (other nuts, such as almonds or walnuts may be substituted)
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

PREPARATION

How to make your vegan pesto:
Combine all ingredients in a food processor until nuts are ground. Pesto should still have texture and not be completely smooth. Add more salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!
One variation is to add 1/2 cup rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes.

Creamy Mac and Cheese Gluten Free, Dairy Free (adapted from here)

INGREDIENTS

1 (8 ounce) box gluten free macaroni noodles
1 1.5 cup almond milk (or coconut or rice milk)
1 -2 cup of daiya brand gf cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons of Earth Balance (or bitter alternative)
3 tablespoons potato starch (or corn or tapioca starch)
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
1⁄4 teaspoon paprika
1⁄8 teaspoon mustard powder

DIRECTIONS
. Prepare pasta according to box directions.
. Either in a separate pot, or in the same pot (once you remove and drain the pasta), make a roux by melting the margarine and then whisking in the potato/corn/tapioca starch until well blended and you have a thick paste. Use a medium-low flame and work quickly.
. Add thethe almond/rice milk. Continue to whisk to blend well on medium heat. You should have a nice white sauce.
. Add the Daiya cheese. Stir until completely melted (no lumps). This may take longer than expected–Daiya cheese takes much longer to melt entirely than real cheese.
. Add the rest of the spices and stir. If you have any other mac & cheese variations, add those ingredients now. If the sauce is too thick, add more milk; if it’s too thin, add more starch (slowly and sparingly).
. When the sauce is at the desired consistency, pour in your pasta and coat with the sauce. Serve hot! To reheat leftovers, you may need to add more liquid and reheat on the stove since the “cheese sauce” tends to congeal thickly when cooled.
. Enjoy!